Demolition by fire, this is how a lot of old building got taken down in the GTA. Too expensive to restore, but historically significant not to be allowed to be torn down.
This is seriously heart breaking, many memories there for many folks going back over 100 years. This doesnt seem like a random fire though. This looks like there was ALOT of excelerant used.
I'm sure modern condos will be a welcome replacement to 're gentrify' the neighborhood. Happens all the time in Toronto. Heritage building mysteriously burn down and condos are quickly built to line the pockets of developers and politicians
@@vonmilash823 I don't think it could be fixed unless the owner cared. We citizens wanted heritage site. Many of us have good memories of this building.
St. Catharines doesn't seem to have the capacity to care about built heritage. We have very little left. This building had so much heritage value and like the opera house, is now a distant memory. Spent 6 years of my life fighting for our built heritage and the city cared more about our pioneer cemeteries than the buildings. Very sad day for our stock of built heritage.
Deliberately set, it was up for historical status, but the owner did not want that to happen, oh and conveniently the status passed after it burns down, I would say it was set. Now if the owner did not set it, then you have some serious issues with mice playing with matches.
If it was such a great historic building why was it boarded up and not maintained and kept operating.Then when a fire destroys these buildings everyone is so upset. Maintain them
Because the city has been fighting with the current owner in court for years to have it listed as a heritage site so it cold be repaired but it conveniently burned down the very afternoon they won their court case!
Interesting business siduation during COVID. That building wasn't bringing any money in but also at the same time, real estate values. We're shooting through the roof so it was possibly a good way to walk away from the building and make lots of money.... Lots of memories in the huge loss for the community
Heard the sad news a few hours ago, thank you for uploading the video! I have such fond memories of that building, was lucky to stay there on the 2nd floor for a year at university. They had a massive club just below on the 1st floor and on tues fri sat you could jsut hear the music rocking thru the floor and you knew it was time to put the study books away and go join the 1000 plus people that would be inside/inline to get in. They also had a really great bar on the other side, I think it went thru different management/renaming a few times but the majority of my memories come from watching leafs games with my buddies and enjoying some tasty all you can eat pizza and wings with nice cheap pitchers of pop/beer. The main hotel/student residence supposedly had a the oldest? elevator in the area, and was quite old with a storied history. Sad to see it go down like this, but the memory lives on!
Condos with petrol-chemical based cladding... Seeing a pattern here? ... 10 years later the condo burns down when costly maintanence or subsidance accures or just falls down!
The lie, is that the actual water table isn't down. So he said water levels as if we were in severe trouble. How, we sit upon the greatest aquifer in the planet?
It was a building with a lot of history and memories that could have been renovated for much needed housing for low to medium income families if someone was not greedy and just let the building become that eye sore. At one time it was a beautiful building, until it burn down and yes even with the windows boarded it was not that bad looking. You want to see eye sores, go to Baltimore MD
You cant get insurance on a vacant building that has been vacant for 5 years, no insurance company in their right mind would insure a building like this and that would have roof leaks, broken windows
A little too suspicious of a fire. Rather than a historic building let's make room for a new condo that brings in millions of dollars.
I was just thinking the same thing or like I said if it was not the the own then they has serious issues with mice playing with matches.
It went through historical designation that night; of course it was likely deliberate
Very true....
Make them replace the building with an identical one....
Who cares, St Catherines is a shit hole. Come to think of all of Ontario is.
Smoking crack has consequences. Whole city is full of needles and homless.
@Mark Great wtf are you on about
@Mark Great first off that has nothing to due with Canada and second that's sounds a bit racist to me 🤷♀️
St.Catherines is a shit hole, full of crackheads and homeless people. Glad I left
@@robmilne67 its like that in every Canadian city lol
Demolition by fire, this is how a lot of old building got taken down in the GTA. Too expensive to restore, but historically significant not to be allowed to be torn down.
Officials say the building died of covid and you should be very afraid.
🤣
thats what our govt would have you believe.
This is seriously heart breaking, many memories there for many folks going back over 100 years. This doesnt seem like a random fire though. This looks like there was ALOT of excelerant used.
I'm sure modern condos will be a welcome replacement to 're gentrify' the neighborhood. Happens all the time in Toronto. Heritage building mysteriously burn down and condos are quickly built to line the pockets of developers and politicians
Insurance fraud for sure
@@oso1165 yeah...
