CITY OF WINDSOR KEEPS DEMOLITION PLANS ON THE HUSH
Historical building demolishion Windsor Style
Seagrave building this afternoon at 5:30 P.M.
Seagrave building this morning at 8:00 A.M.
"Malicki said finally city council -- after decades of simply showing no interest in heritage at all -- is paying attention to the value of saving and restoring buildings of historical interest."
Quoted from the Windsor Star. Wednesday, April 9, 2008.
Ahhh...That would be today.
Read the full article here: http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=518affd9-b67f-49ae-859b-cba358553d18&p=2
Not quite. While the ink was still drying on Ms. Malicki's Windsor Star, the Jones Demolition Company started ripping the Historic Seagrave building down not five blocks away from the Paul Martin House in Old Walkerville. As it turns out, the City of Windsor had issued a permit for the demolition. Same old City of Windsor. If it's old and historic, it's got to be raised. Sorry Pat. You weren't the only one. Nobody who witnessed the event today could believe it either. No advance warning at all. It was obviously done on the hush. There is one exception to this. Rick Gruber who is the area Building Inspector rushed out today to halt the demolition because even though there was a permit to raise the building, there was no permit to close Walker Road. In fact, the sidewalk is the only thing which separates the buiding from Walker Road. Witnesses said that a man riding a bike almost got clocked by falling bricks. Four thirty rolled around. Quittin time for city employees and Jones fired up the beast and started tearing the old girl down. Right in the middle of rush hour. One reason...They rented the rig from Amicone for a tight time window and the clock was ticking. Within two hours the building was really history. Ashok Sood who owns that property along with most of the 8 and 900 blocks of Walker Road stood on the opposite side of Walker to witness his planned demolition. He is planning to attract a "Big Box" operation on the East Side of Walker. The first modern firetrucks were produced in the Seagrave buiding. Originally built in 1904. A real link to Walkerville's and to the City of Windsor's past. But raising our heritage buildings seems to be what Windsor is all about. They never did show an interest in heritage and this should be proof Ms. Malicki that they never will. Shameful and pathetic.
http://themayorofmonmouth.blogspot.com/2007/07/seagrave-building-torched-in-wee-hours.html
Click on images to enlarge
Half way down from behind
View of demolition from the rubble
There goes the brick detail
VIEW MORE PICS COURTESY OF CHRIS EDWARDS:
http://walkerville.com/seagraves/
From Gord Henderson:
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=0da7ed98-9e14-4f41-b00b-efd0ef1deec2
30 comments:
There has to be asbestos in that building. Don't they have to do something to contain it?
I can see the transport trailers and junk cars kicking up clouds of perpetual dust now. Yippee.
Excellent! This will give me more beautiful Windsor horizon to appreciate. I really LOVE sippin my Hortons while gazing to the East. The plants, pipe stacks, poor people roofs, Ford track, dust bowl, empty parking lots, fences, pollution haze, etc...
"And they wrote it all down as the progress of man"
absolutely disgusting.
nooooooo!!!! i can't believe they did that!! what is wrong with this city??
What the hell? This is (was) the only building on this stretch of street that isn't butt-ugly. What's going to go in its place, a vacant lot of overgrown grass or a vacant lot of gravel?
I've been away at grad school for a while and am four weeks away from coming home to Windsor for good. It's starting to look like my whole neighbourhood is going to be gone by the time I get there.
So...Is Amicone going to be the developer for the "big box"? Who coached this Sood guy? It's a shame that there is such a disconnect between the City administration and the Heritage groups. Is everything accomplished with guesswork or what?
This building was a part of my neighbourhood. "EYESORE" or not I always treasured it and occasionally snooped around and marveled at its age and years of service. It's also the 2nd heritage property on that stretch to be demo'd without following the process laid out by the Heritage Act. Whose palms were greased this time to pull this one off, or was city hall asleep at the wheel and just rubber stamped this permit? I hope to hear some answers on how this happened AGAIN on Walker road.
I read or heard somewhere that Thom Hunt GM of the Planning Dept. for the City lives on Monmouth. Did any of the people on that streeet get the heads up about this? What is his take?
candlelight vigil tonight at the scene of the crime to mourn another piece of Windsor's history. Be there for 830. Media coming at 9pm. Please spread the word.
I am of the opinion that a City’s citizens should have a say in what the image of their City is or becomes. When the buildings like this are torn down and replaced by big box, what image will that create? Can you imagine London had they torn down what is now Richmond Rowe? Or Toronto allowing the demolishing of the now Distillery District or Bloor West Village?
The City will make the appropriate statements to the press of how sorry they are, how they are going to do everything possible to ensure something like this does not happen again, slap Mr. Sood on the wrist and move along. Does the City think we are stupid enough not to realize that these things happen so quickly and quietly for a reason? Shame on them - and shame on Mr. Sood.
I will be attending the candlelight vigil tonight and hope to see enough people there to make a strong enough statement that will last more than just one night.
Mr. Sood is no Dummy. He knew that he had a historical building on his hands. He also knew that it would be less hassle to bend the rules to his liking. Whoever, at the city, let this one go should be fired. Nobody would ever believe that this was a simple oversight. Where is the Heritage Planner in all of this? Who rubber stamped it and why did Sood's team think it important to rip this place down in such a clandestine manner? This is not a simple mistake which can be overlooked. If there is no punishment it will happen over and over again.
Great turn out of about 20 people or so last night and thanks to Councillor's Valentinis and Halberstadt for showing up and supporting us all. They were just as dumbfounded and shocked as all of us are.
