Click here to see the rooftop garden plan.

This exciting project will take a London landmark with more than 130 years history and give it a bright and prosperous future…

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Steve Cordes, Executive Director of the not for profit organization says the funding represents a huge investment in the future of London. “Our downtown, our youth and this historic block will all enjoy the benefits for years to come. It truly is the fulfillment of a dream to bring new life to an historical building and create a new cornerstone for youth and community development.”

The Cornerstone will provide local youth with multiple programs and services to build positive lives including alternative education, apprenticeship training, skills development, counselling, mentorship and employment opportunities. Each day more than 150 youth will be served. The building’s upper two floors will continue as affordable housing for youth, with upgrades to the 28 apartments now fully occupied.

At street level the YOU Made It Café, with retail store and wireless internet, will be the public portion of a training operation for young people. Building renovations will be to a high environmental standard. They include solar power, geothermal heating and cooling, grey-water collection and a rooftop garden. YOU has expanded its partnership with the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College on research in these areas.

“With the funding in place for this landmark building it’s all coming together. This is a huge wow factor” says Bob Usher, Chair of the board, London Downtown Business Association. “It shows the strength and fortitude of YOU and the confidence of so many others in YOU’s contribution to youth and to the community.” Libro Financial Group owns a nearby building at 217 York Street. Harry Joosten, Corporate Secretary says the funding is great news for both YOU and the youth community YOU serves, especially in the downtown. “As both a supporter of YOU and a neighbour to The Cornerstone building, we are looking forward to the next phases of this innovative project.”

“We loved it (the name). As soon as we saw it, it was automatic,” says Steve Cordes, executive director of Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), which has owned the building at 332 Richmond St. for nearly two years and is about to expand it to include extensive services for youth.

The organization ran a contest to come up with a name that would have meaning for the community, he says. The Cornerstone was nominated twice. Cordes says they got about 50 entries an advisory committee narrowed down to five. Then an executive committee for the board of directors chose one.

The name honours the history of the building as a cornerstone of London’s development. But it also refers to the future of the building in helping young people turn a corner in their lives — and the block itself to turn a corner in development, Cordes says.

The building has 28 affordable housing apartments for youth on the second and third floors. Construction will begin on the main floor this summer, converting most of it into a mix of services for youth — a youth centre and an alternative education centre that will open in October. Cordes says about 50 people will call The Cornerstone high school. The south end of the building will have a cafe, run by young people, which will be open to the public. Revenue from the cafe will support YOU services in the building and community,
Cordes says.

The organization also plans to recreate architecture on the outside of the building and turning it into a certified green building, which is partially solar-powered, has geothermal heating and cooling and a water collection system to recycle water and decrease storm runoff.

One project includes creating a rooftop garden with a boardroom –which is not yet funded, Cordes says. The building was built as a hotel in 1879. First known as American House, it was renamed the Grigg Hotel after the original innkeeper, Samuel Grigg, in 1883.

Now, you have a chance to name the landmark hotel building that dates back more than 100 years ago, courtesy of its newest occupant, Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU). “We have a high stake in London having a stake in this building,” said Steve Cordes, the executive director of YOU, which operates programs for youth and is the building’s latest occupant.

The organization bought the building, at 332 to 336 Richmond St., almost two years ago. There are 28 housing units — bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom — in the landmark, which bills itself as supportive housing for city youth. When it’s all finished, the building will house the apartment units and a cafe with Internet access operated by youth, an alternative school and other supports for young people.

The building was built as a hotel in 1879. First known as American House, it was renamed the Grigg Hotel after the original innkeeper, Samuel Grigg, in 1883. Famous for its luxury and opulence, it was the city’s first with running water and was built to ease pressure on the Tecumseh House, a hotel across the street — most recently, the GT’s night club. Since then, Grigg House has been known as the Clifton Arms, Champs, Rickies and by the names of a number different bars.

“It’s the hub for youth in the downtown,” Cordes said. The building also boasts a rooftop garden and youth drop-in centre. Youth Opportunities Unlimited is working to restore the building’s ground level to its original look, so the outside ground floor fits in with the second-storey architecture. “Outside, we want to restore the original look. Inside, it’s ultra-modern. But we want to recognize that it is a historic building,” Cordes said. Some youth living in the building have been thinking of names.

“I want to see some of the history so I can see what it was and then maybe use that along with what it’s becoming, or else I would base (the naming) totally on what it’s becoming,” said Daniel Denomy.

To suggest a name, people can drop by the current YOU office at 141 Dundas St. or email info@you.on.ca with the name and an explanation of why it should be chosen. The contest closes June 15.

(via London Free Press)

There’s a picture of him on his office wall, looking for all the world like a long-distance runner. Accompanying it is the information he once ran the Boston Marathon in just seconds over three hours and three minutes. Pretty impressive for an amateur who joined a running club mainly for the exercise and camaraderie of running mates.

“I couldn’t do that time now,” says Steve Cordes, executive director of You Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), looking as if he could — lean and fit. It strikes you there’s a connection between preparing for and finishing a marathon and the reason you’re here — YOU’s plan for a rooftop garden, crowning the building on the northeast corner of Richmond and York streets it acquired in December 2007.

“This building isn’t just about affordable housing for young people,” he said. “It’s about showcasing what can be done with older buildings and going green at the same time.” From the get-go, plans have included an 8,000-square-foot rooftop garden and environmental features that would turn the former hotel/tavern/residence into a certified green building.

“We’ve talked to the Sisters of St. Joseph about what they’ve done with their new building under the national LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program,” says Cordes. “We want to do something similar with our building.”

The goal is to provide affordable housing, preserve heritage and go green on top — all in one youth centre project, Cordes says. Because a rooftop garden was always in the plans, the building had to be renovated and restored with that in mind, says Cordes. “We had to make sure the rooftop could take the weight and that the features could be supported in the future.”

Plans also call for small windmills and solar panels to generate power, geothermal heating and cooling and a water collection system to recycle water and decrease storm runoff. “We’ll be able to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables on the roof and provide a beautiful outdoor environment,” says Cordes. The rooftop garden will cost about $750,000.

“We have the vision but we don’t have the money,” he says. “We have to raise the money and we’re looking at a number of options for that. We think it’s achievable. The cost isn’t too scary.”

The garden is a distance down the road, but since YOU acquired the property from developer Schmuel Farhi, old hotel rooms have been refurbished and turned into bachelor and one-bedroom apartments YOU rents out for $330 a month. “They’re great places to be for a year or two while you’re finding your feet or going back to school,” Cordes says.

YOU bought the building from Farhi after he gave them $1 million to help with the purchase. The main floor is being renovated to include a high school upgrading and apprenticeship training centre, an entertainment/recreation area, offices and a public cafe that will be the front end of a food preparation kitchen and training operation.

(via London Free Press)