Historical Summary 27 Church Street West
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Résumé historique 27 Church Street West

Historical Summary , 27 Church Street West , This railway station at 27 Church Street West is federally recognized under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act and was registered on May 1, 2006, it is a one-and-a-half-storey brick railway station built in 1907. The station combines the wide-arched openings of the Romanesque Revival style with details of the arts and Crafts Movement. Its features are typical of early 20th Century railway stations, including a rectangular plan, towers with bell-cast eaves and hip roofs, projecting operator's bay, and wide, overhanging eaves with decorative brackets. The previous station building, opened in 1856, was a rectangular structure with a pitched roof containing the basic amenities required for a community as small as Brampton. It was demolished in 1907 and replaced with the larger structure that stands today., The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) first constructed a rail line westward from Toronto and through Brampton in 1856, as part of its route to Stratford and beyond. In the mid-Victorian era, the arrival of a railway line usually triggered an economic boom, and by the 1860s the village was growing quickly. The railway was important because it transformed the way in which traffic, commerce, development, and connections to locations both within and beyond Peel could influence trade and travel. As part of a project to expand the GTR mainline, the railway double-tracked portions of the line through Brampton by December 1905. The GTR was absorbed by Canadian National Railways (today known as CN) in 1923., Over the years, the railway attracted new industries to the town - mostly adjacent to the line - as shown by the Fire Insurance Map. The station grounds would eventually include rail sidings serving a freight shed, coal dealers, seed houses, and stock pens. Adjacent industries included the Williams Shoe factory. the Copeland-Chatterson Loose-Leaf Binder company, the Hewetson Shoe factory, and Early's Feed Mill (as shown in the image below). The Dale Estate, a flower-growing operation that was once one of Brampton's largest employers, was located long the competing canadian Pacific line through town but aiso shipped its products via CN., In April 1974, Premier Bill Davis extended GO Transit train service to the Brampton area allowing for fast, reliable service on the CN line to Toronto for work and for pleasure. The launch brought a multi-year transformation to the station property, with its agricultural and industrial past making way for commuter parking as GO train service grew in popularity. This was reflective of Brampton's own transformation fron an agricultural town to a culturally diverse and vibrant city that is home to large, leading-edge industries. Originally, GO tickets were sold out of the adjacent building previously used for mail and freight, before being moved into the station building., In 1977, CN's passenger division was transferred to VIA Rail. Since then, VIA has connected Brampton passengers to far-away destinations including west to Stratford, London, and Sarnia, and east to Toronto's Union Station. Between 1990 and 2004, Brampton was a stop on a joint service offered by VIA and Amtrak between Chicago and Toronto. In the mid-200s, a second platform was added to accommodate more GO and VIA service and enhance the connection to Brampton Transit. In 2014, the land was transferred from CN to Metrolinx, the regional transportation government agency operating GO Transit, the station remains owned by VIA Rail Canada, The railway has been and remains of central importance to the economic health and growth of Brampton The history and evolution of this station and its surroundings represent this intrinsic link between the development of the city and the historic and ongoing trade, commerce, social activity, and transportation and regional connectivity.,