(Because Saturdays are for fun projects).
We get all sorts of photo and video projects from a variety of companies and spent a couple of years working on THE FUNNEST PROJECT - namely documenting the restoration of the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa in Elora, Ontario.
For those of you who don’t know, “As Canada was settling in the 1800s, mills played a pivotal role in the way the country developed, both socially and economically. Alongside major waterways, and built of solid limestone foundations, mills have represented a connection to Canada’s industrial past. As a hub for socializing and trading, they became the cornerstone of a thriving community.
From 1851-1859, J.M. Fraser had The Elora Mill hand-built by labourers from Scotland. In 1859, the first of two devastating fires destroyed the mill and it subsequently changed hands to Ross & Company, where it was rebuilt and the site extended to become a gristmill, sawmill, wool factory and shops.
In 1944, the Elora Mill was sold to NR. Drimmie & Sons, who operated it as Drimmie Mill, where grain was sold and the granary used for grain storage. By this point, Elora had become the centre for the farming community, one local farmers would frequent to trade grains and buy seed for their livestock.
The Elora Mill opened as an inn for the first time in 1975, under the ownership of Andrew Panchuk and David Silverman. After changing ownership several times, the Elora Mill site was left in a state of extensive deterioration. It was then, in 2010, that Aaron Ciancone – Owner and President of Pearle Hospitality – rescued the property from bankruptcy. After six years of
intensive modern-day planning and design, the Elora Mill began its next transformation.
Building upon its century-and-a-half-old foundation and stone walls, applying original craftsmanship and raw materials, the Elora Mill Hotel & Spa opened this extraordinary site on July 6th, 2018, giving new life to this iconic building once again.”
We were hired to take photos of the restoration process, but Jonathan took it upon himself to make a timelapse of the progress as well and we are SO Glad he did. So without further ado…the video!