Interesting that they would be restoring them when other parts of the project are not moving forward yet. Are they excavating for the apartments yet?
 
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This doesn't look like much of a restoration. It appears that they are being torn down. (sorry for iPhone pics)






 
You don't put up a scaffold to tear down a house, you swing a ball into it (or similar). The gutting of the interiors here indicates however that structurally these buildings were compromised to a point that they have to do more to save them than simply sending in plasterers and painters. They wouldn't be spending this money if they did not need to.

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interchange42 said:
You don't put up a scaffold to tear down a house, you swing a ball into it (or similar). The gutting of the interiors here indicates however that structurally these buildings were compromised to a point that they have to do more to save them than simply sending in plasterers and painters. They wouldn't be spending this money if they did not need to.

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alright, that's good. i hope you are right. a few of them are nothing more than facades at this point. that's what happens when you let them sit them and rot for a dozen years i guess...






on the other hand, the beautiful little apartments right across the road (some of the oldest walkups in the city), have been very well maintained, and are now undergoing restoration



 
interchange42 said:
You don't put up a scaffold to tear down a house, you swing a ball into it (or similar). The gutting of the interiors here indicates however that structurally these buildings were compromised to a point that they have to do more to save them than simply sending in plasterers and painters. They wouldn't be spending this money if they did not need to.

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Notice the lumber used to support the facade with the scaffolding. They're keeping the facade and rebuilding the house behind it. Hopefully, they'll do a full restoration of the facades and rebuild the houses to the same proportions as the originals.
 
From the Nov 2013 TPB Decision Document/Report:

Development Block Two
The restoration of the Glen Road Houses at 6-16 Glen Road represents a significant commitment by the applicant to preserving the heritage character of the North St. James Town neighbourhood. These houses suffer from advanced physical deterioration and neglect and have remained vulnerable for decades. As a result, Glen Road, a major access route for pedestrians travelling to and from the Sherbourne subway station, and address to other heritage properties on the east side of the street, is a disturbing anomaly within the urban fabric of the City. There are few other examples of heritage streetscapes in the former City of Toronto that have suffered such prolonged and substantial decline (George Street being an exception). Proposed conservation work includes:

All exterior woodwork conserved to the original 1890 design
All brick and stone masonry repaired and conserved. Where necessary units will be repaired, reset or replaced
All existing window sash replaced with double glazed matching units. Where original windows no longer exist, new wood windows will be fabricated to match

A 3-storey row of seven townhouses fronting onto Red Rocket Lane is proposed to the rear of the Glen Road houses. Staff is satisfied these townhouses will not negatively impact the Glen Road Houses or the designated heritage properties at 8 Howard Street and 2 Glen Road (Attachment No. 8).

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/pb/bgrd/backgroundfile-62850.pdf (p. 10-11)

AoD
 
You can see in some of those pictures how badly degraded the framing was. I'm amazed they didn't fall down. It's really a shame that the interiors have been lost, but at least the streetscape will be drastically improved once they get these cleaned up. I'm sure those properties would be worth a fortune if they were cleaned up
 
Although I love Victorian homes--both decayed and restored--it would be sort of interesting to see modern architecture behind the old facades. Glass boxes, red brick, or any such material a nimbytect could dream up.
 
whatever said:
You can see in some of those pictures how badly degraded the framing was. I'm amazed they didn't fall down. It's really a shame that the interiors have been lost, but at least the streetscape will be drastically improved once they get these cleaned up. I'm sure those properties would be worth a fortune if they were cleaned up
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Overall, doesn't look too bad. Cedar was used a lot back then. Massive joists that run the length of the house rather than the width. How we frame homes today is entirely different.
 
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