Location: Collingwood, ON
This beautiful two-and-a-half-storey Federal building with a low hip-roof was built in 1914 in the Beaux-Arts style with massive Corinthian columns. Inspired by the Estatal de Finanazas (Ministry of Finance) building in Havana, Cuba, the post office boasts a large rotunda and the façade is sheathed entirely with white marble. Buildings such as this are few and far between in Canada making this building a significant part of Canadian heritage.
There is no shortage of stained glass in this building, which boasts a vaulted stained glass dome. It bears the coat of arms of the four levels of government, including the Town of Collingwood.
When EGD Glass arrived on the scene for the restoration, they found the original stained glass in very poor condition. It was clear that little to no maintenance had been carried out on the glass, which was layered with dust and dirt.
Rust and buckling of the steel frame, deterioration of the lead came matrix, and breakage of glass had occurred over time and it was necessary for the entire dome to be dismantled for repair and conservation.
EGD went to work creating a system to remove each glass panel from the dome. This was aided by the design and construction of a curved wooden board which the glass panels could slide onto and be removed from the small crawl space above the dome. EGD then designed a curved storing brace for the panels where they awaited restoration.
The glass panels were cleaned, repaired, and restored to a version of the stained glass which hadn’t been seen in over 40 years. The colors and images stand vivid and proud in this Canadian architectural gem and have brought the building back to life.