Heritage in limbo

The historic Arlington building, gutted by fire three years ago, is a shambles with transients stripping the site bare while redevelopment remains stalled, a city report says.
Bracing of the damaged red-brick walls, meant to be a temporary measure, is still in place two years later than expected, according to an attached structural engineering report.
The walls now have a slight bow to them and the 100-year-old building “continues to deteriorate” while repeated requests to the owner to supply required assessments of the structure have gone unanswered.
Building owner Saraswati Singh could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A security company has also cancelled their contract to monitor the site due to repeated break-ins.
“Transients continue to gain entrance to strip this building of anything of value, including building wiring,” the report states.
Last year, city council approved the redevelopment of the site to become a 20-storey condo tower, incorporating the original building into the design.
The development proposal for the building, located at 100 Ave. and 106 St., was five floors higher than typically allowed in the area to offset restoration costs.
Since then, Singh has asked the city if he could dismantle the walls brick-by-brick during construction of the building’s underground parking lot to lower costs.
City officials are reviewing the request. Councillors will review the report on April 9
-steve.lillebuen@metronews.ca