You may have noticed a flash of hot pink in downtown Barrie.
A bold new look has arrived at a long-vacant former Bank of Montreal building next to Meridian Place with a fresh coat of bright pink paint.
And there's a reason behind it.
It marks a rebranding in downtown Barrie. After a long stretch of COVID-19 and a massive construction project, both of which hit businesses hard over the last two years, the Downtown Barrie BIA has been making plans to give the downtown a rebirth.
There's no denying the old bank building is turning some heads, being situated a stone's throw from Meridian Place, one of the downtown's most prominent gathering places.
BIA chairperson Sergio Morales told BarrieToday that while the colour looks “fresh, new and bold,” there's actually a much deeper meaning to the paint job.
“It's an initiative with a couple of goals. It's beautification, it's giving a dilapidated building a new look and it is also safety,” Morales said. “When you provide better lighting and attract more people and more eyes, data has shown it helps prevent crime.”
Morales says the BIA looked to Los Angeles and Miami where there are buildings and areas where crime was high. After a makeover at those locations, crime went down.
“There were some areas in those cities where crime was high and buildings that had seen better days were an attraction for those not interested in making the space safe," he added. "They were painted hot pink, and later with murals, and it became a destination spot and saw crime drop in that area.
“It is still that way to this day and has the support of the local BIA, the municipality, police services and local artists.”
Barrie's big pink building is part of the BIA rebrand, which will be launched at the annual general meeting on Nov. 1.
The old Downtown Barrie logo will be replaced with a new one that Morales says is a fresh new look needed for the area as everything begins to open up.
“We can evolve the hot pink building in many ways. We can add the new branding to it, certainly, but we are also going to be reaching out to our arts community,” he said. “There could eventually be a mural addition, there could be a specific design added for photo opportunities, such as a set of wings that you stand in front of, or something similar.
"We are really contemplating many things right now that will add to the beauty and safety of the area.”
Barrie Police Chief Kimberley Greenwood hopes new paint job will inspire others to consider further improvements that will help the community become safer.
“Turning an under-used historical space into a bright and welcoming focal point is an exciting initiative for our downtown,” Greenwood said in a statement provided through the BIA. “This colourful new addition to our community is a great example of a creative solution to make vacant spaces safer and more functional and demonstrates the principles of crime prevention through environmental design.”
Although there have been many rumours circulating around the old BMO building and what, if anything, could happen there, Morales says anything with a level of certainty is still a ways off. But the building — which had faced onto Fred Grant Street before the road was closed for the Meridian Place project — needed to be improved now until something can be done with it.
“There's lots that can be done with that building, whether it is renovated or demolished. I don’t think anyone really knows right now,” Morales said. “But this new design was so very needed even from just making the space look nicer. The prevention of crime and bringing more eyes to the spot is the real benefit.”
