Friends of Freeman station set a $300,000 fundraising goal – put your name on a part of the structure.

News 100 redBy Staff

April 4, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

While some think it isn’t yet a safe bet that there will be no more snow – if there is any it won’t stick around very long – which was enough motivation for the Friends of Freeman Station to begin checking their tool boxes and getting out their work books to troop over to the current location of what everyone calls the Freeman Station.

Freeman station - old GTR picture

It was a different Burlington at a much different time when it was not yet a town and the reason for being was to grow produce and ship it out from this station. Now we want to preserve the place.

In 1856, the Great Western Railway completed the rail line.  The first train station of the Great Western Railway line was built around 1854 near Brant Street close to where Plains Road is now located. The line itself, which ran  between Hamilton and Toronto was completed in 1856.

The local area at the time was called Wellington Square.

In 1869, the Great Western Railway started to list the train station as “Wellington Square”, in their railway timetable schedules. A short time later, the station name “Wellington Square” was changed to “Burlington”, when the area became known as Burlington.

In 1877 on February 14th, the Hamilton & Northwestern Railway line opened from Hamilton to Burlington and on up to Georgetown. This created a junction between the GWR and H&NW railways, and it was at “Burlington”.  The designation for the train station changed to “Burlington Junction”.

In 1882, the Great Western Railway and the Grand Trunk Railway amalgamated and the train station at “Burlington Junction” was of a Great Western Railway building style, and now it was part of the Grand Trunk Railway who used different styles for their train stations.

The train station was a focal point for the city - train travel was how most people for to Burlington.

The train station was a focal point for the city – train travel was how most people for to Burlington.

In 1883, the “Burlington Junction” station was completely destroyed by a devastating fire. The station was rebuilt in 1888, and the Grand Trunk Railway continued to use the GWR design. There is an old photograph from this period that shows the station with signage that shows the station with the name “Burlington”.

In 1904, this second station also burned to the ground. It was not that uncommon to have fires at train stations.  The locomotives were spewing embers as they entered into the station area, and on windy days, those burning embers often landed on the stations somewhere.

In 1906, the Grand Trunk Railway built a new station using their own classic design, which was known as “Type B2a”. This is the historic station design we are fortunate to have in Burlington, and now it will be preserved and renovated.  As a side note, all three stations were built at the same location.

During the time that the stations were active, the signage changed three times.  The names ‘Burlington Junction”, “Burlington”, & “Burlington West” were all in use.  “Burlington West” was used for a very short time in the mid-1980s as Go Train Service was introduced and the new Fairview Street Station opened.  For a brief time, both the Go station & the “Burlington West” station were in operation at the same time. The “Burlington West” sign was there only to distinguish between the two stops until the beautiful old train station was finally closed around 1988 by the Canadian National Railway.

werv

Burlington grew produce; pears, peppers and apples were some of what got shipped from the Burlington station.

So why was it ever called “Freeman Station”?  Contrary to popular belief, it was not named after the Freeman family who settled the area over 200 years ago. The station was located in the Village of Freeman, which was the area of Brant Street and Plains Road. The Freeman family has lived in and around the Village of Freeman for all of those years.  The Village of Freeman was a thriving community with several factories, including a canning company and a basket making company, and a fair number of nearby houses. The Village of Freeman even had its own Post Office and a postal stamp designation up to 1952, when amalgamation finally brought the Village of Freeman together with the Town of Burlington. The name evolved from everyday usage by the local residents who affectionately called their train station, “Freeman Station”.

With this kind of local history one would have thought city council would have been all over themselves to save the place.  The city couldn’t find a place to put it and the leadership to save the structure didn’t show up until the place was being offered for sale as kindling.   The city just wanted to get rid of it.

wer

On the move – the station got moved a number of times – is there yet another move in its future?

That is when Councillors Marianne Meed Ward and Blair Lancaster got together and pleaded with their colleagues to just give them some time and they would find a way to save the structure.

The Friends of Freeman Station was formed; the found a way to acquire charitable status and then they found a home for the building – that turned out to be yards away from where the station had been resting – standing on blocks beside the Fairview Fire Station.

The move took place before the winter set in.  The building is still sitting on blocks and two large yellow steel beams.  A foundation will be put in and then the structure lowered onto what will be its home while the restoration work gets done.

Feeman sod turning - oficialsFreeman in place Sept 2013With the warm weather about to arrive the renovators and refurbishes want to get at it.  And that is going to cost – quite a bit – at least $300,000  

Freeman in place Sept 2013Freeman in place Sept 2013They can’t sell tickets – yet,  but the FoF board has decided they can sell naming rights and they have come up with an ambitious approach to sell naming rights for everything but the toilet that we assume the place is going to have.

