The Relocation Project

The Museum is Moving to 75 Talbot St. E.!

The Relocation Fund currently contains
$223,374.09
to renovate the building.
We purchased the building for
$400,000.
Phase One will cost us
$59,800.

Following destructive testing, we received a draft report on the structure of our building. Read more about that report here. We expect a draft of an architectural building concept soon.

The Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives has found a new home in downtown Aylmer, located at 75 Talbot Street East. We’ve purchased the building, but will need further funds to renovate our new home. We are requesting your assistance to make this new museum a vital and welcoming presence in our community!

Aylmer and Malahide have a lively and engaging history. From our founding as a museum in 1977, the AMMA has been a repository for the citizens of these communities to entrust their artifacts, photographs, and stories. These have been diligently catalogued, preserved, exhibited, and made available to the community, researchers, genealogists, and historians. Over the past 45 years, the museum has far exceeded its capacity and has been limited by its present location in how it shares the stories that it holds in trust.

We trust you are aware of the important role that museums play in preserving the history of their community. The work of the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives is largely supported by our generous donors and members who contribute to our museum each year.

Thank you in advance for your support and generosity!

Photograph of the Traders Bank, c. 1909 — Photograph of the Aylmer Branch of the Traders Bank of Canada, located at 75 Talbot Street East, taken ca. 1909.

The new building will need to undergo costly renovations to create an exciting and informative space for our community. The Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives is depending on your support and generosity to help us achieve our goal of raising $1,500,000.

Please consider one of our offered incentives when choosing your donation level. Accumulated donations will contribute toward your donation level.

All donations over $20 are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

Please consider donating to our cause through the below options:

Please make cheques payable to:
The Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives.

Our mailing address (for now!) is:
14 East St.
Aylmer, ON
N5H 1W2

Feel free to stop by with a cheque, as well!

We accept both cash and card, and would love to have you over for a visit!

We can accept e-Transfers to the address etransfer@aylmermuseum.ca

Please visit our Facebook page and select “donate” in the upper right corner.

Charitable tax receipts are to be issued by the PayPal Giving Fund.

Donors will be able to immortalize their names within our museum through the below options.
Please be sure to include your name with your donation to be recognized for your contribution.
Accumulated donations will contribute toward your donation level.

Donations of $100 to $999

The Donor Recognition Plaque will be displayed in the foyer at our new 75 Talbot Street East location. Your name will be engraved on the plaque.

You will receive a tax receipt for the amount of your donation, less $10 for administrative purposes.

Please note that the Heritage Tree design is subject to change.

Donations of $1,000 to $50,000 +

The Heritage Tree will be prominently displayed on the wall in our new foyer at 75 Talbot Street East. The Heritage Tree will be a proud example of the generosity of our community for years to come.

Your name will be engraved on a leaf according to your donation level. There will be five donation levels available for donations of $1,000 and over, including:

Level 1: $1,000 +
Level 2: $5,000 +
Level 3: $10,000 +
Level 4: $25,000 +
Level 5: $50,000 +

You will receive a tax receipt for the full amount of your donation.

Donations of $100,000 or more

Donors who give over $100,000 will have their names memorialized on one of our three available galleries, or on our conference and research room. Names will be assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis.

For example, our temporary exhibit gallery will be named for the late Giles Hume, who generously donated $200,000 to our relocation efforts.

	The General Store Gallery An exhibit that considers the history of the general store in early communities and the role it played in the lives of people from Aylmer and Malahide. Naming rights for gallery: $100,000
	Before Malahide: A Pre-Colonial Perspective Gallery An exhibit that will consider the pre-colonial Indigenous history of the area, from the end of the last Ice Age to the onset of European colocalization. Naming rights for gallery: $100,000
	The History of Aylmer and Malahide Gallery An exhibit that will consider the history of the Town of Aylmer and the Township of Malahide. The exhibit will cover the history of early settlement, education, and industry. Naming rights for gallery: $100,000
	Low German Mennonites of Aylmer and Malahide Gallery An exhibit that explores the history of Low German Mennonites, their history of migration, and the positive impact they've had on the communities of Aylmer and Malahide. It will be created in collaboration with local community members and representatives. (Images in gallery mockup courtesy of David Ritchie.) Naming rights for gallery: $100,000
	The Research Room A dedicated meeting room that will also serve as a community research centre with resources for the public. Access to our collection database and archival collection will be available. Naming rights for room: $100,000 (Donation for naming rights to this room pending)

ITS HISTORY

Photograph of The Royal Bank of Canada c. 1939.

