'Erasing our history': Thousands sign petition to save iconic drag bar from condo development
Angelina King · CBC News · Posted: Mar 12, 2020 6:00 AM ET
The fight is on to keep a beloved drag bar in Toronto's gay village from meeting the same fate as many iconic spaces in the neighbourhood: becoming yet another condo development.
Crews and Tangos has become synonymous with launching drag queens' careers in Toronto. But now, the owner of the site, Graywood Developments, is said to be looking at the possibility of converting the property into a range of uses, including residential and commercial. In response, more than 30,000 people have signed a petition to save it.
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Graywood has set up preliminary meetings with community groups and no application has been filed with the city.
The company said it has no concrete plans for the space yet, but according to the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association, Graywood's vision is to introduce a mix of uses including retail and residential.
Crews and Tangos recently signed a two-year lease extension and Graywood said it doesn't anticipate any changes to the bar's operation in that time.
"It's our intention to work with our tenants and the community to understand the vision and values of the Church- Wellesley neighbourhood, in order to have that feedback inform our development proposal," a statement from Graywood reads.