The Globe and Mail Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
Getting audio file . This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. Full Disclaimer
Friends of the Foundry/Handout
The Ontario government doesn’t need to tear down a group of heritage industrial buildings in Toronto’s West Don Lands in order to decontaminate the site and allow housing to be built, a group of architects and community activists say.
The derelict red-brick buildings of the former Dominion Wheel and Foundries Co., the oldest of which dates back to 1917, have been at the centre of a political battle for weeks, after a local neighbourhood association won a court order blocking the province’s demolition, idling heavy equipment that had already started clearing the site.
The history of the Dominion Foundry buildings in Toronto
Stay in the loop Sign up for our free email newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime or contact us for details.
Those who love Toronto s heritage could only watch in horror as demolition began on four buildings, known as the Dominion Foundry, this week.
The four abandoned buildings at 153 to 185 Eastern Ave. in Corktown were once part of a thriving industrial enclave along the lower Don River.
The foundry site contains the largest concentration of heritage buildings to be preserved within the 80 acre West Don Lands precinct, according to the City of Toronto.
The building at 153 Eastern Ave. was the foundry building.