I was told they will find out what happened and why and how to prevent it from happening again.
Perhaps Mr. Halberstadt could post such on his blog.
Sood knew full well that what he was doing was wrong. Someone at City Hall, right or wrong, issued a demolition permit, and Sood wasted no time or effort in seeing to it that his senseless and greedy opportunity be seized. In Soods simplistic and selfish view, it will cost him less now because he does not have to insure the property. No respect or regard for his city or community whatsoever. Only what is good for Sood.
I will not buy from his Champion Paper Products any more or from his janitorial supply company; The Clean Depot. I will go out of my way to spread the word at every opportunity.
If bloggers can organize a cheezy press op for a "candle light vigil", they are surely able to organize a protest in front of Soods stores. This guy has to pay for what he did.
As for City Hall, this is not a small infraction. Those responsible for setting this up and allowing it to happen must be fired.
The Windsor Star ought to do some serious investigation to trace how all of this came to be. Were palms greased? What were the events and what was the timeline? Who in the building department and/or planning department was involved and who pulled the trigger. This whole mess stinks of corruption.
someone on the news eluded to some type of underhandedness. If this is true the people responsible should be dealt with the full force of the law.
call the Ministry of Labour and have the air checked for asbestos.
that is no joke and is a real possibility...
go to the Ministry Office in person and do a report and they MUST act.
Nothing is going to happen to anyone that screwed up or got paid to be blind. City Hall is locked down by CUPE, totally secure bullet proof jobs, at the most somebody might get a letter in their jacket which amounts to nada, absolutely no consequences. The only heads up was pulling my head out of the sand imagining there's anything that isn't FUBAR in this town.
The Bloggers and their "Cheesy Press Op" has focused three days of media attention on this issue, enlisted the ministry to shut down the demo due to infractions and will surely make heads roll at city hall. International Metropolis, ScaleDown, MOM and Chris Edwards deserve our eternal gratitude for rising to the challenge while we type on our computers in the saftey of our own home. We owe them our support in the future.
"We owe them our support in the future."
By "support", do you mean "vote"? Evidently, a plank of an election platform has been confirmed; the convenience is too blatant to overlook.
I wonder if any of Windsor's political representatives have read this.
Which Ministry are we talking about here? Can anyone bring me up to speed?
Very sorry about "Cheesy". Does this mean you won't organize a protest?
Mr. Scherer, it's funny when I read the likes of Arditti and you whining that these bloggers may have political aspirations. You always use derogatory terms when alluding to that.
What would be wrong with these people running for office when they have a proven track record of community involvement. Isn't that the way most politicians get their feet wet?
I really hope that Chris Schnurr runs again, but you are probably happy with the status quo of Jones and Postma in Ward 2, aren't you? Better yet, let's get a bunch of people running for council that have no experience volunteering for their community. That would be much better!
"...you are probably happy with the status quo of Jones and Postma in Ward 2, aren't you?"
Firstly, I DON'T EVEN LIVE IN CANADA, let alone Windsor.
Secondly, my acrimony for Jones and Postma is well-documented (electronically, that is). I can't say I fully support the political "party" system. However, I can say I hate POPULIST politics. Jones and Postma, more than any other member of Windsor city council, are populists (Mrs. Postma's blog entry on this blog site is definitive proof of this). Regardless of what you or I say about them, The Windsor Star will defend them.
Thirdly, you clearly misinterpreted the wording of my comment(s). Please don't allow Windsor's inferiority complex to cloud your judgment. I was merely trying to coax some political information out of some people. Windsor definitely needs new political representatives. I'm not "attacking" your value system. Thanks for the confirmation, though.
How old do you think I am? I guess I should thank-you for comparing me to a venerable, 60-year-old consultant.
I know community involvement is an integral part of politics. However, populist political policies are unsustainable.
Municipalities are dependent on credit and funds from senior levels of government. Are heritage buildings going to fund the unionized wages of municipal employees? Infrastructure? Pensions? No. Windsor's political representatives need to PRIORITIZE.
Ridiculous. No wonder the City of Windsor is a turning into a dump.
With such a backwards perspective on what is a very attractive building in a historic district, how will Windsor *every* crawl out of its current funk?
Never. It never will. it will forever be dominated by ignorant, backwards, short-sighted shallow idiots like the owner of this building who demolished it and the City Department for approving it.
Someone should get their hands on the Permit and find out WHO in city hall is responsible for this, if you cant get the front line pencil pushers fired for this -- whoever ABOVE them is a massive failure and should be fired.
Looks like the City is going to sweep this one under the carpet ASAP. Work at the site has already re-commenced. No word from anybody as to what happened. Nothing, zilch, zip, nada. Another chunk of Windsor's history expunged. Next step. Terminate Windsor.
Robert, Come now. YOu know as wel as I do that to get elected initially you must play the populist card first. Once elected the candidate can then commence with working to ensure the best outcome for the residents. That is being a realist.
If you disagree then we can all hold hands and sing kumbaya which won't get any of us anywhere and the incumbents get right back in.
What is any wonder as to why so many people ran in the last election?
Somebody got paid off. Here's a hint who: they have an OMERS pension.
When are you guys going to realize that we don't live in Ottawa, Kingston or even London. We live in the White Trash capital on Ontario. I think it's hilarious how you expect such a trashy city to have any culture. You're wasting your time.
Come on Anonymous....
WE CAN!
How very sad - another historical building gone with the wind. I still haven't gotten over the demise of the Norwich Block. Now this... how depressing. How could such a thing happen?
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