Shuttered Toronto landmark gets new lease on life as grocery business moves in
The fate of a well-loved Toronto landmark has taken another turn after the iconic Beaux Arts-style building was closed for three years.
The former Postal Station C building at 1117 Queen Street West was built in 1902, designed by famed architects David Ewart and Samuel G Curry, and served the neighbourhood's mail delivery needs for more than a century until it was officially closed in 2020.
In the years that followed, it seemed that the fate of Postal Station C was nothing short of tragic, from being sold to sitting vacant, and riling up locals even more with the possibility of a futuristic new condo tower sprouting from the stately old building.
Take a walk by Postal Station C today, and you'll see the building plastered in signs indicating that something new is moving, teasing work opportunities, and a new chapter for the building.
And so it seems that now Postal Station C will live on (at least temporarily) as a local grocery store, dubbed 1117 Meats & Pantry.
Videos shared to the 1117 Meats & Pantry Instagram account show the building transform into its current digs, creeping closer and closer to an official opening date. While the exterior of the building has stayed the same, the inside has been stripped down to the brick and features all new shelving, refrigeration, and other necessary appliances to run a store.
So what's to expect from 1117 Meats & Pantry? According to team member Leslie Bielak, local shoppers can look to fresh fruits and veggies, pressed juices, specialty deli cheese and cold cuts, ready-to-cook meals, frozen items, and a very large selection of fresh meats.
"It's a truly unique food shopping experience that will deliver quality, variety, and great value," he tells blogTO.
While no official opening date has been shared, store manager Daryl Ethier confirms a grand opening is set to take place very soon.
Meanwhile, development plans for the site that would preserve the heritage building have been reworked after a 2024 refusal report was issued by the City, and are now working through the provincial appeals process
