Toronto is getting a new hotel by expanding an old hotel that has spent decades not being a hotel. I know, very confusing, but I can totally explain.

A four-storey building that has stood at the southwest corner of Church Street and Richmond Street East for over 140 years could soon undergo a significant transformation.

The building at 124 Church Street was originally constructed as a hotel in the 1880s, and after 14 decades, a developer has filed plans to bring the property back to its roots with a renovation and expansion supporting a new boutique hotel.

M&G Hotels Limited has big plans for the property, filing a minor variance application that calls for a YY Architecture Studio-designed addition extending the building's roofline and providing additional space for hotel and other hospitality uses.

This address has been home to McVeigh's Irish Pub since 1962, and despite major changes on the horizon for the property, it looks like the bar will maintain its presence in the building, and be left practically undisturbed through the renovations.

Plans for the site show little modifications in store for the first two levels of the existing building, aside from a new elevator shaft and other small changes.

The current space occupied by McVeigh's is listed simply as "existing bar" and "existing kitchen" in plans, a good indication that the establishment will maintain its long-term presence at the intersection.

New floors would be added above the current parapet, bringing the existing four-storey building to an increased height of six levels.

A total of 24 hotel suites are planned on levels three through six, topped by a new rooftop bar and terrace.

The rejuvenated hospitality property will reportedly operate under the branding Clover Hotel, and this will not be the first time that the site or even the current building has been home to a hotel.

Diagram of the proposal showing additional floors and rooftop bar space. Image via City of Toronto development application.

The southwest corner of Church and Richmond has been home to bars and hotels since the mid-19th century, and the current 1882-built structure was originally constructed as a hotel, replacing an earlier timber hotel building dating back to the 1850s.

Opened as the Windsor Hotel and later renamed the New Windsor Hotel in the early 20th century, the building was maintained as a hotel into the 1960s.

Plans to expand the building and open a hotel are just some of the big changes happening to the property.

The existing building at 124 Church Street stands as the lone holdout against a huge condo development now under construction that will soon tower over the property's south and west elevations.