Tuesday, February 11, 2025

School of Lofty Ideas: The Future Transformation of Wells Street School

Partially, we should be happy that Wells Street Public School will not be demolished, but it’s unfortunate that it won’t be a school in the near future. Something also tells me that many aren’t happy about the transformation into a residential area, or the so-called lofts.

Wells Street Public School

If everything goes through in the upcoming months or years, Aurora will have lofts on Wells Street.

I’m not sure if the trend of converting old factories into lofts is still as popular as it was over ten years ago in Toronto. When we were looking for our first house, we did tour one of those lofts. They were nice, but didn’t meet our requirements—particularly in terms of size versus price.

There were also some layout issues we didn’t like. The ceilings were high and left uncovered, with all the piping exposed—definitely dust collectors. The sewer pipe, which we probably wouldn’t be able to change, was right beside the kitchen. My imagination runs wild, and I couldn’t stand the thought of hearing the sounds of a flushing toilet while cooking.

No thanks for us. We ended up in Aurora.

Wells Street Public School

Can we salvage the look of the school?

It’s hard to say. It all depends on how many loft units the developer plans to include. The windows will likely be the biggest challenge. The major windows on the sides and front of the school are grouped in fives, which would be a tricky split. The front of the school is practically all windows, not including the side decorative closed frames.

Let’s hope the builder is considering converting each classroom into a loft. That might offer a chance to preserve the look of the old school. But of course, I’m only speculating from the outside. Once engineers get their hands on the plans, they’ll likely work their magic.

Parking availability will also be an interesting factor. Will they dig underground? It’s certainly possible.


Wells Street Public School, Fenced Side

I was a bit ignorant before and didn’t really pay attention to why only one side of the school was fenced off. So, I sneaked behind the Aurora Masonic Hall to see the fenced side of the school. Now, it’s clear to me that there is external damage to the brick wall on just one side.

Now, here’s a question for you. Let’s say you’re in the market to buy a nice loft in Aurora, and you spot some for sale on Wells Street. After investigating, you discover that one side of the building was once damaged. Which side would you be interested in—the damaged side or the undamaged one? Or would you look somewhere else? Aha, something to think about.

And what about the Aurora Farmers Market? Maybe it’s too early to think about relocating, but I’m sure it will all work out. Sometimes, it’s hard to accept change in our community, but change is inevitable, and occasionally it can bring positive outcomes.

COMMENTS

Max Coutinho said: November 24, 2011 at 16:24

Anna, I like lofts, but if one is thinking about having a family; then they just won’t do. This school is beautiful and if the architect is smart he/she will be able to do a marvellous thing with it (no pipes showing lol). I hope all is well, girl! Send my love to Matthew, please. Big hug and cheerio.

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