Downtown Kingston, Ont.’s legendary Royal Tavern sells for $1.7M

The future of one of the oldest pubs in the province remains a mystery as does the property’s purchaser.

The Royal Tavern, which dates back to before confederation, sold for $1.7M.

From the exterior, at least, the property has looked run-down for years, but in its heyday in the mid to late 1800s it was a heavily-frequented watering hole.

“I understand it was (a) popular stop for farmers as they were leaving the market on their way to the rural area — this was along their direct route,” said Ryan Leary, a senior planner in the municipality of Kingston’s heritage services.

According to the Kingston Historical Society and from documents that used to hang on the wall of the pub, the property was purchased from Sir John A. Macdonald by the Grimason family in 1856.

At the time it was called Grimason House and later renamed The Royal Hotel.

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Rooms above the tavern were rented and it was known as the unofficial conservative party headquarters for the Kingston riding.

“There’s lots of stories that go along with it, just like all of our pubs,” said Leary.

The realtor that sold the property says the buyer hasn’t finalized plans for the building.

The Royal Tavern sits along what’s classified as the Lower Princess Heritage Character Area and is zoned for small scale buildings up to 17 meters high or about four storeys.

The tavern also has heritage designation, which means any proposals for the site will need approval from both city council and the Heritage Kingston Committee.

“Heritage conservation is just a piece of the larger puzzle that council has to consider when it’s looking at a development application,” said Leary.

“How do we allow additional residential units downtown? How do we support and encourage new commercial units downtown while keeping the historic characteristics and historic sense downtown that has made it so vibrant and so successful for so many years?”

To date, a development plan hasn’t been submitted to the city but municipal staff did say if rezoning is required it could take several years to get final approvals.