Avenuer said:
The site has a rezoning application to permit multi-unit development so I am pretty confident the building is coming down, unfortunately.
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That is really to bad, this area is one of the few remaining with a number of historic houses intact in an area.

If something like this has to be torn down there really should be stringent rules for such areas that whatever is built match the character of the surrounding buildings.
 
Avenuer said:
The site has a rezoning application to permit multi-unit development so I am pretty confident the building is coming down, unfortunately.
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I guess that settles it. I was thinking it could be a situation where something is called a 'demolition' even though the building isn't going to be demolished, as with the McKenney.
 
Romanov said:
Leston posting that they have acquired 2 out of the 3 houses across from the David Thompson Towers. 111 St and 97 Ave
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Their post says "Should redevelopment be considered in the future, we remain committed to thoughtful planning that respects our neighbours and preserves the character of the River Valley." Which doesn't sound like it bodes well for those houses beyond the short term.
 
constance_chlore said:
Their post says "Should redevelopment be considered in the future, we remain committed to thoughtful planning that respects our neighbours and preserves the character of the River Valley." Which doesn't sound like it bodes well for those houses beyond the short term.
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Here are the houses on 111 St, two of which were bought by Leston:

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Gus Haynes said:
Which two? I always loved these houses and would be sad to see them meet a wrecking ball.
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Looking at the video they posted way back then, it looks like it's the reddish one furthest to the right here and the one just out of view (further to the right) with white clapboard siding.
 
Curiously, three of the four are on the Inventory of Historic Resources (which, reminder: carries no protection)—including the white clapboard house just out of view, but not including the southernmost (far left) one.
 
From the Oliver Historical Walking Tour booklet:
THE HILL HOUSES (1909-1910)
9720 (WILLIAM MACKAY RESIDENCE), 9716 (HUGH MCDONALD RESIDENCE), AND 9712 – 111 STREET NW

Known locally as the Hill Houses, the three houses located on the crest of the hill at 97 Avenue and 111 Street have been landmarks since Oliver’s earliest days. These three sisters now appear merely similar; originally they were identical. Each features a two-and-a-half storey facade, with an offset attic gable and a truncated hip roof. Although hidden by veneer or siding, all are clad in red brick with contrasting stone string courses, sills and lintels. The verticality of their design has been obscured, as have the open porches and second storey balconies that once defined the front entrances.
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(There follows a full page on William Mackay and his family.)

It looks like the southernmost (9712) used to host a restaurant called DeVine's that hasn't been operational for quite a while. It also caught fire back in July, which I suppose might explain some of its condition.

Based on what I gathered from conversations online, there have been conversations for decades about tearing all the houses down and building an apartment/condo building, but given that it's right on the edge of the valley (with less and less margin as you go south) it would take a lot for this to work.
 
I work right by there and saw that Reno taking place. What a waste of a good building. They didn’t honour its history or come close to realizing the potential of that location. Looks like they just used the cheapest materials thinking they could flip it quickly due to the location. What a shame
 
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