Victoria Hall Is Next: How Aurora's Old Town Park Buildings Are Getting Second Lives

Victoria Hall is the brick building with the steep gabled roof and Gothic windows, a short walk from Town Park and Aurora Town Square. It went up in 1883 as a home for a local congregation. Since then it has served as a public health facility and a library. The Town took it over in 1951 and for decades used it for recreation programs, meetings and performances. On October 9, 2026, the Town of Aurora announced that Stephen Ho, the former owner of Aqua Grill, will open a restaurant there.

It is the third time in two years the Town has done something like this downtown. The Town is renewing the blocks around Town Park mostly through buildings it already owns. It finds a partner for each one, hands over the operations, and keeps the heritage shell.

Three buildings, one plan

The Town says plainly that the Victoria Hall deal is part of a wider effort to revitalize the downtown core, "which includes finding new community uses for historic Town-owned buildings." Here is what has happened so far, and what is scheduled next:

1. September 2024: Aurora Town Square opens at 50 Victoria Street. Its programming comes from the Town, the Aurora Cultural Centre, the Aurora Museum & Archives and the Aurora Public Library.
2. October 2025: Slabtown Cider Company, based in Uxbridge, takes over the Aurora Armoury at 89 Mosley Street. Niagara College's Canadian Food & Wine Institute had moved out earlier that year. Mayor Tom Mrakas cut the ribbon on October 17.
3. May 2026: The Aurora Farmers' Market starts its season in Town Park. It's the market's first year under a formal partnership in which the Town supports staffing and management, while the market's own board still governs it.
4. October 9, 2026: Council-endorsed agreement with Stephen Ho for Victoria Hall.
5. 2027: Building upgrades at Victoria Hall begin. Construction of the Yonge Street Promenade streetscape is also targeted for 2027, with the design expected this year.

None of this was a surprise. AuroraToday's year-ahead coverage on January 1, 2026 named three goals for downtown: expanded Town Square programming, event partnerships at Slabtown Armoury, and a new use for Victoria Hall. All three have now happened.

What Stephen Ho is building

Ho describes something small: about 30 seats, an open kitchen and a small bar. The cooking will be from scratch, and he plans to source from local producers. In the Town's announcement, he explained the idea in plain terms:

"I want this to be a comfortable, relaxed place where you can come in for a plate of pasta, share some food with friends, and stay for a couple of hours. Nothing pretentious – just really good food, good value and a place people enjoy being."

He has been part of the community for 20 years and said he "fell in love with the location and with what's happening in the neighbourhood."

The lease splits the work in a clear way. Ho covers the restaurant's operations, interior maintenance, utilities, cleaning and leasehold improvements. The Town covers the building itself. Starting in 2027, that includes a new glass-panelled addition to replace the current one, restoring the historic windows, interior woodwork and main entrance, repairing the roof and brick, adding accessible ramps and stairs at the south end, and building two barrier-free washrooms at the north end. When it's done, the restaurant will have about 1,650 square feet.

The Town has not announced the restaurant's name or an opening date. It says both will come once plans are final. Since construction starts in 2027, no one should expect to book a table this winter.

A year in, the Armoury shows how the model works

Slabtown Armoury turns one this week, so it's the best preview of what Victoria Hall could become. At the opening, Slabtown promised farm-to-table dining, craft cider and beer, and community programming all year. Its current posted hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays, until 10 p.m. on Thursdays, and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. No Monday or Tuesday hours are listed. The fall menu, updated October 8, includes a beet salad, Brussels sprouts, soup of the day and oysters. You'll find reservations and private event inquiries on the Slabtown Armoury site.

The Armoury has also become part of the town's event calendar. In January, it hosted the launch party for the Aurora Winter Blues Festival. The festival itself then ran February 26 to March 1 next door at Town Square, according to NewmarketToday.

The first year also showed the friction that comes with putting a full-time restaurant in a heritage building on a residential street. In July, AuroraToday reported that a nearby resident had raised concerns about noise, traffic, garbage and deliveries. The resident also questioned whether a restaurant fits the building's institutional zoning. The Town told the outlet it had received "a limited number of concerns." In response, it put up parking barriers and stepped up bylaw enforcement. Delivery practices changed so trucks no longer block driveways, and Slabtown opened its space free of charge to local ratepayer groups. The Town also pointed out that the Armoury had hosted restaurant operations and large public events for years under Niagara College. The owners, Marco Cassano and Jason and Lori Feddema, said they value resident feedback and are committed to being a good neighbour.

That exchange explains a lot about Victoria Hall's design. With roughly 30 seats in 1,650 square feet, it's a much quieter plan than a venue that hosts launch parties and large events. The Town's goal hasn't changed. Its communications manager described the area as "a vibrant cultural and community precinct" in the making.

Using the precinct between now and the holidays

For now, Town Square is the busiest building on the block. A month of anniversary programming in September marked its second year, with Doors Open Aurora and the Multicultural Festival back on the schedule. The rest of the fall calendar is full, so here are the dated events with confirmed times or rooms:

The Town Square calendar has more events whose times haven't been posted yet. Among them are Flashback Film Series: Scream on October 23, FMJ-Foreigner Meets Journey on October 31, Lennon.Live on November 7, and The Music Of Elvis Christmas Special on December 20.

The galleries are free to walk through between shows. The Town's Fall 2026 program guide lists St. Andrew's College: 100 Years at Home in Aurora until December 11 and From the Vault until January 29, 2027. The Cultural Centre's Station Gallery Permanent Collection Show opens November 12.

As the holidays get closer, things move outdoors. The Santa Under the Stars Parade runs Saturday, November 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., heading south on Yonge Street from Orchard Heights Boulevard to Murray Drive. Related road closures start as early as 3 p.m., and the Town lists the exact times for each street. The free Christmas Market at Aurora Town Square runs November 27 to 29 and December 4 to 6, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. It has rotating nightly vendors, food, hands-on workshops, a tree lighting, fire jugglers and buskers. Slabtown Armoury is a short walk away on Mosley Street if you want dinner after a market night.

Next year, Victoria Hall's renovation and the Yonge Street streetscape work are both expected to start. The Town has said it will announce the restaurant's name and opening date once plans are final.

If you want to follow how Victoria Hall's restaurant and the 2027 streetscape work change the streets around Town Park, Sam Galloway watches downtown Aurora closely and is always happy to talk through what's happening near your street. Sign up to get the latest listings first, along with updates on the projects shaping the neighbourhood.