Brownfields Interview with John Gerretsen

I've been making my way through search results for 'Kingston' in the Queen's University QSPACE database. The results comprise a plethora of documents on diverse topics ranging from the 19th century up to today - urban planning to three sermons on the parable of the prodigal son! Many of the recent documents are case studies and essays written by students in various faculties. This one on brownfields included an interview with John Gerretsen, Ontario's Minister of Environment. 

ASSESSMENT OF BROWNFIELD REMEDIATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN KINGSTON: BLOCK D AS A CASE STUDY by Jacquelyn Norris. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science, Honours Queen‟s University 2008. 

 "1960s – Used to be two main industries – Canadian shipping yards and Canadian locomotive

company – since mid-1950s fully familiar with both operations

- Involved as a councilor and a member of provincial parliament

- Waterways main method of transportation

- Kingston was going to be the capital of Canada, public limestone buildings built all over

the place

- Never materialized

- Harbour still used for transportation of goods

- Big change in Kingston when decision was made to have the main channel of St. Lawrence

seaway on other side of Wolfe island, need for transportation diminished, transportation

changed, rail, road, etc.

- Industries were terminated (mid-60‟s)

- Bill Teron – influential builder in Ottawa area, bought both sites, convinced council of the

time that he was going to build into a residential developed area, Block D and two blocks

beside, Harbour Place and Shipyards close to marine museum and steam museum.

- Approval where harbor place is and landmark, city of Kingston got the land immediately in

front of city hall, now city park

- Bill Teron makes arrangements with the city, whereby he is going to turn industrial into

residential land use

- Nobody understood the magnitude of developments

- Nobody had seen what 100units/acre meant then

- Became chairman of CMHC, put everything he owned in blind trust, so that accusations

could not be made that the decisions made for CMHC would directly benefit him

- Came on the scene in 1972-3 developers came along that had bought it from Teron, wanted

to make some changes to the original agreements made with council at the time (1960s)

- Utilized the best information that they had, everybody seems to forget about Block D

- Can remember in the 70s, people would not venture past Prince George hotel, derelict area,

homelessness etc.

- Early 1980s landmark and harbor place get built – built as part of separate agreements

negotiated with Teron, the units per acreage is the same as what Teron had originally

negotiated – council was not heavily involved in that process

- Too much development? Concerns at this point

- Block D lay fallow for so many years – blind trust – Maurice Rollins Construction of

Belleville and Sonia Neilson Realty of Kingston, people came up with new proposals for

development – the zoning wasn‟t appropriate for the site 

62

- 1981 – tried to buy block D for the City – regrets not purchasing the property, could have

called for a development proposal that would have better integrated public uses along

waterfront with private use on the property

- Put an offer in Neilson-Rollins counter-offered, only about 300-400K difference (1.7m –

2.0m) – turned down on vote

- What is built there is much in line with what the original zoning that Teron got. Some

don‟t like high-rise buildings

- Waterfront belongs to the public, not to anyone individually – as much public access and

ownership of waterfront as possible – there are certain elements of that in Block D,

although the Admiralty place is wonderful – was a square warehouse, built into beautiful

building it is today – probably built in early 1980s – marine museum next to it and then

steam museum associated. "

German Prisoners Kingston Ont., 1917

This captioned photo was posted to the Kingston Love Facebook group with the handwritten caption in this post's title. But where in Kingston? Far left gasification tank; middle wooden and stone structures, right a coach with a large crowd and sentries in foreground. 

I think it's plausible that these POW's are being escorted to Tete du Pont Barracks or directly to Fort Henry. The Grand Trunk had better connections to eastern Canada, so the single track may be GTR somewhere in the area of Place d'Armes/King/Barrack/Ontario Streets. Efforts to pinpoint location underway. Thanks to Marc Shaw for sharing this photo and correlating with fire insurance maps and aerial photos, plus city directories of the period!

Until we pinpoint, I'm adding images that may assist:

Fire insurance map, 1908 (above) and 1920 aerial view of the area (below):

If I could get the buildings confirmed, I think it's possible the single Grand Trunk track crossing Barrack Street near the gasification tank could be the location. Then a short escorted march down Ontario Street toward Tete du Pont or Fort Henry across the Causeway!

