Developer moves to demolish site of former Kent brewery, appeal its heritage status

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Heritage advocates are concerned that a developer is moving to demolish the erstwhile location of a London brewery that dates from the 1860s, a building metropolis assembly voted to assistance practice designation 3 years ago.

York Developments has applied to instrumentality down a radical of buildings astatine the country of Ann and St. George Streets, conscionable westbound of Richmond Row. The institution has besides filed an entreaty with the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) of metropolis council's 2022 decision to assistance practice presumption to immoderate of the buildings connected the lot.

The yellowish ceramic buildings astatine 197 Ann St., presently the bureau of an car repair business, is the erstwhile tract of the Kent Brewery. An adjacent gathering is location to erstwhile Kent brewmaster Joseph Hamilton. The brewery began operating successful the 1860s.

City assembly successful 2022 approved an exertion by York to redevelop the tract into a 22-storey pupil flat gathering connected the spot with 214 units. At the clip it was approved, assembly besides voted to enactment the spot connected the city's practice registry.

During the statement implicit York's application, some metropolis assembly members expressed anticipation that immoderate of the brewery's archetypal architectural elements mightiness beryllium incorporated into the last design.

CBC News reached retired to York Development for remark but did not person a reply. Meanwhile, section practice advocates are hoping immoderate elements of the archetypal brewery volition beryllium retained.

"We were alternatively amazed that this was happening astatine this point," said Margaret Whalley, a committee subordinate of the London subdivision of Architectural Conservancy Ontario, a radical that works to sphere practice buildings.

Whalley said she's hopeful York volition "make a existent effort" to conserve parts of the archetypal buildings.

"Particularly the brewery due to the fact that it's alternatively special," she said. "Sometimes we perceive astir developers who program to usage portion of the facade oregon something, past aboriginal claiming that they're not capable to bash it."

York filed the demolition exertion with the metropolis connected April 4. It covers each the buildings connected the country of Ann and St. George Street, including 175, 183 and 197 Ann, on with 84 and 86 St. George.

Under the demolition exertion process, metropolis assembly has 90 days from the exertion day to marque a decision.

York's entreaty of the practice designation with the OLT was filed successful 2023. The lawsuit league successful that filing is scheduled for May 16.

Coun. David Ferreira, who represents the downtown ward wherever the buildings are located, is hopeful the developer tin find a mode to enactment immoderate elements of the brewery into the last design.

"That would beryllium perfect for me," said Ferreira. "I privation to support our practice due to the fact that we are rapidly processing and I'm precise fearful that successful our accelerated improvement ... we suffer show of the humanities discourse of wherever we came from, particularly successful the downtown core."

City council's readying committee volition see York's petition for demolition astatine a nationalist information gathering scheduled for May 21.