160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario ~ Allandale Grand Trunk Station

The Canadian National Railways Allandale Station at Barrie is a station complex consisting of three attached buildings of Italianate residential scale and inspiration – a passenger depot, a restaurant and an office building. These stand in a line along the track in the former Allandale sector of Barrie, separated from Kempenfeldt Bay by a public park. Their collective address is 285 Bradford St. It has been designated a heritage railway station because of its historical, architectural, and environmental significance.

Allandale’s station represents the GTR's successful attempt to increase both profits and patronage by improving its real property and customer service early in the 20th century. It was acknowledged as "flagship of the Grand Trunk" line when, in 1904-1905, an attractive extension designed by the Detroit firm of Spier and Rohns was added to the existing office building (1900). Allandale served as a vital transportation link in the north-south development of Toronto, and was a key divisional point in GTR's northern Ontario operations. In 1922, Canadian National Railways (CNR) assumed ownership and operations of the Allandale station complex, and it continued as a CNR station until the mid-1980s, then continued to be used as a passenger waiting room for VIA Rail.

An intense rivalry between the town of Allandale and the nearby community of Barrie developed as a result of the construction and successful operation of the Allandale station. While Allandale is now part of the City of Barrie, the GTR /CNR’s central role in the formation and development of the Allandale community continues to be legible in the station’s environment. The station originally stood on the shores of Kempenfelt Bay until land behind the station was in-filled to create extensive rail yards. Today, this infill has become a municipal park, restoring the station’s visual link to the water.

The Canadian National Railways Allandale Station at Barrie is a station complex consisting of a passenger depot, a restaurant and an office. These three structures sit side by side along the rail line, visually linked through their complimentary massing, uniform roof pitch, and common rail-inspired details such as broad overhanging eaves and large brackets. Together they create an atypical, visually distinctive station composition.

The heritage value of the Allandale station resides in its picturesque massing, the composition of its elevations, its residential scale, Italianate Villa detailing, and its visual, as well as symbolic, identity within the community.

Source:

Heritage Character Statement, Grand Trunk Railway Station, Allandale / Barrie, Ont., 19 December 1990. Heritage Assessment Report RSR-019, 1990.