What’s to become of the heritage building at 24 Mercer Street in Toronto? According to thestar.com, some want a new boutique condo, some want it preserved, and some people just don’t care.

The story of 24 Mercer Street

Named after the original owner, the Alexander Johnston House was built in 1858 as a two-storey townhome. Eventually, the entire building was converted into a hat block producing factory. Then sometime after 1920, a third storey was added.

The building is located on the north side of Mercer Street between John and Blue Jay Way, with the Hotel Le Germaine on one side, and a future 33-storey condo (The Mercer by Graywood and Beaverhall) on the other.

The current owner is Deborah Scott, the managing Principal of Scott Morris Architects. Her vision is to redevelop the building into a boutique condo, but some people are standing in her way.

The problem at 24 Mercer Street

Normally, when we hear about pushback on a condo development in the city, our first thought is: NIMBY. But that’s not the case this time. Apparently, locals don’t really care if the building is redeveloped, even though the building carries heritage status, and an approval has already been made for a 15-storey development. The strange part is that Toronto’s planning division is recommending that city council refuse the proposed demolition.

Scott’s plan is to remove the historic facade for the duration of construction until it is safe to replace it as a permanent feature of the new building.

“The complete removal of historic fabric from the site and a reconstruction that treats character defining features and attributes as cladding on a completely new building system, does not sufficiently conserve this rare building’s heritage value,” it says in a report by the planning division.

What’s your opinion on 24 Mercer Street?

Why is the planning division fighting so hard to maintain this heritage building that no one cares about? And why isn’t preserving the facade enough? It’s the only part that someone would care about, if they cared at all.

If there is no pushback from the local community, and a 33-storey condo is already underway next door, then why prevent this Entertainment District site from developing? This neighbourhood is one of the fastest growing in Toronto, so why hold it back for a heritage building that isn’t even particularly well maintained or attractive?

What do you think should happen at 24 Mercer Street?

Feature image from Google Maps