Heritage building reduced to rubble
[attach]7031[/attach]Nearly four years after being ravaged by a four-alarm fire, the remains of the once-stunning, Tudor-style heritage building at 3 Chedington Place have come down.
“It was in really bad shape,” said Councillor Jaye Robinson, in whose ward the house sat. “First of all, it was gutted by the fire and most of the top part was gone.
“There was just some of the outer walls remaining.”
Though there was an insurance-related issue that caused some delay in bringing down the house, Robinson said mould had grown in the remains and turned it into a health issue. At that point, an engineering firm stated rehabilitation of the property would not be a viable option.
“The loss of any heritage building, in my mind, is unfortunate,” Robinson said. “But this is quite a unique situation, where what we were left with was just basically rubble, rats, raccoons and mold, and it had become a very significant safety issue.”
The home was constructed in the 1920s, modeled as a Tudor-style house. Though it was used as a home for many years, it had been vacant for some time leading up to the fire. The condominiums surrounding it on Chedington Place made it a focal point, with many residents’ balconies and windows overlooking the home.
“I think some people actually moved to the building because they loved that old historical structure there,” Robinson said. “But then, when the fire happened, I think a lot of people felt it was a true eyesore.”
The home was not readily visible from anywhere but those condominiums, so once the building was destroyed, the former landmark lost its appeal.
“Every single (condominium) owner signed a petition asking that the building come down. Every single one,” Robinson said. “It was consistent and unanimous that the building come down.”
As of Aug. 29, all that remained standing out from the rubble were a couple of brick walls, themselves soon to come down.
Robinson said the home’s memory will be preserved and that there is a heritage initiative currently being worked on to decide just how to do that.