This building was constructed in 1886 by W.R. Farthings and initially housed the Chambers of the Traders Bank, Lawyers John Crawford and Alfred Haines. The dentist J. M. McLaren operated out of the second floor. The façade was similar to the business blocks to the west. In 1909 the Traders Bank purchased the building from Nellie Farthings and had it renovated to a stately Classical style. The entrance to the bank was through the center door, and the doorway to the second-floor dentist office of J. R. Woods, was on the left, now a window. Rooms on the second floor were provided for the bank clerks, and there was an office off of the alley for M.E. Lyon, the Clerk of Malahide.

In 1912, the Traders Bank merged with The Royal Bank of Canada and the name was changed. In 1971 The Royal Bank moved to its new building at the northwest corner of Talbot and John Street. Accountants Gord Denning and Jim Barker, later Barker, Stanley and Partners, owned the building and had offices here from 1972 to 1990. In 1990 the Black Brothers bought it and moved the insurance offices of Hamilton Ward and Cathers from John Street South to this location. In 2021, Hamilton Ward and Cathers merged with McFarland Rowlands, and the company made the decision to move to the Trillium Building on John Street.

ITS FUTURE

We expect to fully renovate the 75 Talbot Street East location and move into the building within two years.

Renovations will include:

Restoring the original 1909 façade
Ensuring the building meets all accessibility standards
Creating exhibit and educational programming spaces for the community
Creating safe storage spaces for our collection and archives
The creation of a gift shop area which highlights local products

The new building will have:

Three permanent exhibit galleries
One main exhibit gallery with rotating exhibits
A community room for meetings, research, and programming

Watch the above video to see museum staff’s vision for the future!

F.A.Q

We’ve received some recent inquiries, so we thought we might clear up some things!

Why don’t we move in right away?

We can’t move into the building at 75 Talbot St. E. until renovations are complete. Our primary purpose is the preservation of the collection of artifacts belonging to the Town of Aylmer and the Township of Malahide, which contains upwards of 50,000 items. The current condition of the building at 75 Talbot St. E. poses a risk to those artifacts. Moisture is a problem throughout the building, with efflorescence, mould, and mildew throughout all three levels. Insects which eat artifacts, including silverfish, isopods, and moths are present, alongside insects which could potentially nest inside of artifacts, such as house centipedes. These issues will be addressed in our planned renovations. However, the renovations themselves will also pose a risk to artifacts. We cannot move our collection into a building in which it would be subjected to open air, particulate substances generated during construction, and generally to the circumstances within an active construction zone. Renovations must be completed for the museum to move into the new building.

There is also the question of staff, volunteer, and public health. Exposure to mould and mildew poses a risk to those with respiratory concerns. Exposure to the bats living within our building poses the risk of rabies infection.

As a business serving the public, we are also required to meet certain accessibility standards, such as accessible entryways and accessible washrooms. There currently are no accessible entryways or bathrooms in the building.

Why don’t we sell the building at 14 East St. to fund the renovations?

If we sell the building at 14 East St. before completing renovations, we would have nowhere to go. We cannot move into the new building before renovations are complete, to protect our collection of artifacts and ensure the health and safety of staff, volunteers, and the public.

When do we expect to move?

Operating two locations has put immense financial strain on our general operating funds, and immense logistical strain on our employees. We would like to move as soon as possible. However, our move is contingent on completing renovations first. We are working with our engineering firm to narrow down exactly what renovations need to take place, and how much those renovations will cost. With a cost estimate in mind, we will have a fundraising goal. We must then complete our fundraising goal in order to renovate, complete renovations, and move in.

We purchased the building in June of 2022, with the goal of completing our fundraising within one year, and renovating within another year (to complete the project in 2024 or 2025). However, the project is realistically much more complex. We expect to fundraise and complete renovations within the next five years (by 2029 or 2030).