Try these on for size:

1.      The Station Master’s Office, $15,000

2.      The Waiting Room, $12,500

3.      The Portico, $10,000

4.      The Baggage Room, $7,500

5.      The Lower Level, $5,000

6.      The Les Armstrong Main Entranceway, $2,500

7.      The Lower Level Entranceway, $2,000

8.      The Crew Room, $1,000

9.      The Windows (14), $2,000 each

10.   The Jane Irwin Oval Window, $2,000

11.   The Interior/Exterior Main Level Doors (5), $2,000 each

12.   Interior Furniture, Lights & Displays (20), $500 each

And that’s just the inside of the structure.  Outside you can slap your name on:

 

1.     The Burlington Junction Freeman Station Park, $60,000

2.     The Train Platform, $10,000

3.     The Parking Area, $5,000

4.     The Original Baggage Cart, $2,500

5.     The Landscaping, $2,000

6.     Exterior Platform Accessories, (20.5) $1,000 each

7.     Original 1000 whinstones, $100 each

The fund raisers come up with a total of $305,500

There are two sponsorship opportunities that need comment.  The Les Armstrong Main Entranceway, $2,500 and the Jane Irwin Oval Window, $2,000. I’d up the price for those to $5000 each; Irwin and Armstrong were the two strongest advocates for saving the station –Les was the forming president of the Friends of Freeman and Jane the vice president – both are no longer with us. 

FOFS-JV-signing-ALL-1024x522

The signing of the Joint Venture agreement between the Friends of Freeman Station and the city – with the Friends raising most of the money.

The hope is that the FoF board will exercise some discretion and not have the station looking like one of those NASCAR drivers with clothing that is a collection of corporate.  Dignified and under-stated please.

Background links:

The station was saved.

Freeman station being prepped for a move.

 

Return to the Front page
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

13 comments to Friends of Freeman station set a $300,000 fundraising goal – put your name on a part of the structure.

  • Marie

    Hey Tony,
    Thanks for saving the world…I mean Freeman station

    • Tony Pullin

      It was others who saved the Freeman Station, not me. Please let us know when you find the rest of your name. I’d like to make a donation to the Sourpuss Society of Upper Canada or the Nastarians of Burlington on your behalf.
      I’ll let you have the last word because I can’t even comprehend why I’m writing to an enigma. *Editor, please publish this at your discretion, hardly worthwhile.

  • Mark Gillies

    I wish to thank Pepper Parr and the Burlington Gazette for this very informative and timely article about the rapid progress that is now underway for the Burlington Junction Station and our soon to be renovated station. The history of Burlington Junction station is very important to know, and just why it was so necessary to save this historic building. We are talking about Burlington’s illustrious and colourful past here. It may not be important to Marie who made a somewhat derogatory comment above, but fortunately, many wonderful citizens of Burlington think otherwise. Our train station is quite a rare structure in Ontario, and we are indeed extremely fortunate to have this building right here in Burlington.
    I would like to further address the comment made by Marie, who believes that the taxpayer is somehow paying for the restoration of the station. The present City Council acting on behalf of taxpayers made it quite clear to the Friends of Freeman station that there would be absolutely no taxpayers dollars used to save or restore the station, even though the building was historic. And to date, this same City Council has been true to their word. Not one cent has been received from taxpayers dollars. With regard to your comment about the station looking like an “eyesore”, Marie, you are absolutely correct. Right now, this beautiful historic structure needs quite a makeover to take it back to its original historic glory days in 1906 when it was built. Even though you appear to lack our vision as to how beautiful this train station will look once it has been renovated, I would like to invite you on a tour of the building, when completed. I believe your opinion will change at that time, and you will see the true beauty of our Burlington Junction station.

    When you think back a few years ago, the previous City Council under Mayor Cam Jackson’s leadership were offered close to $1,000,000 dollars in federal and provincial stimulus funds to have the station moved and restored. We all know now that the previous City Council was unable to make a decision and subsequently the $1,000,000 was withdrawn and the station was moved to a location behind the main Fire Station on Fairview Street, where it languished for several years.

    Fortunately, many, many generous citizens of Burlington have stepped forward to generously donate in order for the Burlington Junction to be moved and renovated. Many outstanding corporations have also stepped forward to help in construction renovation and with their own generous donations.

