Alma Girls School and College .....Abandoned

[Gypsy Heart]

Established "for the Higher Education of Young Women", Alma College was an important part of St. Thomas for more than 100 years. It attracted pupils from all over the world but ultimately closed in 1994. The exact date of these photographs is unknown unless otherwise specified.

For 129 years, the distinctive high Victorian Gothic Revival architecture of Alma College has stood proudly in St. Thomas, Ontario. Sadly, when the private boarding school for girls closed in 1994, the buildings were abandoned. In 1998, Brian Squires, president of Alma Heritage Estates, a family consortium consisting of Squires and the Zubick family of London, Ontario, purchased Alma College with the aim of redeveloping it as a retirement village. The plans had included the preservation of the heritage designated main block.

Today, time is running out for this landmark structure. On December 23 the owners submitted an application to demolish the main building – for the second time.

The MHC (Municipal Heritage Committee) has recommended that the permit request be denied. On February 13 city council directed the city management board to provide more information on Section 35.5 of the Ontario Heritage Act that prescribes minimum standards for the maintenance of heritage properties, no later than March 7.

Earlier plans to redevelop Alma College into 66 luxury retirement suites have fallen through. After five years of feasibility studies and discussions with city council, the developer believed he had a commitment from the city to build its own senior's complex, Valleyview Home for the Aged, on the Alma site. It turned out that city council did not want to take the financial risk and in 2003 refused to co-sign loans for the project thereby rejecting the partnership offer. Mr. Squires responded by applying for his first demolition permit.

After a public outcry, an independent report concluded that despite water damage it was structurally sound. The Heritage Committee recommended against the application and the city refused the demolition permit.

In the meantime, Mr. Squires proceeded to remove the interior walls and many of the windows leaving parts of the building open to weather and vandals.

Alma College is located on a 10 acre site of prime real estate in downtown St. Thomas. The city can still deny the application and enforce the minimum standards for maintenance. The Ontario Municipal Act permits municipalities to offer an owner tax relief of between 10% and 40%

 

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[igorsr]

I was looking at this as a day trip from Windsor until the fire. BS.

 

[CanadianTrout]

I live much closer to St. Thomas than you do lol! But I never made it out there in time and figured it waqs gone already....

What do you mean by "until the fire"? Has this place been standing the whole time or did Windsor burn down?

(P.S.- Go Kitchener Rangers Go!)

 

[Gypsy Heart]

May 28, 2008
Two youths (15 & 16) have been arrested for the Alma College fire. Read this Globe and Mail article for details.

It’s a sad day for St. Thomas

A fire that started just after 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday quickly engulfed Alma College, reducing the former girls’ school to little more than an empty shell of its former glory. Smoke was visible as far north as downtown London and as far south as Port Stanley.

The timing of the fire came less than two weeks after the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) agreed to the combined City of St. Thomas and George Zubick (Alma’s owner) request to demolish Alma College. Early Thursday morning, Constable Anders Nielsen said “with the help of the Fire Marshal’s Office, we have determined that it is arson.” Alma College is now a crime scene.

Ironically, at the same time that fire fighters were battling the blaze in St. Thomas, petitions to save Alma College were being delivered to Ontario’s Legislative Assembly in Toronto.

Elgin-London-Middlesex MPP Steve Peters took time from the afternoon question period to lament the passing of this historical treasure.
The following text can be found online at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s website. Peters said:

I need to seek the indulgence of the House for a moment. I recognize that I’m probably out of order and I can’t rule myself out of order, but I lost a really good friend today, and it was a heritage building. Alma College was a historic school in my community that towered over the city. I could see it from my backyard and from my office every day. Tragically, it burned to the ground at noon this afternoon. I trust that if it was arson, they will find the culprits.

For me, Alma was a special place. First, it was incorporated by this very chamber in its beginning, and it stood as a monument for a long time. I worked at that college 20 years ago when I was a university student. It was a special thing to have a girls’ school and being the only guy that could walk through the front gates of that school and not be arrested. I say this because there have been community citizens for over 20 years who have actively tried to find a new use for the building. And in over 20 years, we’ve had various governments.

I needed to make the statement for myself and to say thank you to the people over the years who worked so hard to preserve this building. I just ask that we remember that. I hope it’s a lesson to all of us that our heritage is precious and that we need to collectively do what we can to ensure that we preserve our heritage for future generations. Once these buildings are gone, they’re gone. You can’t ever bring them back.

If nothing else, I hope that this fire today at Alma College-that all the work everyone has done over the years hasn’t been in vain, that we can learn collectively that it’s incumbent on all of us to make sure that we stand up and preserve our heritage and find ways of developing new and unique partnerships to make sure that these symbols will remain for generations to come. I thank the members for allowing me this opportunity.

Peters’ official statement is posted in the comments section below.

Reports from earlier:

AM 980 reported that “[Alma College] is literally falling down before people’s eyes. Many people are distraught... Fire crews [now] have the fire under control. The whole building was engulfed in flames.”

There was a morning event at Alma College by high school students protesting the OMB’s decision.

Sarah Miller of the Facebook has posted several photos of the fire

 

[CanadianTrout]

Awww CRAP!!

What a shame....... I'm kicking myself in the arse. I'll see if I can get out there this summer after they lift the "crime scene" designation and before it gets torn. If I can even get on the grounds because I'm sure the whole building is unstable now.... bummer.

Thanks for the post Gypsy.