The owners said they plan to move The Round Table to the second floor, but still have plans for a bootlegger on the main floor.But there’s no timeline yet
After years of renovations and delays, the Albion building in downtown Guelph is being given new life, and more work is on the way.
The top floor of the listed heritage building at 49 Norfolk Street, on the north-east corner of Norfolk Street and MacDonnell Street, has been rented out and owner Thomas Gofton is running a board game-based business called The Round Table. The plan is to bring in some of the , up to the mid-levels, with his 1920s-style bootlegger on the ground floor.
“It’s been tough, but we’re still moving towards our goal,” he said of the project overall. “It’s been a long journey since we purchased this building in 2020.”
Gofton said the plan is to move the retail space and back dining area from The Round Table on Essex Street to The Albion Building.
“It will be different because we will have our own offer. We will eventually have lunch there and so on,” he explained. “The goal is not to be another geeky bar, but to be a more approachable bar.
“The Round Table on Essex Street, on the other hand, is very esoteric. It’s like King Arthur’s castle and people love it. It’s not the first place people go to if they’re not into gaming. So , the second floor (of the Albion) will be a more welcoming place for people to come.”
Part of the level will be used as retail and the other part will be used for public use and event space, including a stage where snacks, cocktails and coffee can be purchased.
“I’m not looking to bring another nightclub downtown,” Gofton stressed.
Gofton points out that the Roundtable’s main operations are providing a positive atmosphere and making a profit, so it doesn’t make sense to uproot everything at this point.
He declined to publicly discuss the timeline for the completion of construction work on the building or when parts of the Round Table would move into the Albion building, saying he never provided such information in the past. He pointed out that something had come out to push him back. .
However, he noted that the biggest hurdle to the move at this point is securing approval from the city for a retail permit and final inspection of the second floor.
In September, the council officially designated the building as a heritage building under the Ontario Heritage Act, without objection from Gofton. A motion expressing the wishes of the council was passed in June.
“The site used to be in such bad shape that if a match was played in the wrong area, the place would go up in flames,” Gofton said, adding that much of the renovation and restoration work had been completed before the designation. said.
“I don’t want to see that building come down because of a high-rise building,” he added, noting that now that heritage designation is in place, such a thing will not happen. “We didn’t buy the building because we’re trying to do some kind of business model. There’s nothing we can do to make money in this town other than create a geek spot for the community and try to save the building right now. There are many.”