planning & building services

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Planning & Building Services

MISSION STATEMENT “Our City is built on relationships – between citizens and their government, businesses and public institutions, city and region – all interconnected, mutually supportive, and focused on the brightest future we can create together”

REPORT #: S 50/2017 Report Date: 3/22/2017

Author’s Contact:

John R. Calhoun 404-400 City Hall Sq E

519-255-6543x6179 [email protected]

Date to Council: 4/18/2017

Clerk’s File #: MBA/12805

To: Mayor and Members of City Council

Subject: 673 Caron Avenue - Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply - Demolition of Register-Listed, City-Owned Property (Ward 3)

RECOMMENDATION: THAT the request to demolish the building at 673 Caron Avenue, listed on the Windsor Municipal Heritage Register as Canadian Linen Supply / Lufkin Rule BE GRANTED.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: N/A

BACKGROUND: The property at 673 Caron Avenue was listed on the Windsor Municipal Heritage

Register in August 2008. It was included in the earliest version of the unofficial Windsor Heritage Properties Inventory in 1989.

The City became the owner of the property in November 2012, following several years of tax default.

On March 9, 2017, the City (as owner) submitted the request for demolition to the Heritage Planner, including the information required for consideration of demolition of

Register-listed buildings. The submission also included a Structural Condition Assessment from GHD in February 2017 (Appendix ‘B’) and a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment also from GHD.

DISCUSSION:

Property Description:

The building at 673 Caron Avenue is on the west side of the street about a half-block

south of Wyandotte Street West. The west side of the property is along the Canadian Pacific Railway on the former main line that ran to ferries on the Detroit River, but still acts a spur connected to a large rail yard to the south. Across the tracks is the

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industrial facility of BASF Canada. To the east across Caron Avenue is a row of residential buildings, mostly singles and duplexes.

City of Windsor aerial 2015 Bing bird’s-eye view

The property consists of three buildings. The main building runs along most of the front property line; it is a two-storey (plus basement) brick building constructed c1904; a one-

storey metal canopy is attached to its south end. A second building, also two-storey, is attached to the north end of the main building. A third building, one-storey, has about

four sections mostly of brick and attached to the other buildings. Most parts of the third building appear to be in place on the 1924 Fire Insurance Map.

Proposal:

The request is to demolish all buildings and clear the property of identifiable hazards.

The City would then attempt to sell the land with the existing zoning. Legal Provisions:

Under provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act, demolition of a property that is listed on the Windsor Municipal Heritage Register, but not designated, requires the owner to file

a notice of intent at least 60 days prior to the work. During that time, City Council, after consulting with the Heritage Committee, may exercise the option to initiate designation

of the property, which stops demolition through the process and/or through appeals including the Ontario Conservation Review Board. Council can instead decide that


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there is no objection to demolition, or take no action (which would allow demolition 60 days after application).

A notice of intent to designate must include a statement explaining the cultural heritage

value or interest of the property and a description of the heritage attributes of the property. “Cultural heritage value or interest” is to be considered according to Ontario Regulation 9/06, prescribed for the purposes of clause 29 (1) (a) of the Ontario Heritage

Act, Part IV [underlines for emphasis]: “A property may be designated under section 29 of the Act if it meets one or more of the

following criteria for determining whether it is of cultural heritage value or interest: 1. The property has design value or physical value because it,

i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, material or construction method,

ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.

2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,

i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community,

ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture, or

iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder,

designer or theorist who is significant to a community. 3. The property has contextual value because it,

i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area, ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings,

or

iii. is a landmark.”

The “heritage attributes of the property” are those features that are considered important to retain if any alterations to the property are proposed after designation.

The only Council option (as heritage regulator) to prevent the demolition would be to designate the property. The Canadian Linen Supply / Lufkin Rule Building has a

number of heritage attributes to make it potentially eligible for designation. For this reason a draft Statement of Significance for the main building only is attached as Appendix ‘A’, for information but not recommended. Council (as owner) retains the

option to withdraw or modify the demolition request.

