The historical and cultural heritage value of the CPR Station is considerable. The building is directly associated with Brampton's Flower Town heritage as the departure point for millions of flowers from the local greenhouses. It also has meaningful associations with Brampton's military history as the point of departure and return for thousands of soldiers in both world wars.
Architecturally the building was of great aesthetic value and was designed by Charles Sorby, the CPR's master architect. The CPR Train Station, which was originally built in 1902 and expanded in 1912. It was located between Park and West Streets, south of Nelson Street in downtown.
The station was closed in 1969. CP Rail applied for a demolition permit in 1977 and a campaign was launched to save the station. The City sought injunctions to halt demolition. This issue went right up to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. In 1981 the building was relocated intact to the Hutton Nurseries. By 1988 the station was under the ownership of the Kaneff Group after the Hutton lands were sold to Lionhead Golf Club. The building fell into serious disrepair. In 1995 a property standards complaint forced the City to essentially condemn the building. The Heritage Board and Historical Society campaigned for its preservation. The building was designated heritage and a heritage conservation easement was registered. In 1996 the building was dismantled and relocated in pieces to the Crawford farm property on Highway #7 East. The Brampton Heritage Board coordinated this project.
The City is currently reconstruction of the CPR station using a large amount of materials from the original building. The reconstructed train station will become the focal point of a new civic square at Mount Pleasant Village. The station will be adapted to community meeting rooms and is part of a larger development which includes a City of Brampton Branch Library and a Peel District Elementary School. The reconstructed CPR station should be completed in late spring 2011.
