Heritage designation sought for building
45-storey tower would incorporate parts of ‘landmark’ structure in downtown Kitchener
Heritage designation is being sought for parts of a “landmark” building in downtown Kitchener proposed to be incorporated into a 45-storey mixed-use tower.
Currently vacant, the three-storey brick building at 10 Duke St. W. (at the corner of Queen Street North) served as headquarters for Economical Insurance for 40 years after it was completed in 1949.
VanMar Developments plans to retain the building’s front and east façades and part of the west façade in a 45-storey tower featuring commercial and office space and about 500 residential units. Designation is a condition of site plan approval for the highrise development. The building is currently listed on the city’s municipal heritage register.
The developer plans to conserve some of the heritage features inside the building as well, but the rest of it will be demolished, Heritage Kitchener members heard this week.
“So this is … a typical example of façadism,” said committee member Coun. Debbie Chapman.
Asked whether any more of the building could be preserved, heritage planner Jessica Vieira said the applicant was asked to explore this option; engineers said the building wouldn’t be able to support the tower, and there’s not enough room on the property to build around it.
Heritage Kitchener voted to proceed with the designation process. Council will be asked to approve a notice of intention to designate at an upcoming meeting.
“Due to its location on a corner lot on a prominent street, its distinctive Colonial Revival characteristics, and its main entrance fronting directly onto Duke Street West the building can also be classified as a landmark,” a report states.
Additional heritage permits will be required to demolish part of the building and to construct the tower.
Heritage Kitchener also agreed this week to pursue designation on a number of other properties. They include:
■ The rectory for St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church at 56 Duke St. W. Built in 1922, the Gothic-style building was designed by architect Charles Knetchel. The designation process for the church itself also began recently.
■ The former Boehmer Box building at 156 Duke St. W. Built circa 1893, the three-storey brick building originally housed the A. & C. Boehmer Box Company. In the late 1980s, the former industrial building was converted to apartments, making it an early example of adaptive reuse in Kitchener, a report noted.
■ A unique log house at 7 Fischer Crt. Built circa 1860, the Doon South home was extensively restored in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a report states. The building, with a three-storey “wedding cake” design, remains a home and the property also contains the relocated and reconstructed original smokehouse.
■ A two-storey Italianate home at 11-15 Pandora Ave. N. A report references an 1878 newspaper article stating the home cost $2,500 when it was built that year by Menno Erb; Erb was a former town councillor and businessperson.