Back in May, local developer Paul Wynn put together a proposal to raze the decrepit old Hotel Waverly at 484 Spadina (while promising to preserve the adjacent Silver Dollar Room), in order to build a 22-storey student residence on the site. Yesterday Toronto and East York Community Council vetoed the plan, so it looks like Wynn is going to have to take his case to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). According to the planning report, the city has issues with the project's proposed height and massing, saying it doesn't promote a "harmonious fit with the existing neighbourhood context".
The 113-year-old Hotel Waverly is in sad shape, and is now mostly rented out as a rooming house (rumours of hourly rates are rampant but unconfirmed). Reports of cockroaches, bed bugs and mice/rats are plentiful. The Waverly might be beyond redemption; if so, what kind of building should replace it? And what about the Silver Dollar; as one of Spadina's landmark music venues (along with the El Mocambo and Grossman's), is it worth preserving as part of a new development? Discuss.
· Toronto rejects proposal to tear down Hotel Waverly and Silver Dollar Room [Toronto Star]
· Waving Goodbye to Spadina's Hotel Waverly…Maybe [Curbed Toronto]
· 484 Spadina [UrbanToronto]
· Hotel Waverly [Historic Toronto]
Loading comments...