Farmer’s Rest Hotel in Dundas awaits site plan approval

Owners of the long vacant Farmer's Rest Hotel at 207 King St. W. hope for City of Hamilton approval this year of a nearly two-year-old site plan application still under review by the municipality.

The proposal for a ground floor commercial unit and one residential unit on each of the other two floors in the 175-year-old heritage building was submitted in March 2020. The building had six different owners attempt to renovate in the past 16 years.

Daniel Cheatley, consultant to the property's current owner, said the group is awaiting site plan approval.

We are hopeful that the project will move ahead in 2022," Cheatley said. We can provide more updates once our site plan is approved."

A numbered company, including directors Erwin Gerl and Zachary Agnew of Ancaster, bought 207 King in September 2019 for $950,000.

A conditional heritage permit was issued in November 2020 for: repointing of all masonry; installation of wooden panels below large commercial windows; and installation of new storm water management downspouts.

The structure was built in 1847 by Jesse Cooper as the Farmer's Rest Hotel. It operated as a hotel, known as Cain's Hotel after it was purchased by Patrick Cain in 1893, until 1910 when the building served as a hospital and later an apartment building. It was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1981.