Anyone who has been through downtown Elora of late has noticed some construction work on the south side of the Grand River.
On June 25, Centre Wellington councillors received a report for information regarding demolition work as part of Pearle Hospitality’s redevelopment of the former Little Folks lands.
Pearle advised the township of its intent to demolish the second storey of the Walser Building on the property due to structural and associated public safety concerns. A portion of the second storey was removed due to the immediate risk present to the public and staff on site.
The building is named after Joseph Walser, one of the primary owners and the public face of the furniture company it housed.
The building was originally the site of the Mundell cabinet factory building, which itself had many fires.
It is currently vacant and can be described as the remnant/ruin of a former industrial site, since it is not structurally sound and has no roof.
It was previously connected to the former Little Folks administration building to the south (now the wedding chapel associated with the Elora Mill) via a second storey enclosed walkway.
The report to council states that while there are plans to re-use the building, it will not happen in the immediate future.
The safety issue cropped up in early June when the wedding chapel and administration office were being inspected for an occupancy permit.
Township staff noticed the Walser building ruin was exhibiting evidence of deterioration. Given the imminent use of the adjacent property and roadway, staff requested that the owner provide a structural assessment report for the Walser building as soon as possible.
The structural report indicated “the masonry instabilities represent a safety concern to those within and adjacent to the building structure.”
A demolition notice was placed on the agenda for Heritage Centre Wellington’s consideration at its June 12 meeting and the committee did not object.
The report to council states, “given the lack of objection to demolition by the Heritage Committee and staff, and given the immediate public safety hazard, the most unstable portions of the second storey were immediately removed (i.e. the wall closest to the adjacent chapel building). The balance of the second storey walls will be removed as required and following the recommendations made in the engineer’s report.”
Pearle Hospitality proposes to follow the balance of recommendations made in the engineer’s report regarding dismantling the remaining walls and storing the materials for future reconstruction of the building.
The owner also proposes to stabilize the iconic chimney as soon as possible, though it does not present an immediate safety concern. Long-term plans include a complete restoration and re-use “within the context of the redevelopment of the south side.” Heritage Centre Wellington recommended the chimney be repaired and repointed as soon as possible.
