716 Commercial Street
Originally the pride of Waterloo's early firemen, the building at 716 Commercial Street in Waterloo served multiple functions through the years. In most recent memory, it was used by the El Mecca Shrine Club from 1976 to 2006. Left empty after that, it was falling into a state of disrepair.
It is currently being brought back to life to host a business on the main floor and three apartments on the second. Some of the original elements, such as the original fire doors, had been removed or modified. Fortunately the front facade masonry and stonework remained mostly intact. Although modified since its original purpose, remaining historical elements could be found and were retained and highlighted throughout. The stairs had to be modified from an L-shape to a straight run to create separate entries for the commercial space and apartments, but a glass wall in the commercial space shows the original upper half of the stairs. The tile walls on the main floor had been covered for decades, but were revealed to be intact and only required a little cleaning. One of the remaining fire poles was retained on the main floor and a glass viewing window was added to the flooring on the second floor above it.
It is currently being brought back to life to host a business on the main floor and three apartments on the second. Some of the original elements, such as the original fire doors, had been removed or modified. Fortunately the front facade masonry and stonework remained mostly intact. Although modified since its original purpose, remaining historical elements could be found and were retained and highlighted throughout. The stairs had to be modified from an L-shape to a straight run to create separate entries for the commercial space and apartments, but a glass wall in the commercial space shows the original upper half of the stairs. The tile walls on the main floor had been covered for decades, but were revealed to be intact and only required a little cleaning. One of the remaining fire poles was retained on the main floor and a glass viewing window was added to the flooring on the second floor above it.