Quote:
Originally Posted by flar
I'm not sure I believe the claim that this is the longest stretch of pre confederation buildings in Ontario. They are old, but I'm not sure they are all that old. Plus, there are a lot of old cities in Eastern Ontario that might contend for this honour.
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You're right, in that the pre-confederate stretch is only a small portion of the buildings.. starting after the Right House (the really tall one across from Harmony Square) and continuing over to the next break in the buildings. But apparently that is the longest stretch in the province. Really, speaks more to the lack of preservation in our province than anything that this would be the longest remaining. I'd imagine its because all the other places where there are pre-confederate buildings, they are interrupted by newer buildings (or empty lots). Buildings from before Confederation tend not to be saved because in general they are simpler constructions, from what I've been told. In downtown Brantford, for instance, which was a pretty influential city fairly early on in Ontario's history, the more architecturally remarkable heritage buildings are newer ones further down this stretch, done once Ontario was really booming economically.
Some of the newer and more ornate buildings are in extremely good condition. My-Thai's building for instance -- beautiful, inside and out. And according to the most recent surveys, virtually all of them are structurally solid. Really this is not so much a case of demolition by neglect. Until this month, people were living or doing business in virtually every single one of these buildings, despite the boarded up storefronts on some of them.
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