Rising from the ashes at 191 Grenfell
APHOENIX WILL SOON RISE from the ashes at 191 Grenfell St.
Days from now, maybe a couple of weeks at most, the charred shell on Grenfell, site of a fatal fire in October, will be pulled down.
In its place will rise an ultra-modern two-storey stone and wood house with an attached garage that will, yes, look rather out of place in this working-class neighbourhood just steps away from a steel mill on Beach Road.
But that’s precisely the point, says Richie Khanna, a soft-spoken 28year-old architectural designer who bought the fire-ravaged property for $90,000 on Jan. 27.
Three people perished in the blaze that broke out Oct. 1.
“I know there’s a stigma factor behind it because of the deaths that happened but I figured something like this would take away from that,” said Khanna.
On a computer screen in front of him is an artist’s beautiful rendering of the sleek home planned for 191 Grenfell, featuring three bedrooms and three bathrooms and including a master ensuite with walk-in closet.
“If I create something like this in a demographic like here, hopefully it will start to evolve the area,” Khanna said, “whether it’s investors or new home buyers who are moving from other parts of the city.”
“We could take a pocket like this into the next level,” he said.
There are also some personal reasons Khanna wants to see his idea for 191 Grenfell flourish.
This neighbourhood is part of his roots as a child.
For 35 years, Khanna’s parents operated a convenience store not far away at the corner of Depew and Gertrude streets.
For part of his childhood, he attended Lloyd George public school on Beach Road, now a forlorn building just a few blocks away from the Grenfell property.
“It’s funny how things evolve,” he said. “I ended up right back in the same area.”
He believes enough in the area that he’s moved his business there as well.
Not long ago, he bought a squat, square-ish, two-storey building at the end of Stapleton Avenue, just around the corner from 191 Grenfell. He completely renovated the interior and turned it into the office space for his small architectural design company, called R&R Designs.
“People walk in and say ‘Whoa, I didn’t expect this,’” he said with a chuckle. “We did a lot of work here and that’s what we’re trying to show — it’s definitely possible to do these things. “You just have to have a vision.” If making money was the only goal for Grenfell, Khanna said, he could have already flipped the property, as is, for a quick profit. He turned the offer down, he said, because he wants to help inject a bit of pride in the neighbourhood.
“It’s a model to show ‘This is what we can do,’” Khanna said.
“Will it fly? I think so,” he added. “I believe in it.”