Walking Montreal and Rideau Streets, August 2021

What better way to spend my waiting-time at Krown Rust Kontrol than to try to discover some new angles along Montreal and Rideau Streets? It was a warm day, and I ended up hoofing it all the way to Caaraqui Street. Crossing Montreal Street, I stood on th S-shaped entrance road to Village on the River, photographing the former Chown warehouse, now the service building for the Village complex. This is the spot at which the Hanley Spur approached the mainline. Grand Trunk Terrace (top photo) and former Outer Station/Pig & Whistle losing its roof and soffits:

The former Bailey broom factory at Rideau and Cataraqui Streets looks ready to be inhabited by latte-drinking, networking shared-spacers!

The new north wall - siding over brick, large windows that I resisted the temptation to peer in thereby not leaving greasy nose-marks on this otherwise modern-looking repurposing!

The National Grocers building looks on sternly yet approvingly:

An open door formerly used to unload boxcars on the CN spur. Resisting another temptation to rubber-neck in there, I knew that the door looked 'vintage' but the interior was more modern!

Cataraqui Street side of the 'Bailey'. A multiple-unit residential building remains to be built just north on Rideau Street:

That time-honoured view down Cataraqui Street at Rideau Street. The Woolen Mill and National Grocers are the remaining buildings of this former industrial quartet since the Rosen Fuels fire:

Heading north on the Urban K&P Trail (parallel CN and CP tracks, formerly), I noted that the multi-use sign has been grown'over by its tree-host!

Nicely landscaped by the city, the west side of the Trail behind buildings fronting Rideau Street has been blocked off by construction fence (below). Rambling encampments and folks lounging around the Integrated Care Hub were accompanied by random paths into the woods, odd smells, and litter between here and Montreal Street. I met a family of cyclists but few other users in this area.

The road less travelled? The Trail continues toward the Railway/Montreal intersection, while the needle disposal box on the former CN alignment marks an unofficial trail that passes behind houses along Montreal Street past the Village on the River complex:

The former McKenna's grocery store, perhaps no longer recognizable with its metal cladding and oval doorways in stonework. The side elevation gives it away!

1950 view, Queen's University Archives photo:

Body Shop at 14 James Street

On a recent walk downtown, I discovered this neat building at 14 James Street. I use the term false-front but perhaps square-front because it may lack the lower, peaked roof normally associated with false-fronts. The various light-blue doors and the integration with the adjacent houses really caught my eye. My photo (top) had a truck and dumpster in front that Google Streetview did not:

Several social-media commenters added some additional information on this interesting building:

Vince Dillon

Not sure it could have been a bodyshop years ago

 

Doug McEathron

Is that at the bottom of James near Rideau street. If so than it was a body shop in the early 70’s. I took my 71 Torino there for a paint job. Good work.

Hal Murphy

In the early 70's it was a body shop owned by Don Snowden....I worked for him for a few weeks. He lived on Bath Road in Amherstview and later it was owned by Terry ??? and it was called Modern Collison....Modern collison is on Duff Street now.

Doug McEathron

Yes that was the name of it and I think it was Don who owned it when I got my car painted.

It was also operated by Dwight Cota at one point. Don't know if he owned it or leased it.

 

I sure did my first was white painted it red.. and another one many years later like 1994.Dwight Cota .painted it red too and i did alot of handy work on it . tranny and wiper motor replace seats..vintage 912 ..then blew the motor on the 401! near Oshawa ...whoops.

Bill Wilkinson

I had the body shop right after Snowden with Dwight Cota. Had some great times in there.⁠

Mike McCormick

Delivered gas cylinders to Snowdens there, in late 70's. Then met him on his Amherstview dock,once The View had a new beer store. We came over from Island by boats. 

Union Food Trucks were just up the street too. They ran Gut Trucks all over Kingston. Great Western sandwiches!!

 

Derrick Ethridge

The shop used to be Don Snowden's auto body shop back in the early 1970's. Later Don moved the shop to Elliot Avenue, where a towing yard is now. Don worked with a helper most of the time. He could fit one car in the paint booth and two in the shop.

Aww Martins old place, Cannot spit out his last name at the moment but late 40's early 50's that was Harvey Gardiners body shop for the main garage at Montreal and charles. Yankovick I believe and Red ran it, worked there with Earl and Cliff Bauder before he started his own shop on Woodbine.

 

Mike Wilkinson

My father Terry had a body shop there in the late 80s. Modern Collision Service. Which is now located on Duff. I remember being in there as a young lad.

Now, of course, 14 James Street looks like an excellent candidate for my Hanley Spur layout structure collection!