Gathered - A Village Collective Art Gallery in Sparta

6/12/2018

Gathered is home to a collective of local artists. The business is in a unique and beautiful heritage designated building located in the heart of picturesque and historic Sparta, Ontario. Joseph Sawicki and Heather Robinson purchased the heritage-designated Hiram Smith building in 2017 and are passionate about preserving and restoring its many heritage details while renovating and updating it.
Hiram Smith's Tailor Shop in Sparta was built in 1846 of small hand-made strawberry bricks and features a scooped awning veranda to help keep the rain away from the foundation of the building. It was built as a tailor shop by Hiram Burley Smith on the same site as his wooden tailor shop. He lived in the house to the west of the store until 1865 when he moved to his new home (now the residence of great granddaughter Sally Martyn, secretary of Central Elgin Heritage, and husband John). The windows are 6 over 6 double hung, which is typical of the period. The interior of the main lower room has the original floor, pressed metal ceiling and wooden counters. Hiram's brass yard stick is still imbedded in the east counter top and the wooden cash drawer is still in the west counter.

The Artists