Coun. Wong-Tam wants Stollerys building declared a heritage site: report
Posted January 19, 2015 7:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A cornerstone of Yonge Street and Bloor Street West is starting to come down and one city councillor is hoping to stop the wrecking ball.
Stollerys, an upscale men’s clothing store, officially shut down earlier this month and over the weekend, the developer started to dismantle the building.
However, Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam is trying to take steps to have the 114-year old building declared a heritage site.
Residents at Yonge and Bloor said they are sad to see the building being torn down, but questioned why the fight to have it declared a heritage site has started after the demolition work has begun.
The developer, Sam Mizrahi, told the Toronto Star he has big plans for one of the busiest corners in the city.
He has reportedly hired British architect Norman Foster to design a retail and condominum building, which he said will “rival landmarks in New York, Chicago and London.”
Mizrahi notes that if the building had any heritage value, the city wouldn’t have given him the demolition permit.
When Stollerys first opened in 1901 at that location, Wilfred Laurier was prime minister, and customers arrived by horse and buggy.
