The Restoration Project
By Cochrane Temiskaming Museums and Art Galleries
Association
Entrance Lobby
In 1909, the Station only had doors on the track (east) side - the automobile did not reach Temagami until 1928, with the opening of the Ferguson Highway.
One of the original windows on the west side has been extended to form a door, making the building accessible from the busy TransCanada Highway.
The 2-1/2" thick solid oak doors and pine transom windows were salvaged from Haileybury Station (built 1924) just before its demolition in 1997.
The new lobby will preserve heat in winter and provide separation of the public spaces from the washrooms.
Tile Floors
The original washroom floor tiles were discovered under layers of linoleum.
A heritage architect was delighted to find 'the pattern was virtually identical
to the 1880's Osgoode Hall renovations'.This tile pattern will be replicated
in the entrance and washroom areas.
Ticket & Telegraph Office
The office will function as office for the
Trust and ticket wicket for the commercial exhibit in the north section of
the station.
This area was virtually destroyed by fire in 1976. No original furnishings remain. Period furniture and cabinetwork salvaged from the Haileybury Station will replicate the earliest photos of this room.
Visitors will be able to test the telegraph equipment, some of which was used until the 1970's..
The Waiting Room
The original Ladies' Waiting Room, in the south section of the Station, continues to serve Ontario Northland's rail passengers.
The massive 1909 benches have been retrieved from the municipal hockey arena and painstakingly refinished. Today's passengers find them surprisingly comfortable.
Hundreds of hours were spent removing eight layers of paint from the oak mouldings.
False ceilings were added over both waiting rooms as an energy saving measure in the 1940's. The 22' high cathedral ceiling, which was damaged by a fire in 1976, remained hidden from view until 1998 when it was uncovered as part of the restoration.
Gallons of rubbing alcohol and lots of elbow grease were used to clean the smoke-blackened shellac.
In its earliest days the Station was illuminated by carbide gas brackets and chandeliers. The restored building will boast replica fixtures lit by natural gas, both inside & out.
This decorative wrought iron stair, with Art Nouveau cast iron newel posts, is one of the Station's true mysteries. Why would such an ornate stair be used in an area which was always hidden from public view, seen only by railway staff when the furnace needed stoking?
It will now lead visitors from the Waiting Room up to the Mezzanine. The wrought iron work will be replicated around the mezzanine and the new exterior basement entrance.
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