The Great Canadian Heritage Restoration Thread

[SignalHillHiker]

I never thought my Google-fu was up to the challenge, but I've found exactly what they're doing:

The flat roof surface can be renewed in kind using a modified bitumen surface, which have a lower maintenance requirement than the original lead. If the flat roof perimeter flashings and the ridge and hip caps of the sloped roof surfaces are replaced using lead details, combined with renewal of the sloped roof surfaces in slate, the appearance will be identical to that of the original building.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I never thought my Google-fu was up to the challenge, but I've found exactly what they're doing:

Slate is cool. I sometimes wonder why it no longer seems used in Ontario - you see it on older buildings, including houses upon occasion. Perhaps it's a cost issue.

[TorontoDrew]

The Canary Restaurant, now part of the Pan Am Development in a district that carries it's name.

Posted on: http://hautevitrine.com/tag/vintage/

Construction of the hybrid building shown in this photograph started in 1859 with the Palace Street School, which was the section on the right. It operated as a school for 45 years and then became the Irvine House Hotel, the Cherry Street Hotel, and various other establishments. Later, General Steel Ware occupied the warehouse addition on the left side of the structure. Eventually, The Canary joined the mix in 1965, occupying the building smack dab in the middle.


By Me:

[kwoldtimer]

What a terrific "save". I especially like the restoration of the corner entrance and the storefront windows on either side.

[TorontoDrew]

Also this one should be fun to watch. I'll try to track it's progress as it's in my neighborhood of Riverside.
This as most Torontonian's know was the home to Jilly's for the last several decades and ran as a rooming house on it's upper floors. It's about to undergo a massive restoration with an addition of one extra floor on it's rear. The developer (Streetcar) will be maintaining the first two floors for retail and restaurant space with possible plans for putting in a boutique Hotel and artist loft space on the top floors much like the Gladstone did in Queen West West. Streetcar Developments have said they have no intention of turning the 120-year-old building into a condo development.

Back in the summer Streetcar had two staff members work with the city and the 13 residents still living in the building find new living accommodations. Most could not afford to move because they were unable to come up with a first and last month payment, the developer gave them that money to relieve some of the burden.

You can read more here: http://torontoist.com/2014/07/findin...-above-jillys/

Jilly’s strip club, with the New Broadview Hotel above. Photo by scarboroughcruiser from the Torontoist Flickr pool.

[The_Architect]

With the Canary I wish they could make the top of the corner better.

As for the Broadview, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it became identical to the Gladstone, its western counterpart.

[kwoldtimer]

At first glance, I thought that was an old photo of the Gladstone! Look forward to seeing how this one turns out.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by The_Architect

With the Canary I wish they could make the top of the corner better.

As for the Broadview, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it became identical to the Gladstone, its western counterpart.

I agree on both counts. It looks like they just gave the old girl a really good scrub and replaced a few ready to fall apart parts of the building. It looks great but they could have gone the extra mile. The top corner must have looked different when they first built it. Also it looks like we are missing a ledge just under it. Oh well it's still a good effort.

I think your right about the Broadview. Let's face it, revitalization and investment in Riverside has happened because of the speculation this would happen. It would be a shame if it didn't. That said the area just 6 years ago was pretty sketchy and has now turned into one of the coolest and most vibrant hoods in the city. Even though it no longer needs the New Broadview to reinvent itself it can't do anything but make it a bit better.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I agree on both counts. It looks like they just gave the old girl a really good scrub and replaced a few ready to fall apart parts of the building. It looks great but they could have gone the extra mile. The top corner must have looked different when they first built it. Also it looks like we are missing a ledge just under it. Oh well it's still a good effort.

I think your right about the Broadview. Let's face it, revitalization and investment in Riverside has happened because of the speculation this would happen. It would be a shame if it didn't. That said the area just 6 years ago was pretty sketchy and has now turned into one of the coolest and most vibrant hoods in the city. Even though it no longer needs the New Broadview to reinvent itself it can't do anything but make it a bit better.

I wondered about that too, but if that chimney is original it makes me think that section may always have been flat. Wonder if there are any old photos around?

[TorontoDrew]

Even searching under it's original name I found nothing that shows the corner looking any better minus the trim.

Palace Street School and Cherry Street Hotel......Nothing.

[SignalHillHiker]

The Evening Telegram Building (it's not in there anymore).

Before:


(Heritage NL)

And today (starts at about 2:25 and is also visible in the thumbnail):

• Video Link

[niwell]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I think your right about the Broadview. Let's face it, revitalization and investment in Riverside has happened because of the speculation this would happen. It would be a shame if it didn't. That said the area just 6 years ago was pretty sketchy and has now turned into one of the coolest and most vibrant hoods in the city. Even though it no longer needs the New Broadview to reinvent itself it can't do anything but make it a bit better.

