Petrie Building
Bylaw: (1990)-13553
Legal description: Pt Lot 14, Plan 8
Designated portions
The complete exterior of the original building including the entire original stamped galvanized iron street façade, the shape and form of the building and its roof and all exterior building details and embellishments
Property history
This unique building, designed by Guelph architect John Day, was completed in 1882 for Alexander Bain Petrie, a local pharmacist and manufacturer and one of the City’s most successful and influential businessmen. Four storeys high and constructed of stone and timber, it is one of a very few buildings remaining in Canada incorporating a stamped galvanized iron façade. It was manufactured for Petrie by the Ohio firm of Bakewell and Mullins, specialists in architectural sheet metal working. Stylishly ornamented and elaborately embellished, the facade is distinguished by a bold cornice with a broken pediment enframing a large mortar and pestle.
A building recognized nationally for its architectural significance, this local landmark also represents a prosperous era in the City’s commercial growth. The designation applies to the entire exterior of the original building.