Designation requires consideration from Council in two steps: The Notice of Intention to Designate (current step), which provides direction for the City Clerk to give notice to the owner, a newspaper and others of Council’s intent to initiate the heritage designation.

After thirty days, and if there is no objection, the Council may pass a by-law to designate the property in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act. If there is an

objection the matter is heard by the Conservation Review Board, a Provincial body that is appointed and convened as needed. That group makes a recommendation to City Council, which then makes the final decision.

Historic and Architectural Considerations:


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The main brick building faces Caron Avenue with eleven evenly-spaced bays separated by pilasters capped above the second floor. The level parapet is capped with tiles.

Below is a band of rowlock brick with dentils below. Atop the pilasters is another band, below which the windows are recessed. Both the second floor and first floor of each

bay has a window set with three sash windows with cast sills; the second floor have 9/9 panes. Many of the first floor window locations have been filled in with boards with oversized decorative hinges. Between the floors each bay has a projected rectangular

brick band. Toward the south end of the building there are basement window wells. The third bay from the north is an exception in that the first floor has an entry door (up

three steps) and a single window to its side. The north side also has regularly spaced windows; some have been filled in. The south side has no windows except for what appears to have been a service function under the metal canopy.

Fire Insurance Maps 1909 (address 171): 1924 (address 527):

1937: 1952:


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The second and third buildings, though largely original, are minimally visible to the street. Most parts are of brick construction.

Lufkin is today, as it was before 1900,

a U.S.-based manufacturer of tape measures (usually metal) that spool into a container. Their website shows

a photo of the Caron Avenue building (right), stating: “Lufkin® 1907 Plant in

Windsor, Ontario - Lufkin opens its first facility in Canada, making Lufkin Canada's first complete tape and rule

manufacturer.” Later, “Canadian manufacturing operations moved from

Windsor to a new, larger facility in Barrie, Ontario. (1948)”

The 1952 Fire Insurance Map shows as occupants Windsor Mattress and Equipment Co. Ltd. (which owned the property then) and Seeley Products Ltd. (perfume makers).

Other occupants about that time included Windsor Venetian Blind Co., and laboratories named Marz, Smallwood, and Consultus. Canadian Linen Supply owned the property from 1958 to 1993. There were three more owners before the City acquired the

property in 2012. In the 1990s there were a number of small businesses and (without legal sanction) residences in the building. It has been vacant several years.

Official Plan:

The Windsor Official Plan includes (9.0) “A community’s identity and civic pride is rooted

in physical and cultural links to its past. In order to celebrate Windsor’s rich history, Council is committed to recognizing, conserving and enhancing heritage resources.”

Objectives include (9.3.2.1) “Council will identify Windsor’s heritage resources by: ... (c) Researching and documenting the history and architectural and contextual merit of potential heritage resources on an individual property basis; … 9.3.3.4.(a) maintaining

and updating the list of built heritage resources known as the Windsor Municipal Heritage Register”.


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RISK ANALYSIS: The City acquired this building through tax arrears in 2012 when the condition of the building was already in decline. Current reports, including the GHD structural

engineer’s report (Appendix ‘B’), indicate the presence of deteriorated elements including load-bearing masonry walls. The east wall of the large building facing Caron Avenue may look as if it is in fair condition, but that building’s structural deterioration is

more evident on the west side and in the interior. The GHD report states: “Movement of the load bearing west wall, as evidenced by out-of-plane movement of the wall and

door issues, likely necessitates that the building be demolished within the next year. It is GHD’s opinion that portions of this building will collapse if allowed to continue to degrade.”

During the City’s ownership the building has been secured by fencing, boarding and

regular inspections to protect the public and reduce unauthorized access. The City does not need the property for municipal purposes. Although the City has not

actively marketed the property since taking ownership, several parties have indicated an interest. However, there have been no bona fide offers for the property as-is.

FINANCIAL MATTERS:

The City will pay the full cost of demolition, with funds approved in the 2017 Public Works budget. A property sale may or may not recover all the costs associated with demolition, testing and reports, and tax arrears.

