Friday, September 10, 2010

Brantford demolition continues

below: Sept.10, 2010, looking at the former Right House building at #143-147 Colborne St., which was erected ca. 1870.
The front portion of the structure was torn down on Sept.9, 2010, when the excavator tackled the Right House building from the front, from Colborne St., reaching inwards as far as the arm could extend, which is just past where the pink-painted wall was revealed.
In the below photo, the mid-portion (with the elevator room seen at the top) is now under demolition, and the rear portion (at the center-right, fronting onto Water St.) is still standing.
The next building seen still standing in the left distance is #149 Colborne, the former Laracy Tax building, built ca.1876; and then behind it is #151 Colborne St., the ca.1867-built former James Smith building.
above: looking at the James Smith building at the left; and, the Laracy Tax building at the right.
The Right House stood next to the Laracy Tax building.
*
below: Sept.10, 2010 - same view as above, from a little farther back, looking westward along the south-side of Colborne St., where all the storefronts had stood running into the distance, all the way to Brant Ave. The James Smith building, with its third-storey demolished, is at the far left.

above: Feb.24, 2010 - this is the same view as above, with the buildings still visible all the way to Brant Ave. The James Smith building is at the far left, with Laracy Tax next, and the looming Right House next.
*
below: Sept.10, 2010 - looking from across the street, from Harmony Square, at the site where the Right House stood; the Laracy Tax building is seen at the left

above: Feb.24, 2010 - same view as above.
*
below: a 1927 view of the Right House's predecessor, the Ogilvie-Lochead store.
below: Sept.10, 2010 - looking at the demolition site from the walkway

above: same view, later in the day, note now the elevator room has been demolished, as well as a large portion of the middle-part of the Right House has been cleared out.
The multi-coloured painted wall seen at the bottom was the interior east-side-wall of the rear portion of #139-141 Colborne St. Note the brown-painted panels on the third-level are actually sliding doors which led from #139-141 into the Right House's rear.
above: Sept.10, 2010 - the end of the demolition is in sight.
Looking eastward from the walkway, after the elevator shaft of the Right House came falling down, it revealed the sight of the lower floors of the office building east of the James Smith building, signalling the end of the line for this demolition project.
In the center-right distance was where the elevator shaft stood, now the office building's lower windows are seen through the walls of the Right House - at the near-right, are the Right House's west-walls; and, at the center-left, the green-painted wall is part of the Right House's ground-floor east-wall, as well as the bit of yellow-wall seen higher up at the left, which was part of the Right House's second floor.
The dark brick wall seen in the very center distance is the west-side-wall of the James Smith building, with a chunk of it demolished at the rear (to the right).
The two-storey Laracy Tax building is between these two buildings, but its walls can't be seen from here, for it wasn't as deep as its neighbours.
above: Sept.10, 2010 - looking westward at the demolition site, from Water St. - the rear of the James Smith building is at the right, next, where the gap is, is the rear portion of the lot where the Laracy Tax building is, farther up on Colborne St.
Note the rear of the James Smith building has a red-brick garage fronting onto Water St., and that this garage structure extends over the rear of the neighbouring Laracy Tax property.
At the left is the rear portion of the Right House building.
*
below: Sept.10, 2010 video by R.Bobak of the Right House elevator room demolition and east-side wall collapse. Some bricks went flying beyond the fence-line on this one, lucky no-one was walking there.

No comments: