I've been quiet on this for a while but I cant anymore.
I'm only going to say this.... because I know a bit about this building.
I worked summers in there. My aunt co-owned and CEO'd a textile company there. she was the last remaining tenant, up until the early 90s. *think of a locally known Jewish family name and ad "textiles" after it and that was the name of the co.* She employed about 20 people at the end, making hotel bed comforters and drapery for schools. It occupied the third floor. I didn't have anything to do. I don't even know what my job was. Mostly to get sandwiches from Genuine bakery and lift anything heavy. I was the only male worker + 20 other ladies at sewing machines who had worked there for 40 years. So that was my job, part sandwich runner, part heavy lifter and part security from the soup line patrons outside.*not that I could do much but I was a 19-21 years old and could do more then 20 grandmas, they were cute ladies*. And I guess I just wandered around until someone asked me to do something. anyway enough down memory lanes.
I know who the owners were. I loved the building. The vastness, all hardwood, brick interior walls, tons of windows, you didn't even need lights during a sunny day. And it kept ok comfortable in the summer from the very high ceilings. Giant sliding wooden doors from floor to ceiling. They were like the original office partition walls. it had a horse-drawn elevator thing. Gigantic weighing scales that measured in the 1000s of pounds. And it smelled like clean linen and wood..... a good smell.
However. I have 3 cousins who r firefighters. The building is near the top of the list for most fire hazard.. My aunt said the insurance costs were enormous because of the fire potential. Insurance wanted it routinely inspected to keep the fire insurance.
I don't mean to discredit Fair's source. It may very well be true. I hope it is.
An Interior environmental inspection could mean anything from what I just mentioned... an insurance requirement. Or like my cousins have told me that they routinely inspect it anyway... because of its potential.
Also if that building were to have a fire, they are instructed to not enter, its not safe and will be a fast burning fire like tissue paper... just keep people away and let it burn. The only stair wells are at opposite ends of the building, it's quite a distance. They're large and concrete but still, get out asap. the thing is coming down in minutes, was what I was told. Lots of old wood and lots of fabric. I was told this weekly if you smell smoke... maybe that was my job walking around. It had sprinklers but the sprinklers were retrofitted on *I'm guessing bc the ceilings are sick high* 20 feet. A hot fire would turn the water from the sprinklers to steam before it hit the fire.
When you're together with 3 fire fighters the convo is usually about fire stuff, and gruesome accident stories. So my aunts building always comes up.
This is what Im saying.
Im sure all the fabric is gone but the tiny fibres are still everywhere in bedded in the 150 year old wood. So what I know is that building is regularly checked by the FD anyway. Because of the area, arson potential and it wouldn't take much for that building to be up in 100 foot flames.
I'm just saying I'm hopeful that it becomes condos, but based on an environmental interior study... which could mean a lot of things. Its probably good structurally its a triple-brick, I-beam posts and wood floors. There's not much else to it. same on all 3 floors. It's standing and not much can happen unless it gets on fire. Someone's wish to turn it into condos does not mean it will. It was sold, that's great. I know the owners' family and they had pretty much all moved to Toronto now anyway. and they way they do business is over a big family lunch, site unseen.... send out some inspectors.. family to family. They buy properties like you and I would playing Monopoly.
That's all I'm going to say.
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Height restrictions and Set-backs are for Nimbys and the suburbs.
Last edited by realcity; Dec 18, 2009 at 4:36 AM.
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