Brief History
Built in 1880 at Queen Street West and Park Street, the station formed part of the Credit Valley Railway (CVR) Line, which linked Meadowvale, Churchville, Brampton, Snelgrove, Cheltenham, Inglewood, Credit Forks, Cataract Junction, Alton and Orangeville. The line was later absorbed by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).
In 1902 a new station built of red brick and Credit Valley stone was constructed, and the original wood frame Credit Valley Railway station was converted to a freight shed. The new station was considered a fine example of late 19th century railway architecture. The building featured a slate roof and high arched windows, distinctive bracketry, twelve foot high ceilings, maple floors and five feet of tongue-and-groove wainscoting. The Canadian Pacific Railway played an important role in the development of Brampton, and many significant events began and ended within the old station’s walls.
Passenger service reached its peak in the 1940s, with two morning and two evening trains running daily until the 1960s. The last CP passenger train departed the station in November 1970. When CPR applied for a demolition permit in 1977, a public campaign was launched to save the station.
In 1981, the landmark was relocated intact to Hutton Nurseries as an interim preservation measure. In the mid 1990s the structure had to be dismantled or it would have again faced demolition. Several dozen pallets of Credit Valley sandstone, heavy wooden brackets, windows, structural timber, and red brick were relocated to a farm property on the west side of Brampton. The dismantled structure remained there for many years.
The Focal Point of a Mixed-Use, Transit-Oriented Community
Organizations such as the Brampton Historical Society and the Brampton Heritage Board remained steadfast in their desire to see the CPR Station re-built. In 2010, an opportunity arose to incorporate the adaptive reuse of the station into the design of a new community - Mount Pleasant Village. Funding provided by the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund (ISF) program permitted the City to work in cooperation with the developer (Mattamy Homes) to design the CPR station as a public amenity space and focal point within Mount Pleasant square.
Guided by copies of the original architectural drawings and archival photographs, the building was replicated using the salvaged materials, included original brick and Credit Valley Stone. The station now stands gloriously as a landmark at Mount Pleasant Village (MPV) that connects old, and new and sets the theme of the square and the entire neighbourhood. Working in partnership with Mattamy Homes, the Peel District School Board and the Brampton Public Library, the City reconstructed the CPR station and adapted it to function as a cultural amenity space that is an integral part of the joint library, community centre and school.
MPV is an “urban transit village”, a neighbourhood developed around and based on transit and active transportation, so it is only fitting that the CPR station now forms the public focal point that anchors the new village square at the heart of MPV. The CPR station, coupled with public art and heritage interpretive signage that took inspiration from local rail history, overlooks a public square and reflection pool/skating rink. The stations likeness to the original building moves everyone who was part of the station’s long and laboured history, and the station now cultivates a sense of pride for the entire city.