I no longer live in the area but did for 4 years until last december and the change was night and day. So many new places have opened just since I left and I expect the trend to continue. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gerrard St go the same way Dundas has in the west end (west of Bathurst and especially Ossington) too. Things will really take off when the Broadview reno starts going full swing. Should be interesting!

[TorontoDrew]

I agree about Gerrard. It's already happening with a few new non Asian hipster style places. I could see all but a few Chinese establishments remain as they get slowly pushed out by higher rents and a changing demographic.

[J.OT13]

Heritage restoration in Ottawa.

Grant House, built in 1875 for physician Sir James Grant (who apparently haunts the place today). The house has a very interesting history, from it's days as the uOttawa's University club, to being eyed for demolition to make way to the Downtown Distributor project (http://centretown.blogspot.ca/2009/0...y-part-ii.html) which never materialized. a little over 30 years as a restaurant and, then part of a concert hall plan in the mid 2000's. It has now been restored as part of a now complete office project and will soon re-open as Beckta Dinning and Wine (http://www.beckta.com/).

Anyway, 2009;


http://centretown.blogspot.ca/2010/1...eshens-up.html

Ill conceived, horrible doll house looking restoration in 2010 by Morguard while waiting for community donations for a new concert hall (never happened);


http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/Non-residential/2012-11-13/article-3117842/Mambo-co-owners-suing-Morguard-for-$1.5M/1

Today, it has been beautifully restored by Morguard, again, as part of their 150 Elgin "Performance Court" project.


https://twitter.com/stevebeckta

http://150elgin.com/





From 72' to 09', the house was home to Friday's Roast Beef House.

[TorontoDrew]

I love it when possible if they're able to expose the original brick. In many cases the layers of paint are the only thing keeping the bricks together. That Ottawa restoration looks amazing J.OT13.

We have a pretty significant restoration happening right now on a landmark building where they've started to sandblast the paint off and the bricks they's already exposed seem to be crumbling away. It will be neat to see what this old gal looks like after they are complete it though. All I know is it's being rebovated for retail and office space.
Image from the Toronto Star : http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014...d_spadina.html


Does anybody here know who purchased it? it seems we lucked out because though the building was listed under the Toronto's heritage Registry it was never given official heritage status which would have protected it from being torn down. Who ever owns it now has stated restoration, I'll try to provide some visual updates over the next few months.

1940(ish) posted by: fifaguy on photbucket http://s82.photobucket.com/user/fifa...f2645.jpg.html

[TorontoDrew]

This building on the south west corner of Spadina and Adelaide started restoration work late summer. I took this pic about 3 weeks ago, don't worry you don't really need a colour photo as this building is all dark and grey in RGB. I've always liked this old deco warehouse even in it's run down current form so I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out when complete. Looking at it right now however it appears to be in the middle of a war zone riddled with bullet holes.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

I love it when possible if they're able to expose the original brick. In many cases the layers of paint are the only thing keeping the bricks together. That Ottawa restoration looks amazing J.OT13.

We have a pretty significant restoration happening right now on a landmark building where they've started to sandblast the paint off and the bricks they's already exposed seem to be crumbling away. It will be neat to see what this old gal looks like after they are complete it though. All I know is it's being rebovated for retail and office space.
Image from the Toronto Star : http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014...d_spadina.html


Does anybody here know who purchased it? it seems we lucked out because though the building was listed under the Toronto's heritage Registry it was never given official heritage status which would have protected it from being torn down. Who ever owns it now has stated restoration, I'll try to provide some visual updates over the next few months.

1940(ish) posted by: fifaguy on photbucket http://s82.photobucket.com/user/fifa...f2645.jpg.html

Surely they are giving the brick a chemical wash rather than sandblasting it? I thought they realized year's ago that soft Toronto brick does not stand up to sandblasting.

[The_Architect]

The Global Village Backpackers one makes me sad. We have so little colour and not very many hostels in this city, and we're losing one with both at a prime location.

Great patio bar too.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Surely they are giving the brick a chemical wash rather than sandblasting it? I thought they realized year's ago that soft Toronto brick does not stand up to sandblasting.

You might be right, walking under the scaffolding covering the sidewalk it smelled like outhouse chemicals. Kind of gross but that may have just been what they were using on the bricks. The bricks they had exposed though looked like powder and will probably need replacing.

Interesting side note about bricks in this city. About 15-20 years ago when they first started looking at cleaning up the old Don Valley Brick Works there were 100's of thousands of bricks down there that were never shipped out. One lawyer came in and bought them all for next to nothing with the promise he would remove them from the property. Now he's pretty much the only supplier in the city of actual late 19th early 20th century red bricks that match most of Toronto's old building stock. thus he is the go to guy for many of the cities restoration jobs.

[TorontoDrew]

Do any Toronto forumers know if there have been or why there haven't been plans to fix up the Bathurst Street Bridge? It's 111 years old I believe and looks it not in a good way. I know the city was looking into it back in 2008 but that was a long time ago now.

Posted by Towered of urbantoronto: http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...un21-08051.jpg