KITCHENER -- The former Preston Springs Hotel sat empty for 30 years before the chief building officer for the City of Cambridge issued an emergency order for it to come down.
Officials had been debating for years about the future of the property, which once boasted a famous clientele including baseball legend Babe Ruth, as it degraded while being exposed to the elements.
According to a report included in the council agenda for Thursday evening, the city had tried to work with several owners of the Fountain Street property on ideas to restore the building.
"However, a viable solution proved complicated and cost-prohibitive," the report read in part. City officials also cited challenges in keeping the building secure, while noting that the building eventually entered "an advanced state of deterioration and structural decay."
Chief Building Officer Dennis Purcell stated in December that the building was no longer safe for emergency crews to enter if needed. That, combined with these other factors, led to his decision to have the building demolished.
Here's a brief timeline of how things transpired in lead-up to the demolition.
Nov. 6, 2019: the city issued a Minimum Standards Order to the owner of the property, calling for an engineer's report to assess the building's structural soundness.
Dec. 16, 2019: the city received the engineer's report. The Chief Building Officer (CBO) arranged to have it peer reviewed by another engineering firm.
Jan. 8, 2020: the CBO attended the hotel with a group of engineers to inspect the structure.
Jan. 13, 2020: a separate engineer's report confirmed the findings of the initial report.
Jan. 22, 2020: the CBO issued an unsafe order on the property based on the two reports. They identified "numerous concerns with respect to the deterioration of the building, unsafe conditions, security issues and significant challenges to addressing those concerns and conditions," the report in the council agenda said.
The two reports recommended demolition, which the CBO determined was necessary to address public safety issues.
The CBO ordered the owner to obtain a demolition permit and remove the structure while complying with the Ontario Heritage Act. The heritage designation on the building would need to be removed to get a demolition permit, which would have conditions including a salvage plan for "relevant heritage attributes."
These processes were supposed to be complied with by June 2020, the council report noted.
Jan. 28, 2020: Council heard a report from the CBO that outlined the concerns and structural issues at the property. Council voted in favour of repealing the heritage designation, opening a 30-day notice period for residents to file objections.
Feb. 20, 2020: "MHAC considered report 20-041(CD) from the CBO respecting the existing condition of the building at 102 Fountain St. S., and the Order to Remedy an Unsafe Building issued with a direction to demolish," the agenda said. "MHAC passed a resolution indicating that the Preston Springs Hotel still has cultural heritage value."
March 6, 2020: The ACO Cambridge opposed the de-designation of the building, filing an appeal with Ontario's Conservation Review Board for a hearing.
Cambridge ordered the property owner to make sure the property was secured during this period, according to the agenda.
Aug. 7, 2020: "The CBO received an email from the lawyer for the owner, submitting an application under subsection 34(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act to the City which requested that Council consent to the demolition of the Preston Springs Hotel," the agenda said.
Oct. 21, 2020: The review board held a pre-hearing place. Officials did not set a hearing date to review the appeal.
Nov. 3, 2020: Required to make a decision within 90 days of receiving it, council met to discuss the owner's demolition application.
After reviewing the city's official plan, council determined there was a restriction on its ability to deal with the application because council would have to de-designate the property before demolition began.
With the review already underway, council decided not to consent to the owner's request to demolish. The owner reportedly intended to appeal the decision.
Nov. 8, 2020: The CBO, accompanied by a structural engineer, conducted a site visit to get an update on the structure. The owner, the owner's engineer and two officers from the Cambridge Fire Department also attended.
Nov. 13, 2020: A new engineer's report reiterated the status of the structure and called for its demolition.
Dec. 2, 2020: The CBO consulted with the city solicitor and got an external legal opinion that supported his authority to issue an Emergency Order.
"The opinion further clarified that while the preservation of heritage and the protection of public safety are both important societal goals, it was not the intent of the legislation to allow buildings to endanger the health and safety of people in an attempt to protect heritage," the CBO's report noted.
Dec. 10, 2020: A Fire Order was issued to the owner to secure the property. The city said that fire prevention officers were doing weekly perimeter walks, reporting breaches in its security.
Dec. 21, 2020: The CBO met with corporate leadership members to inform them of his intent to issue the demolition order.
Dec. 23, 2020: The CBO met with council to inform the members of his decision to issue the Emergency Order.
Dec. 24, 2020: The Emergency Order is issued to proceed with the demolition of the building to ensure public safety. It was served to the owner that morning and the city issued a media release immediately after, the CBO said in the report.
A number of pieces deemed of heritage value are salvaged: the front door, a fountain, stonework from around the fireplace, window trim and some millwork, the main lobby banisters and mosaic tile, to name a few.
The report noted that the owner of the property also owns the heritage elements, but the city said it will be working with them to find options to preserve them.
Dec. 31, 2020: Officials made arrangements to close the intersection of Fountain and King to start demolition.
Security was posted at the site at all times, but the city said four teenagers were seen running from within the structure the night before demolition started.
"A handful of vocal protestors attended the site. Later that morning one of the protestors showed the CBO on their phone a document they claimed was an injunction. The document was emailed to the CBO. It was a court endorsement (not a formal injunction) obtained on an ex parte (without notice) basis," the report explained.
"Legal advice was provided that the CBO in good faith should halt further demolition until the situation was clarified. The court endorsement indicated an interim injunction (in effect until January 8, 2021) would be granted subject to the ACO providing an undertaking as to damages and submitting a sworn affidavit. The City’s external solicitors contacted legal counsel for the ACO requesting a case conference before the judge who had issued the endorsement. Before the case conference could be arranged, the ACO solicitor notified the court that the application of the injunction would be withdrawn and abandoned. Demolition continued later that afternoon."
Jan. 4, 2021: Crews finish the demolition of the building, reopening the road by 9 p.m. One lane was kept closed to accommodate clean-up, which officials said would take about four weeks.
