Demolition by Fire

Yet another historic building has been claimed by fire.

This past summer I witnessed the Alma College fire in St. Thomas. There were attempts being made to save the building and have it provincially designated, but before that could happen, it was destroyed. Two St. Thomas youths have since been charged with arson. The once prestigious college has now completely disappeared from the St. Thomas streetscape.

The day of the fire, I received a frantic phone call from my supervisor at the Ontario Heritage Trust, telling me that I had to go to St. Thomas and document the damage. Up until that point, I must admit I had never heard of Alma College, and while I could tell the building had certainly been beautiful before the fire, I couldn’t believe just how magnificent it had been. I was shocked when I saw photos like this one.

And now yet another historic building has been claimed by fire. Over the weekend the Brunswick Hotel at Talbot & York in London went up in flames. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation and is considered suspicious. The structural integrity of the building is seriously questioned – a fire truck and police cruiser remain on the scene and sections of York and Talbot streets have been closed.

When looking at the Brunswick Hotel, it was difficult to tell that it was an historic building, especially if the 1853 date stone wasn’t noticed. It wasn’t a grand example of architecture, but its history was important nonetheless. It was a commercial hotel, which provided the working class with a place to lay their heads. It was one of the oldest remaining buildings in the downtown core and I won’t be surprised if a parking lot shows up in its place.