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Does anyone know if there is any truth to the rumour that the project is having trouble with financing and will be sold?
 
Perhaps no one wants to risk providing financing for a project that erases history like this one. It should definitely change. It's ridiculous not to rebuild Walnut Hall. There's a parking lot right beside the site where anything can be built, and the site of Walnut Hall that's empty. Walnut Hall was a Georgian block; it wouldn't be much of a challenge to do a perfect reconstruction. It would be quite meaningful to the city's heritage to achieve that continuity. It's both feasible and potentially profitable.
 
junctionist said:
Perhaps no one wants to risk providing financing for a project that erases history like this one. It should definitely change. It's ridiculous not to rebuild Walnut Hall. There's a parking lot right beside the site where anything can be built, and the site of Walnut Hall that's empty. Walnut Hall was a Georgian block; it wouldn't be much of a challenge to do a perfect reconstruction. It would be quite meaningful to the city's heritage to achieve that continuity. It's both feasible and potentially profitable.
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Though I was very very sorry to see Walnut Hall collapse and would certainly like anything on that site to fit into the area I think it is not a good idea to 'reconstruct' Walnut Hall itself. Facadeism is bad enough but a complete reconstruction is more Disney than heritage.
 
DSC said:
Though I was very very sorry to see Walnut Hall collapse and would certainly like anything on that site to fit into the area I think it is not a good idea to 'reconstruct' Walnut Hall itself. Facadeism is bad enough but a complete reconstruction is more Disney than heritage.
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No it isn't. Disney is make-believe architecture; by contrast, a true reconstruction can be an authentic representation of the design heritage of our community and of our history. To put up a fake German castle in an empty field in rural Florida is completely different from rebuilding a piece of the urban fabric and history of a community. The heritage is in the architecture and location of a building. To rebuild it if it's tragically lost is an affirmation of the meaningfulness of that history.
 
Application: New Building Status: Not Started

Location: 102 SHUTER ST
TORONTO ON M5A 1V7

Ward 27: Toronto Centre-Rosedale

Application#: 12 124662 BLD 00 NB Accepted Date: Feb 17, 2012

Project: Apartment Building New Building

Description: Permit to construct new 14 storey residential condominium building with 50 units. The base of the building includes three 2-storey townhouses fronting on Shuter Street. There are 42 parking spaces proposed within a three level underground garage accessed from an existing public lane. A valet will take cars to the underground garage via a car elevator. - Please see 10 249540 STE 27 SA for Site Plan Approval application - and note site plan indicates 48 units where building permit indicates 50 units.
 
junctionist said:
No it isn't. Disney is make-believe architecture; by contrast, a true reconstruction can be an authentic representation of the design heritage of our community and of our history. To put up a fake German castle in an empty field in rural Florida is completely different from rebuilding a piece of the urban fabric and history of a community. The heritage is in the architecture and location of a building. To rebuild it if it's tragically lost is an affirmation of the meaningfulness of that history.
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It strikes me more as a creepy, almost necrophiliac denial that we can instead move on and create something of the highest contemporary standard.
 
Urban Shocker said:
It strikes me more as a creepy, almost necrophiliac denial that we can instead move on and create something of the highest contemporary standard.
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We're still going to build many projects to high contemporary standards including one project possible right beside where Walnut Hall at the exact same time. But what's the point if it will just be conceptualized as some dead body in a few generations and unworthy of any particularly bold gesture of preservation like reconstruction should some calamity occur? Sometimes, heritage architecture can be like the mythical phoenix. It may fall, even for a long time, but it may be reborn in the same form and in the same place where it fell, stronger than ever. Embrace it and let the process happen.
 
GraphicMatt said:
The historic building fell over and there was no chance of saving it. There's nothing on this site now.
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I walked past Walnut Hall a day or two before it was torn down and recall hearing about the demolition on the cbc. Has anyone ever watched the demo of a brick structure such as this? Bricks don't launch themselves onto the sidewalk. It takes determined effort with a skillful excavator to pull down these old walls. Brick structures are extremely robust. The bricks want to stay put. The only time they collapse on their own is when floorboards rot or burn though. When this happens the beams that are inserted into the load-bearing brick structure can essentially pry the brick structure apart as they fall. But this did not happen at Walnut Hall.

What I'm getting at here, is that in my opinion, Walnut Hall was another example of sabotage. Active and deliberate demolition, NOT by neglect (well, that too.), in order to ignite safety concerns, and in order to declare a state of emergency so that demolition must happen before anyone can assess the situation.

Basically, just like the Empress Hotel without the fire.

The only way to prevent this is to impose a type of heritage zoning which strictly limits the use of a given heritage site to that of the heritage building itself. If it burns down, the heritage structure must be re-built, or the land becomes park.

Incentive removed.
 
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Bricks don't launch themselves onto the sidewalk.
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In this case, bricks were falling from the upper levels onto the sidewalk. Former owners, the RCMP, had left it to rot, un heated, for 13 years.
 
neubilder said:
I walked past Walnut Hall a day or two before it was torn down and recall hearing about the demolition on the cbc. Has anyone ever watched the demo of a brick structure such as this? Bricks don't launch themselves onto the sidewalk. It takes determined effort with a skillful excavator to pull down these old walls. Brick structures are extremely robust. The bricks want to stay put. The only time they collapse on their own is when floorboards rot or burn though. When this happens the beams that are inserted into the load-bearing brick structure can essentially pry the brick structure apart as they fall. But this did not happen at Walnut Hall.

What I'm getting at here, is that in my opinion, Walnut Hall was another example of sabotage. Active and deliberate demolition, NOT by neglect (well, that too.), in order to ignite safety concerns, and in order to declare a state of emergency so that demolition must happen before anyone can assess the situation.

Basically, just like the Empress Hotel without the fire.

The only way to prevent this is to impose a type of heritage zoning which strictly limits the use of a given heritage site to that of the heritage building itself. If it burns down, the heritage structure must be re-built, or the land becomes park.

Incentive removed.
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Of course, it was. I reported suspicious goings on to Pam McConnell's office, just 2 weeks before this came down. (and asked them to look into it) I saw a few guys in suits, wearing hardhats, who were walking around the property, closely examining the building. I assumed it was either going to be repaired or possibly torn down. I was quite suspicious because this building was so neglected. A few weeks later, it was on the ground. Pam McConnell's office had no comment on the matter.
 
No, bricks were not falling onto the sidewalk. They were put there. Brick structures don't just shed bricks.
 
neubilder said:
No, bricks were not falling onto the sidewalk. They were put there. Brick structures don't just shed bricks.
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Actually bricks can 'just fall" if they get loosened by frost. wind etc. and this building had pieces of wood fastened onto it to stop this happening at least 3 years before it was demolished. There is lots of info on the very sad end of this building at http://torontoist.com/2007/05/neglected_shute/
 
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