Former Oxford University Press building to be razed
[attach]1853[/attach]A Wynford Drive building slated for demolition should be declared a heritage site, say members of a local preservation panel.
Canada Post acquired the former home of Oxford University Press at 70 Wynford Drive last year, and are preparing to tear down the facility. A neighbouring warehouse will be renovated into a mail centre.
The 70 Wynford site will become a parking lot for the new Canada Post centre.
The site was gated off yesterday in preparation for demolition, which is set to begin at the beginning of July.
Area resident Geoff Kettel said the building, constructed in 1963, was never put on the City of Toronto heritage listing, so nothing can be done to prevent demolition. But he’s hoping Canada Post will re-think their plans.
“Wynford Park has a number of fine institutional buildings,” said Kettel, who also chairs the North York Preservation Panel.
“It’s a high quality institutional neighbourhood and replacing one of these buildings with a parking lot doesn’t make sense.”
[attach]1854[/attach]Canada Post purchased the site to accommodate its growing operations, said spokesperson Jennifer Arnott.
“We’ve purchased the site with two buildings and the warehouse building is going to be a new delivery depot for us,” she said. “We’re consolidating our operations at 169 The Donway West location and 2 Laird Drive.”
The mail office closures won’t affect mail delivery service, said Arnott, as there are other post offices in those neighbourhoods.
The fact that demolition and construction is a major source of emissions, when Toronto is already emitting more CO2 than the tar sands, should be universally recognized.
I would add that this story is as much about urban design as about heritage.
Canada Post is creating a large parking lot, immediately across the road from the Aga Khan’s magnificent new gift to Toronto – the Aga Khan Centre and Ismail Cultural Centre, now under construction. The approved design for this treasure in the making provides that there will be NO above ground parking!
In essence Canada Post chose the wrong building to demolish – they plan to destroy the one that creates Wynford’s Modernist identlty and its streetscape, and leave behind the “anywhere” warehouse!
To (mis)quote Joni Mitchell……they (destroyed) paradise for a parking lot!