Demolition work begins on Stollerys before heritage designation decided

A part of Torontos history started to come down piece by piece this weekend, just days after Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam took steps to have the 114-year-old Stollerys building designated a heritage site.

I was really appalled to see such a sudden attempt by new owners to get rid of the building so quickly, said Adam Birrell, who has lived in the neighbourhood for six years.

The building with familiar green awnings sits at the corner of Yonge St. and Bloor St. W. and has been owned by the retailer of British and European apparel since 1901 when shoppers arrived by horse and buggy and Wilfrid Laurier was prime minister.

Birrell, who has previously worked to preserve heritage properties in Thornhill, is concerned the building is being taken down before the city can determine whether it has heritage value. If the site already was listed as a heritage property, it couldnt be torn down as easily.

But developer Sam Mizrahi says he doesnt think the building deserves preservation.

We dont feel there is any heritage value to it and neither did anyone else for the last 100 years, he said.

And Mizrahi is well within his legal rights. He bought the building in October and applied for a demolition permit earlier this month. It was approved on Friday and the work started right away.

Wong-Tam noted that the city must issue a permit when all statutory requirements are met according to provincial law.

She asked it be considered for heritage designation at a Jan. 13 community council meeting the first opportunity she said she had to bring up the issue after the election.

I moved as quickly as I could, she said.

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Demolition work begins on Stollerys before heritage designation decided