A downtown landmark brimming with Canadian medical history is relocating to a fast-growing entertainment complex in London’s Old East Village.
The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) has announced it will be moving its exhibit hall and staff offices to 100 Kellogg Lane.
Executive Director Lissa Foster told 980 CFPL the move was sparked by the fact that the CMHF’s lease was expiring at its building at 267 Dundas St.
“So, that causes you to think ‘do we want to try to meet with the city and get a new lease or do we want to think about where we should be?'” Foster said.
The search was also driven by a desire to draw larger crowds to the CHMF.
“We were only seeing about 2,000 visitors,” Foster said.
“It causes us to look and say, ‘maybe what we should really do… is find a place where we can take the displays and put our exhibit hall where there’s already an audience’.”
The search brought them to 100 Kellogg Lane. Formerly a Kellogg’s cereal factory, the east London property is undergoing a multi-year development to transform it into a culture and entertainment hub for the city.
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“As soon as we saw all that was going out there and what the space was going to be, it just made great sense of us to be there,” Foster said.
Along with belonging to one of the city’s fastest-developing entertainment complexes, the CMHF will also be keeping good company at its new location.
“When the London Children’s Museum confirmed that they were going there, that sealed it for us.”
100 Kellogg Lane is currently home to The Factory, Powerhouse Brewery and Drexel Industries. Upcoming developments for the complex include a boutique hotel and a Maker’s Market and Courtyard.
While the move happens in July, the CMHF won’t reopen until early next year. In the meantime, medical history seekers can still visit virtual exhibits online. The CMHF will also be keeping up with its youth education programs in the city.
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