The Kingbridge Centre is a conference venue and communications facility in
King City,
Ontario, Canada. It was designed by
Arthur Erickson and built in 1989.
History
Eli Hollinshead purchased a parcel of land on December 18, 1850. On January 6, 1854, it was sold to John Peterman, who later divided it into 4 parcels, the largest being . Peterman sold the largest parcel, on which the Kingbridge Centre now stands, to William McNair for $6,000 on March 6, 1861.
In 1929, the farm was sold to the Toronto company of the
Girl Guides of Canada. After a series of repairs to the existing buildings, the camp was relocated to
Hawkestone, Ontario.
The property's main facilities were originally built in 1989 by
Murray Koffler, the founder of
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. (named Pharmaprix in Quebec) is a Canadian retail pharmacy chain based in Toronto, Ontario. It has more than 1,300 stores in nine provinces and two territories.
The company was founded by pharmacist Murray Koffler in 1962 ...
and co-founder of
Four Seasons Hotels. The site was first named the King Ranch Health Spa and Fitness Resort, and it was designed as a luxury spa facility. It opened in 1989 and operated until 1992, when it fell into receivership and was repossessed by its financier, The
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). Without viable economic prospects, CIBC adapted the facility to become its "Leadership Centre".
In 1996, the secretive
Bilderberg Group held its annual meeting here.
In 2001, the site was sold to
John Abele
John E. Abele (born 1937) is an American businessman, and the co-founder and a director of Boston Scientific, a medical device company. He was awarded the ASME Medal in 2010. As of May 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$640 million. He was f ...
, co-founder of
Boston Scientific, who transformed it into its current use as a conference centre.
Upon Abele's retirement in 2021, the facility was entrusted to the Pathak Family Trust and Ekagrata Inc., with
Prashant Pathak becoming its
chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, the facility was used for temporary transitional shelter for individuals to
self-isolate
In health care facilities, isolation represents one of several measures that can be taken to implement in infection control: the prevention of communicable diseases from being transmitted from a patient to other patients, health care workers, ...
, in a partnership with the regional government of York and the
Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
.
References
External links
The Kingbridge Centre website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingbridge Centre
Arthur Erickson buildings
Buildings and structures in King, Ontario
Convention centres in Canada
1989 establishments in Ontario