Neglect claims another heritage site

BLOG #525: When the owners of vacant heritage buildings don’t respect the history they represent, bad things usually follow. Last night such neglect claimed another victim – a once pretty little home at 764 Waterloo St. on the edge of Old North.

Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2011 – London

The process is called demolition by neglect. It’s already robbed London of many heritage buildings and last night it claimed another, this one at 764 Waterloo St. on the bottom edge of Old North.

You can blame petroleum giant Imperial Oil for this one. The company acquired the two-storey yellow brick residence about 16 years ago because it was right next door to their existing Esso service station.

However, the service station was closed almost a decade ago and land levelled. Windows boarded, heat and power off, 764 Waterloo slowly began wasting away.

Recently Shmuel Farhi, London’s largest property owner, bought the old home along with the vacant service station lot on the corner. He wants to knock the house down and perhaps – although there are no definite plans yet – build an apartment or an office on the two properties on the corner of Waterloo and Oxford. 

His structural engineer went into 764 recently and declared it “in very rough condition.” The roof leaks, there’s mould and significant water damage throughout, there’s no heat or power, floor joists are damaged and perhaps rotting, many bricks are cracked and the chimney needs to be replaced. In short, in her view the property is dangerous.

Now no one is blaming Mr. Farhi for the neglect of 764 Waterloo over the years. In fact he was praised last night at city council’s built and natural environment committee for his stellar record in protecting many of London’s heritage buildings.

Nevertheless he felt the neighbourhood’s wrath because whatever he’s planning could very well upset the special character and balance of a unique slice of old London.

The house at 764 Waterloo sits in a block that is part of the Bishop Hellmuth Heritage Conservation District, established in 2003. This designation gives the city significant leverage over just who can do what to any building within its boundaries in order to protect the vintage housing stock.

As Mary Parks, who is president of the Bishop Hellmuth Community Association, noted: “Speculative building is unsympathetic to the character of this neighbourhood.”

Like many residents who crowded the public gallery at City Hall last night, Ms. Parks opposes any demolition. “Lots of people have had to repoint bricks, replace chimneys, change plumbing, furnaces and air conditioning.” In other words, in her view (shared by others with the experience) this old house isn’t done for, it’s simply ready for a do over.

The committee didn’t buy it. But what they did buy was the notion Mr. Farhi shouldn’t be allowed to knock down 764 without presenting a much clearer plan for whatever he proposes to do with the property next. He’s been asked to work that out with the community before the bulldozers are allowed in.

Meantime, though, there’s the matter of demolition by neglect. Declared neighbourhood resident Sam Trosow: “Property owners should not be rewarded for letting their properties deteriorate. They should be fined.”

How about that?

London currently doesn’t have such a law although it does have regulations requiring owners of vacant buildings to board windows, ensure roofs don’t leak and keep the grass cut. In 2006 the city also sent Imperial Oil a letter asking that the property be sold; they didn’t even get an acknowledgement, says Don Menard, the city’s heritage planner.

Councillor Joe Swan was all over that. “Where’s our due diligence, where’s our authority,” he complained. “This is what makes people mad.” He also made a motion asking for a full report from city staff “on how we can strengthen our bylaws to protect vacant properties.”

This is a subject that has been raised before. Still the city remains largely powerless to demolition by neglect. If heritage means anything to London, as our politicians keep insisting it does, it’s time to do something a little more proactive than writing letters.