Heritage fans vigilant over remaining church façade as Connolly fails

Neighbourhood activists and heritage devotees are watching closely as the site containing the remaining one-third of the former James Street Baptist church goes up for auction under a receivership.

The bulk of the church, built in 1878, was demolished in 2014 by developer Louie Santaguida. He has now defaulted on a $5 million mortgage lent to finance his planned 30-storey condo building called The Connolly on the site.

Receivership documents were discovered taped up to a sign at the site on Monday, and word spread quickly about the state of the landmark. The receivership began on June 22.

I have no interest in un-designating or altering it.- Coun. Jason Farr on the remaining portion of the former James Street Baptist church

Any new developer will have to preserve the remaining part of the church, said Coun. Jason Farr, who represents Ward 2 where the former church sits.

"It's extremely disappointing that it's had to get to that," said Alissa Denham-Robinson, who chairs the city's heritage committee, which has an advisory role to city council.

"It's our hope, and there's planning requirements in place, that that façade remains a component of whatever project happens behind that."

Farr is also eager to see what a new developer will do.

"Certainly that piece that remains is designated," Farr said. "I have no interest in un-designating or altering it."

'There's a sense of relief'

The receivership brings up some bad memories for neighbourhood activists who were disappointed after the city approved the demolition. The process allowed the demolition to be considered a "minor alteration," despite the church's designation as a heritage property.

But Farr credits lobbying from the Durand Neighbourhood Association, especially, in prompting a city review – and ultimately, a change – of that sign-off process to ensure that doesn't happen again with another heritage property.

Farr said he's happy that the city could "finally have a project actually happen" on the site. He said a couple of interested parties contacted his office Tuesday. He hinted at Santaguida's past fiascoes on other projects and sites, including another condo project in Etobicoke that is also in receivership.

"You never want to see a business go bust, though this particular individual seems to be used to it," he said. "I do feel very confident that now finally, stuff is going to happen. There's a sense of relief."

'A beautiful cultural heritage asset that remains'

Drew Hauser was a proponent of the project, and is the architect who drew up the plans for Santaguida's Stanton Renaissance company.

He was surprised to learn that the project he participated in meetings on as recently as last week was in receivership.

"It was quite disappointing," he said. "But at the end of the day there's still a beautiful cultural heritage asset that remains. And I really, really hope that however it moves forward that it's kept stabilized and incorporated into the project."

Denham-Robinson said the heritage committee will discuss what has happened at the church and the project at its meeting Thursday.

"It's a project that's been in limbo," she said. "It's always been a question as to when it's going to start. Hopefully now it's going to."

kelly.bennett@cbc.ca