Donald McArthur

Amherstburg’s Little White Church will soon become a Bed and Breakfast in the heart of “wine and wedding” country along Ontario's southwest coast.

My council colleagues and I unanimously approved Monday night an exciting proposal to transform the Malden Community and Cultural Centre into a 6-room inn. The former Methodist Church dates back to 1892 and is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Faced with a steep repair bill, the town put the historic building and the 2.5 acres on which it sits up for sale last summer for $184,900. It was sold for $225,000.

Drew Coulson and Greg Grondin are spearheading the development and say they will protect and preserve the unique character of the property, which has been a landmark at the south end of Howard Avenue for more than a century.

“Everybody knows it,” said Coulson Monday night. “We’re not going to make it the Little Blue Church all of a sudden.”

Coulson and Grondin secured buy-in for their proposal from the town’s heritage committee in October. Read the council report.

Coulson said the location is ideal. It’s on a popular cycling route and sits at “the gateway to the wine and wedding district” on Lake Erie’s North Shore. It’s located just down the street from G.L. Heritage Brewing Co. and just a few minutes from Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery.

Coulson added the unique venture will serve a niche market and doesn’t take away the need for a bona fide hotel in town.

Not only did the sale of the Little White Church pave the way for this unique project, it also set in motion a series of events that should be great for the town.

The Amherstburg Famers’ Market will now be located in Toddy Jones Park, which will hopefully increase attendance and boost traffic in the core.

And the Shaanti International Museum of Costumes and Dolls has now found a new home at historic Gordon House in Amherstburg, offering visitors one more reason to visit and more thing to do in downtown Amherstburg.