    Friends of Freeman Station was initially requesting the public to come forward with about $300,000 in private donations with a campaign Friends of Freeman Station launched on March 1, 2014. By March 31st the answer was in. The public responded with overwhelming enthusiasm and support. Almost $200,000 was raised in less than a month, and donations continue to arrive on a daily basis. I wish to repeat that none of the donations received was from tax dollars.

    Most of the Naming Rights opportunities have been sponsored. Naming Rights for the Interior are over 50% sponsored, and the Exterior Naming Rights are over 85% sponsored with more expected confirmations soon. The Board of Directors of Freeman Station are overwhelmed by this outpouring of generosity.

    At this time, I would like to publicly recognize and congratulate Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and Councillor Blair Lancaster, who as newly elected City Councillors in 2010 were the only City Councillors who stood up for those citizens who wanted to save the station from imminent demolition, as proposed by our newly elected City Council. Councillors Meed Ward & Lancaster suggested an ad hoc committee be created to “Save The Station”. For two rookie City Councillors at that time, they deserve to be commended for their outstanding leadership and foresight. Well done ladies, and thank you.

    Finally, I would like to invite Greg, Shannon, Tony and others to become volunteers for Friends of Freeman Station. Burlington Junction Station is for everyone in Burlington to enjoy. Remember, it belongs to all of us. Please step forward and volunteer someday during our renovations. I’m sure I can find a paint brush for you.

    Full Steam Ahead!

    Mark Gillies
    Director
    Friends of Freeman Station
    Fundraising & Membership Chairman

    • Marie

      Enjoy your little project – just glad it’s not in my backyard. It has sat on Fairview long enough – I’ve had many out of town guests ask me “what is that ugly thing”. There are a lot of other issues going on in Burlington that need a lot attention such as the ongoing traffic grid lock, the high rise buildings going up downtown not including the one that will go up near Walmart. Walmart was already a red flag as we knew it would add to the traffic – now a condo exiting onto Fairview. Village Square that is a jewel of an area and has a lot of history – resembling the uniqueness of old Quebec City and it sits empty. Now that’s a shame and something to be concerned about and certainly worth saving on many levels. It’s embarassing! There’s the Beachway – a 100 year old community that the government wants for more parkland and they allow a sewage treatment plant to be built and expanded infront of Ontario’s jewel of a beach. I know there was talk of moving the station down there – OMG! There are streets in the Aldershot area that are also historic that are now being widened to accomodate for more of Burlington’s growth. So thank god – the tax payers are not paying for the station’s renewal – but like I said – let’s not think that everyone loves it or wants it.

      • Tony Pullin

        Marie, I would expect that a thoughtful community minded person such as yourself spearheads a myriad of civic efforts. Perhaps if you were to use your full name, like other commenters here, we would be able to contact you personally to see how we can contribute to whatever philanthropic project you have going.

        • Marie

          the project I will contribute to this year – will be to help, hope and vote so that we have some new faces around council table next year. Some of the current faces must go. Poor decisions have been made and poor behaviour within.

          • Tony Pullin

            Marie, this was a great article about the history of the Freeman Station. It cronicles how many generous people gathered together for the purpose of saving and restoring it through a group effort at no cost to the taxpayer. Nothing more, nothing less.

          • greg fabian

            Marie. Voting takes 1 hour and hoping only takes 15 minutes per day. I don’t see those as very onerous projects. Most people do that regularly. Perhaps you should consider running for office yourself. That way you could work towards eradicating Burlington of all of its eyesores.

          • Marie

            Thanks Greg…I’ll take another 15 mins and that think about that too…lol
            Editor’s note: Let us bring this one to a close. Marie perhaps now knows more than she realized about what the Friends of Freeman Station do. She just might be convinced to by a railway tie. Think about that Marie

  • Tony Pullin

    Is it possible for a comment to be an “eyesore”? Anyway a great effort by those who have brought it this far. I am looking forward to making a contribution or volunteering some time.

  • Shannon Gillies

    Marie, that’s too bad you consider a piece of Burlington’s history to be an eyesore, but I’m not sure why you’re so disgruntled about the money “we’re” spending on it. If by “we”, you mean “you”, then you need not be concerned. This whole article is about the private fundraising efforts for the station. Only those who don’t consider it be an eyesore will be asked to contribute.

  • greg.fabian

    Some great history here that thankfully has been/will be preserved.

    Thankfully the dedication and resourcefulness of some civic minded people prevailed over the idiocy of the city.

  • Marie

    can you believe that we continue to spend time and money on this…what eye sore now and forever!!!!