Industrial revolution: former Sault paper mill transformed into unique conference and event space.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: Conference & Convention - Conference news

Little did Francis H. Clergue know, when he constructed his pulp and paper mill in the early part of the 20th century, it would still be going strong 100 years later as one of Sault Ste. Marie's most important cultural and business hubs.

The St. Marys Paper mill, which permanently closed in 2011, has undergone a transformation over the last five years, with The Machine Shop emerging as a burgeoning conference and performance centre that's hosted business symposia, concerts and cultural events.

Joe Iachetta, who was brought on recently as operations manager, has been buoyed by the investment into the space by the new owners, a group of local investors who took over the building last December.

"I've been born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, and I see some of the buildings that get torn down and some of the opportunities that are bypassed, but the new ownership in this place has taken a direct approach to repurposing this building," he said, comparing the St. Marys site with similar adaptive reuse work done in Toronto's Distillery District.

"These are buildings that are 100-plus years old and they've been brought back to life."

One of five sandstone heritage buildings that made up the original St. Marys operation, The Machine Shop has been cleaned up and repurposed as a 40,000-square-foot event and conference space.

Of that, 15,000 square feet is dedicated to venue space, which has a 24-foot diagonal projection screen and two projector units, a 24-speaker sound system, wireless microphones, and a green room that can be used by entertainers or guest speakers.

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Another 3,000 square feet in the mezzanine have been set aside for small rental units. Algoma University's Fine Arts program operates nine classrooms in the building, and the city's Economic Development Corp. set up a small business incubator, Millworks, in May.

In development and slated for an August opening is a 2,000-square-foot steakhouse and bar, equipped with a state- I of-the-art kitchen, which will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and double as a catering service for in-house events. Chef Glen Dahl, who oversaw the culinary arts program at Sault College for 29 years, has been brought on as head chef.

Hiring is currently underway, and Iachetta said between the venue, the restaurant, and the kitchen, he'll be looking to hire between 40 and 50 people in total.

"There seems to have been a lot of revitalization in this whole mill-canal district and...