The Tremont House was built in 1889 by proprietor John McCormick as a 24 room hotel. The building is one of the last remaining 19th century hotel buildings in the Collingwood Heritage Conservation District and the only example that has not undergone major alteration. It was erected during the active building period following the 1881 fire that devastated a large part of the downtown. The Tremont House was built in only three months by contractor John Chamberlain, primarily a stonemason who built a number of the town’s major buildings, and was well known for his beautiful embellished brickwork.
The proximity of the hotel to the railway station made it a popular destination for travellers, including many Americans, as they came to Collingwood to spend their summers. For many decades the Tremont Tavern was a popular lunch and after work spot for nearby Collingwood Shipyard workers. The building survived a major fire in the 1920’s, leaving burn marks still visible today on the pine flooring. The hotel operated successfully into the mid-century after which it began a long decline. By the late 1900’s it was in poor condition, having suffered a number of interior demolitions and exterior changes that stripped it of much of its original character. The building was purchased by the Town of Collingwood in 2005 with the intention to demolish it for parking. The Tremont stood vacant and neglected for over four years as the Collingwood branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario led the efforts to save it. In 2009 the town sold the property through an RFP process to Richard and Anke Lex, who began a 16 month restoration.
