Heritage Projects | Grim Valor Forge Architecture

Look, heritage work isn't about making everything pretty and Instagram-ready. It's about understanding what these spaces were, respecting the people who worked in 'em, and figuring out how they can serve folks today. Every beam tells a story, every brick has character you can't replicate. We've spent years getting our hands dirty in these places, and honestly? That's where the magic happens.

BEFORE

Distillery District Warehouse No. 7

Original Use: Whiskey aging warehouse (1889-1957)

Current Use: Mixed-use creative offices & artisan marketplace

This one was a beast when we first walked in back in 2019. The whole place reeked of decades-old mold and pigeon... well, you can imagine. But those timber columns? Absolute units - 14x14 Douglas Fir that don't grow like that anymore. We spent three months just documenting the existing conditions, finding old blueprints in the city archives, talking to folks who remembered when it was operational.

The brick bearing walls were mostly solid, though we had to rebuild the entire north facade after finding serious structural cracks. Kept every original window opening though - even fabricated new steel frames based on the old profiles we found rusting in the basement.

Heritage Designation Adaptive Reuse Completed 2022

AFTER

What We Kept, What We Changed

The goal wasn't to make it look brand new - that'd be missing the whole point. We exposed the original brick wherever possible, sandblasted decades of paint off those timber columns (found some amazing carpenter marks from 1889), and kept the old freight elevator shaft as a feature stairwell.

New interventions are deliberately modern - no fake historical crap. Steel and glass additions contrast with the old masonry but respect its scale. Added a mezzanine level using reclaimed steel from another demolished factory across town. The mechanical systems are all tucked away; we're not about letting ductwork steal the show.

Energy efficiency was tricky with heritage constraints, but we managed to hit pretty decent performance with strategic insulation, high-performance glazing, and a geothermal system that didn't require tearing up the foundation.

BEFORE

Junction Textile Mill Conversion

Original: Cotton mill (1902-1978)

Now: Residential lofts (87 units)

This building was maybe two years from demolition when we got the call. The developer originally wanted to tear it down, but after walking through it together and seeing those bow truss ceilings with the original monitor skylights... they got it. Sometimes you just need to show people what's already there.

Biggest challenge? The place had zero insulation and single-pane windows. We basically built a new building inside the old shell - thermally broken but visually respectful. Those monitor windows now flood the top-floor units with natural light.

AFTER

Living With History

The units range from 800 to 2,200 sq ft - we worked with the existing column grid, so every layout's a bit different. Folks who live there now actually appreciate that quirk. Exposed brick, original wood floors (refinished, not replaced), and 14-foot ceilings in most units.

We added exterior fire escapes as feature staircases - steel and perforated metal that nod to the industrial past without pretending to be original. The ground floor retail kept the big truck bays; now they're roll-up doors for a brewery and cafe.

Completed: 2023 | Recognition: Toronto Heritage Award

The Process - How We Actually Do This

Deep Dive Research

We're talking archives, old photographs, talking to former workers if they're still around. Understanding what a building was helps figure out what it can be.

Condition Assessment

No sugar-coating here. We bring in structural engineers, envelope specialists, sometimes environmental consultants. Gotta know what you're dealing with.

Respectful Design

New stuff should look new. We're not into fake history. But scale, materials, proportions - those matter. The old and new should have a conversation, not a fight.

Hands-On Collaboration

We're on-site constantly during construction. Heritage work always throws curveballs - you find stuff once you open up walls. Can't design that from an office.

More From The Archives

Roundhouse Engine Works

Era: 1912 railway maintenance facility

Reuse: Events venue & microbrewery

Kept the radial track layout visible in the polished concrete floors. The turntable pit is now a sunken lounge area. Pretty cool seeing wedding receptions where locomotives used to get serviced.

Eastern Power Station

Era: 1928 coal-fired generating station

Reuse: Tech campus & innovation hub

The turbine hall is now a four-story atrium. We kept the original crane rails and turned them into lighting tracks. The boiler room? That's a 300-seat auditorium with unreal acoustics.

Victory Soap Works

Era: 1895 soap manufacturing plant

Reuse: Artist studios & gallery space

Smallest project here but maybe the most satisfying. Artists wanted raw space, so we basically stabilized it and got out of the way. Sometimes the best design is knowing when to do less.

Why This Work Matters

Every city's got a choice - tear down the old and build shiny new stuff, or work with what's already there. We're obviously biased, but these buildings? They're part of our collective memory. They tell stories about who we were, what we made, how we worked.

Plus, from a practical standpoint, the amount of embodied energy in these structures is massive. Tearing them down and starting from scratch is wasteful. Yeah, it's harder to work with existing buildings - there's no template, every project's different, and you're constantly problem-solving. But that's exactly why it's interesting.

If you've got an old industrial building and you're wondering what to do with it, give us a shout. We'll take a look, tell you what we think - honest assessment, no BS.

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