CONSULTATIONS:

The Planning and Building Department has met with representatives of the City’s Real Estate Services and the City Engineer.

CONCLUSION: The Canadian Linen Supply / Lufkin Rule Building has the attributes to qualify for

heritage designation, as an important building in the industrial history of Windsor. However if the building were to be occupied, critical repairs of structural failings would have to be undertaken just to make it safe to rehabilitate. It is the opinion of the

professional engineer from GHD that “portions of the building will collapse if allowed to continue to degrade”. Administration concurs with its Real Estate Services staff in the

request to demolish and clear this parcel for future development.

PLANNING ACT MATTERS: N/A

APPROVALS: Name Title

Michael Cooke Manager, Planning Policy

Thom Hunt City Planner

Wira Vendrasco Deputy City Solicitor

Shelby Askin Hager City Solicitor CLT

Onorio Colucci Chief Administrative Officer


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NOTIFICATIONS:

Name Address Email

Mark Winterton City Engineer

1266 McDougall St Windsor ON N8X 3M6

[email protected]

Colleen Middaugh

Project Administrator

350 City Hall Sq W 4th Fl

Windsor ON N9A 6S1

[email protected]

Josie Liburdi [email protected]

Frank Scarfone Manager, Real Estate

Services

201-400 City Hall Sq E Windsor ON N9A 7K6

[email protected]

APPENDICES:

‘A’ – Heritage Designation Statement of Significance (potential, not recommended) ‘B’ – Structural Condition Assessment, GHD (professional engineers), February 2017


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Appendix ‘A’ – Heritage Designation Statement of Significance (Designation not recommended)

LUFKIN RULE / CANADIAN LINEN SUPPLY BUILDING 673 CARON AVENUE

Description of Historic Place The Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply Building at 673 Caron Avenue is a two-storey Commercial-style manufacturing building adjacent to a former main railroad. Historic Value The Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply Building was built in 1907 as the Canadian manufacturing and distribution facility for the U.S. based Lufkin Rule Company, manufacturer of metal measuring tapes. They occupied this property until 1948. Canadian Linen Supply occupied the building from 1958 to 1993. Architectural Value The Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply Building was constructed in the Commercial style in 1907, with a rectangular footprint. It has two storeys and a full basement. The main brick building faces Caron Avenue with eleven evenly-spaced bays separated by pilasters capped above the second floor. The level parapet is capped with tiles. Below is a band of rowlock brick with dentils below. Atop the pilasters is another band, below which the windows are recessed. Both the second floor and first floor of each bay has a window set with three sash windows with cast sills; the second floor have 9/9 panes. Between the floors each bay has a projected rectangular brick band. Toward the south end of the building there are basement window wells. The third bay from the north is an exception in that the first floor has an entry door (up three steps) and a single window to its side. The north side also has regularly spaced windows; some have been filled in. Contextual Value The Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply Building is on the west side of Caron Avenue, about a half-block south of Wyandotte Street West, in a mixed area of residential and commercial uses. The west side is the Canadian Pacific Railroad, formerly leading to a ferry landing which crossed the Detroit River. Character Defining Elements Items that contribute to the historical value of the Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply Building include:


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Constructed in 1907 as a manufacturing and distribution facility for Lufkin Rule, the American maker of metal measuring tapes.

Owned by Canadian Linen Supply from 1958 to 1993. Exterior features that contribute to the architectural value of the Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply Building include:

Commercial Style.

Two storey with basement, with rectangular footprint.

Eleven equally spaced bays facing the street.

Brick walls, with details including pilasters between bays, rowlock with dentils, bands between the floors.

Each bay except the entry has a recessed three-window set on each floor.

The north side has regularly spaced window openings. Characteristics that contribute to the contextual value of the Lufkin Rule / Canadian Linen Supply Building include:

Located on a former main railroad line.

Location on Caron Avenue in a mixed area of residential and commercial properties.


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