Dundas Horn of Plenty building sold to Cumbrae's owner
The 94-year-old Horn of Plenty building, formerly the Majestic Theatre, at 24 King St. W. in Downtown Dundas was sold in April to the owner of Cumbrae's butcher shop.
Stephen Alexander, who owns the butcher shop next to Horn of Plenty, at 26 King St. W., bought the building for $3.75 million on April 4. The Horn of Plenty building was listed for sale Jan. 6, 2023 at a $3.99 million asking price.
I will be happy to share the details and plans with you in the near future," Alexander stated in a June 7 email responding to questions from the Dundas Star News. Once we have a clear plan and vision, I'll reach out."
Built between 1928 and 1929 as the Majestic Theatre cinema, 24 King St. W. had several operators and was renamed Roxy Theatre until 1961 when it was renovated into the Safari Club dance hall.
By 1981, the building was empty. Neil and Denise Gloster purchased it in 1984 as the new home of their then-four-year-old health and bulk food store, The Horn of Plenty. The couple retired in 2005, when their son Jason took over day-to-day operation of the business.
In January, Jason Gloster, operator of The Horn of Plenty, said his father owned the building and put it up for sale to see if there was any interest. He said he had no plans to leave or close.
On June 8, Gloster said he and Alexander will discuss terms of a lease.
The building's facade, apparently original to the 1929 Majestic Theatre, was used as a movie theatre during filming of the television miniseries Haven" in 2000.
Between 2016 and 2022, a lengthy process was undertaken to renovate the second floor into six residential apartments.
After the building was listed for sale, Hamilton's municipal heritage committee placed it on its Buildings and Landscapes of Interest watch list of properties undergoing change but not perceived as immediately threatened.
The property was also referred to the committee's Inventory and Research Working Group to be reviewed for possible addition to the municipal heritage register. That would not make the property subject to heritage permit requirements or restrict any permitted uses, alterations or demolition, but would provide interim 60-day protection from demolition by requiring notice to the city.
City heritage project specialist Alissa Golden told the committee on Jan. 26 the Horn of Plenty building was on heritage staff's radar, after completing background research on the building in the ongoing Downtown Dundas building inventory project.