Laurier to showcase One Market Community Cultural Hub plans during Sept. 29 open house events

Sept. 19, 2022
For Immediate Release

BRANTFORD – Wilfrid Laurier University invites the community to attend the unveiling of plans to transform One Market – a former shopping mall in downtown Brantford – into a destination for arts, culture, dining and entertainment.

Architectural drawings featuring a proposed Community Cultural Hub will be on display at two open house events taking place Thursday, Sept. 29. The university will share its vision for the next phases of redevelopment at One Market, which include dining and specialty retail. Hosted at 1 Market St. in Brantford, the community drop-in sessions take place from noon to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

Laurier has an established successful track record of adaptive re-use, transforming many historic and underutilized buildings in Brantford’s core into vibrant academic, administrative and residence spaces. At 300,000 square feet, One Market is Laurier’s most ambitious adaptive reuse project to date. The university has already made significant structural and mechanical improvements, including transforming the eastern portion of the building into a student commons and classrooms, which guests can view during the Sept. 29 open house events.

Further plans for One Market include transforming former cinema spaces on the upper floor into a Community Cultural Hub that will include a gallery space, arthouse movie theatre and mid-sized performance space. The mid-sized performance space will address a longstanding need in the community, with the City of Brantford funding conceptual architectural drawings for the performance space initiative.

“The plans for One Market were developed after significant consultation with members of our campus, as well as the broader community,” said Tony Araujo, interim senior executive officer of Laurier’s Brantford campus.

“Members of the public, community and business leaders from our region, and arts organizations all came to the table to help shape this vision. We are excited to share plans to create a much-needed community cultural resource and attract increased vibrancy to our city’s core.”

For more information about the One Market open house events, visit Laurier’s website.