The current property owner is apparently from Toronto and was hotly disputing the recent historic designation.
Guess that's where the new condo will go.
Probably...
Many lovely old buildings either are torn down or burned down....St.Catharines doesn’t seem to care about it’s heritage...
Good thing this wasn't one of them. Just a run down old shit hole that nobody seemed to miss while it was sitting vacant for years.
Very sad, but your comment feels very true.
@@vonmilash823 I don't think it could be fixed unless the owner cared. We citizens wanted heritage site. Many of us have good memories of this building.
St. Catharines doesn't seem to have the capacity to care about built heritage. We have very little left. This building had so much heritage value and like the opera house, is now a distant memory. Spent 6 years of my life fighting for our built heritage and the city cared more about our pioneer cemeteries than the buildings. Very sad day for our stock of built heritage.
Deliberately set, it was up for historical status, but the owner did not want that to happen, oh and conveniently the status passed after it burns down, I would say it was set. Now if the owner did not set it, then you have some serious issues with mice playing with matches.
If it was such a great historic building why was it boarded up and not maintained and kept operating.Then when a fire destroys these buildings everyone is so upset. Maintain them
Because the city has been fighting with the current owner in court for years to have it listed as a heritage site so it cold be repaired but it conveniently burned down the very afternoon they won their court case!
Insurance money
Bingo
Interesting business siduation during COVID. That building wasn't bringing any money in but also at the same time, real estate values. We're shooting through the roof so it was possibly a good way to walk away from the building and make lots of money.... Lots of memories in the huge loss for the community
Heard the sad news a few hours ago, thank you for uploading the video! I have such fond memories of that building, was lucky to stay there on the 2nd floor for a year at university. They had a massive club just below on the 1st floor and on tues fri sat you could jsut hear the music rocking thru the floor and you knew it was time to put the study books away and go join the 1000 plus people that would be inside/inline to get in. They also had a really great bar on the other side, I think it went thru different management/renaming a few times but the majority of my memories come from watching leafs games with my buddies and enjoying some tasty all you can eat pizza and wings with nice cheap pitchers of pop/beer. The main hotel/student residence supposedly had a the oldest? elevator in the area, and was quite old with a storied history. Sad to see it go down like this, but the memory lives on!
Barracuda next door was a blast, I think Steve Angelo came one time
Totally accidental fire here... Nothing to see here.
Totally not gonna build some shitty ass condo on the remains of a historic building...,.....
Crackheads breaking in and burn up the building
It’s still remains criminal investigation
How the abandon historic building starts on fire 🔥 😱
Condos with petrol-chemical based cladding... Seeing a pattern here? ... 10 years later the condo burns down when costly maintanence or subsidance accures or just falls down!
The lie, is that the actual water table isn't down. So he said water levels as if we were in severe trouble. How, we sit upon the greatest aquifer in the planet?
Is this your first day on the internet little boy ? Do your parents know that you're here without supervision?
Last Monday niagara's evacuation order is in effect for the Welland house hotel that's destroyed by the fire
Uhh dont worry about it "the circle of life"
I saw the trucks and cops going down to here
wtf is that 1 dude talking about? it was abandoned and an eye sore
Exactly. Memories lol.
It was a building with a lot of history and memories that could have been renovated for much needed housing for low to medium income families if someone was not greedy and just let the building become that eye sore. At one time it was a beautiful building, until it burn down and yes even with the windows boarded it was not that bad looking. You want to see eye sores, go to Baltimore MD
vacant is not "abandoned"
Good audio CHCH 😐
Guess there's a reason you're bankrupt 🤭🤣
Little too ironic
Terrible "Audio" again !
Use to go there to watch the strippers, lol! Sad news! Cheers Warren, old St. Kitts boy!
It was a great strip joint back in the 80s
St catharines actually looked beautiful with all the trees, they been cutting everything down without replanting
thats because St Catharines is an absolute shit hole.
@@geftiler2112 Absolute shit hole it is Sire (tips hat)
It only got climate going for it.
I hope it was insured ;-)
You cant get insurance on a vacant building that has been vacant for 5 years, no insurance company in their right mind would insure a building like this and that would have roof leaks, broken windows
Lol no arson here