The restoration of a historical Windsor landmark is nearly complete.
A $1-million facade restoration of the Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre is wrapping up its first phase and more improvements are on the way.
As heard on AM800, renovations began in the middle of the summer of 2021.
Ward 2 councillor Fabio Costante says it's important to restore this building due to its history.
"Mackenzie Hall in my recollection is 170 years old and it's an iconic building not just in Sandwich Town but in our entire region," he continued. "Built by our second prime minister, it was at one time the court house for the municipality of Sandwich and now is used as a community hub or community centre."
He says he is grateful that council supported the restoration of the structure.
"No one will ever dispute the importance of this building and I look forward to it being restored for generations to come while always maintaining its unique heritage and design. I'm really grateful and look forward to the next phases of construction in the coming years."
Costante says he looks to future work on the hall in the upcoming years.
"Part of this is getting ahead of the matenence before things get bad, if you will, or break down because Mackenzie Hall is widely used and we want to make sure it's always above a standard that we want to accept for that building," he said.
$3-Million of improvements are planned over the course of the next decade including funding for renovations to washrooms on the second floor in 2023, preservation and maintenance of the building envelope and building systems and finishes.
Mackenzie Hall was built around 1855 by the second Canadian Prime Minister, Alexander Mackenzie and was originally a courthouse and jail.
The hall currently serves as a multi purpose hub in Windsor and space for theatre and performance arts, art galleries, meeting facilities and ballroom for private rentals and special events.