The Niagara College Aurora Armoury has been recognized with two new design awards for the  transformation of one of Ontario’ oldest armouries into the vibrant culinary and community hub it is today.

Located in the heart of downtown Aurora, the NC Aurora Armoury opened in 2019, thanks to a partnership between the Town of Aurora and Niagara College, with Gow Hastings Architects behind the site’s multi-award-winning design.

The project has recently been announced as the winner of a 2022 award from the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO), as well as an Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) heritage award.

ARIDO’s Preserve + Restore Award recognizes projects that incorporate and reuse significant heritage structures in fitting and imaginative ways, thereby conserving them for future use and enjoyment.

The ACO Paul Oberman Award for Adaptive Reuse (Large-Scale) recognizes projects that incorporate and reuse significant heritage structures in fitting and imaginative ways, thereby conserving them for future use and enjoyment. The Large-Scale/Team/Corporate category is given to an architectural firm, large project team, or corporate owner of a large-scale restoration project.

“We are so proud to have helped restore this historic Armoury to revive its position as a prominent gathering hub while creating a culinary arts space for both industry and community alike,” said Valerie Gow, Partner, Gow Hastings.

Gow noted featured elements of the space design which she believes has contributed to it being recognized as an award-winning space.

“To celebrate the original agrarian-style building, we exposed the large spanning post and beam structure and refurbished the original terrazzo floor. Oversized fans, custom designed LED light fixtures and a state-of-the-art culinary kitchen provide a contemporary contrast to the wood interior,” said Gow. “Together with the Town Archives, we lined the walls with a historic black and white photo montage to tell the story of the Armoury in a meaningful way.

“Full height bi-fold doors open the culinary activity inside the building to the adjacent community park, inviting the public in.”

The NC Aurora Armoury officially opened in 2019, thanks to an innovative partnership between the Town of Aurora and Niagara College. The College runs short-term and part-time culinary, wine and beer classes on site, as well as catering and a community event space.

The NC Aurora Armoury is a community-based space, which can be booked for corporate and social events, weddings, part-time classes and more. NC chefs offer catering services, as well as pop-up events for the public to enjoy. In addition, it offers corporate team building sessions and tailored industry training programming to support the GTA and beyond, making Aurora a new hub for NC’s Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies division. 

Located in heart of downtown Aurora, the Armoury is a recognized federal heritage building and the long-time home of the Queen’s York Rangers. In 2014, the Town of Aurora purchased the historic site – which was built in 1874 as a drill shed for the 12th Battalion of Infantry or York Rangers – with the intention of restoring the historic building and returning it to its rightful place as a community gathering space.

The NC Aurora Armoury is located at 89 Mosley Street, Aurora (in Town Park).

For more information on The Armoury, visit aurora.ca/armoury.