A comparison with Lazarus rising from the dead might be a bit exaggerated but the official opening of the transformed Alton Mill, in the village of Alton, at the end of September was the culmination of a long struggle for developers Jeremy Grant and his brother Jordan.

After two years of construction and a 10-year planning and municipal approval process, the mill, which originally seemed destined for demolition, has come roaring back to life as a regional arts centre that will contain a mix of art studios, workshops, creative professional offices, heritage exhibits and eventually a restaurant overlooking the millpond that once supplied the power to operate the mill.

Principals of the family-controlled Seaton Group, the Grants invested millions of dollars and overcame numerous legal, planning, environmental, engineering challenges to give the mill a second life.

"We never thought about throwing in the towel, but there were a lot of sleepless nights," says Jeremy.

A team of consultants with special expertise in heritage buildings was selected for the project, which was designed to bring the 23,000-square-foot stone mill up to existing building standards without jeopardizing its original fabric and heritage features.

Some of the work undertaken or supervised by King City-based construction manager J.D. Strachan Limited included a meticulous re-pointing of the exterior walls, reinforcing the large interior timber beams, repairing some of the original windows and installing new replica-style reproduction windows when repair wasn't feasible. The architect is Catherine Nasmith who also is president of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.

Overlooking scenic Shaw's Creek, the mill was built between 1881 and 1913 and consists of the main two-storey mill building, a three-storey water tower, and a brick chimney stack, the remnants of a number of accessory buildings as well as the mill pond and dam.

Designated as a heritage structure by the Town and listed on the federal government's Canadian Register of Historic Places, it was the longest running water-powered mill on the upper Credit River system, remaining in operation until 1982.

In late 1980s the Seaton Group headed by Jeremy's father Jack purchased the mill as one piece of an envisioned large-scale redevelopment of Alton's inventory of historic buildings in partnership with another developer. As part of its original concept plans the family also forged a partnership with the Millcroft Inn for the purpose of creating conference space for visitors to that facility.

"We wanted to take a much broader approach to development and wanted to play a role in the community," says Jeremy, explaining the Seaton Group wanted to avoid the standard developer practise of coming into a community, developing a project and then leaving.

Changing economic times altered those plans. In the "heady days" of the 1980s with rapidly increasing property values the plan to assemble a number of properties became impractical. Then the recession of the 1990s set in.

"What really changed our situation was the recession. We couldn't sell and we couldn't lease the mill. It was on the precipice of being knocked down."

As the recession wore on, the building began to deteriorate and was increasingly a target of vandalism. Then, in 1997, a local woodworker proposed an arrangement where he would make landlord-style improvements on space he wanted to use in exchange for reduced rent.

The proposal convinced the brothers the mill had a new future as a regional arts centre.

"In the development industry and I think in a lot of industries, sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct."

That instinct was based on the mill's proximity to Toronto, the existence of the Millcroft Inn, which will provide a steady stream of visitors, the already thriving arts scene in the Headwaters area, the affluence of Caledon and the area's natural beauty. While not a factor at the time, today's rising fuel prices will attract visitors who don't want to travel too far, he says.

A small first-phase renovation of the more useable east section of the mill was completed the same year and space leased to a number of artists and crafts people.
"The object (of the renovation) was to get people into the building quickly and stop the vandalism."

Two years later the Seaton group submitted a redevelopment site plan to the Town for the restoration of the much larger westerly section of the building.

"It (submission) was the start of a very long, very difficult and very complex process. The mill is in an environmental protection area and in a flood plain, while Alton is on septic tanks. Layered on top of those constraints were the intense complications of restoring a heritage building."

A rezoning from industrial to commercial was required; area residents' concerns about the project had to be addressed; and several engineering and construction solutions were needed to meet Credit Valley Conservation Authority regulations.

Just some of those solutions included the installation of steel-frame extra-thick windows in the lower level - which still houses the original turbine - and a courtyard adjacent to Shaw's Creek. An extensive filtration system that collects storm water and gradually lets it seep back into the ground rather than pouring into the creek was also installed.

Another major undertaking was the installation of an old Bailey bridge. Located out of the flood plain, it serves as a pedestrian access and provide an emergency route in the event the main entranceway is ever flooded, says Jeremy.

But the project wouldn't have been feasible if the brothers hadn't been able to access funding from two government programs, one provincial and one federal. A total $1.7 million was obtained from the Ontario government's Rural Economic Development (RED) program and the federal government's first ever and now-disbanded Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund. (Intended to encourage private owners to restore heritage buildings, that program was cancelled by the Conservatives).

"These are not slush funds. There are very strict accounting principles and are not upfront grants. We had to do the work first."

Designed to encourage projects that simulate the economy and create employment in rural areas, the RED program criteria requires the developer to work with a local-based partner. In this case the partner was the Headwaters Arts Festival. Now Headwaters Arts, maintains a galley in the mill and will act as the developer's leasing agent.

"This (the restored mill) is phenomenal and will make the Headwaters an even greater area than it already is in the promotion of the arts," says president Wayne Baguley.

Sharing that sentiment is Anne-Marie Warburton, principal of Gallery Gemma, a jewellery art studio operating in the first phase of the building. "I really appreciate what they (the developers) are doing and believe in their passion."

And the project isn't really over. Discussions with the Peel Heritage Complex to turn the turbine room into a local museum are underway and there are long-term plans to rehabilitate the mill pond, says Jeremy.