Photo © Will Foot
My brother was out at the University the other day, and he managed to snap a few pictures of demolition of the former School of Dramatic art building.
Photo © Will Foot
The building used to front Wyandotte Street, right on the corner with Patricia.
Photo © Will Foot
As you can see in the photos demolition is well underway.
Photo © Will Foot
From the school’s website this history is found:
To make room for the expanding student body and programs, the School of Dramatic Art moved into its own building, a renovated grocery store, Loblaws, in 1972. The facility provided a movement studio, experimental theatre, a room specially designed for developmental drama classrooms, scenic design shops, faculty offices and a student lounge. The School of Dramatic Art was the first of its kind in Ontario within the framework of a university.
Photo © Will Foot
Photo © Will Foot
Photo from Google Maps
In this aerial view you can see the location of the building.
Photo from Google Street View
A view of the building, prior to demolition.
Hope everyone had a good weekend, and all the Dads out there had a good Father’s Day.
In a couple of years the School of Music building will also get demolished. I will definitely not miss these buildings.
Please take pictures of the Armouries before and after the transformation.
Is the university making more room for the parking lot?
Oh wow! I never knew that used to be a Loblaws…
With both of these recent demos I don’t see much sign of insulation. The University must pay a very low price for gas for their power plant.
In the short term I think that both the Cody Hall site and the Dramatic arts building sites will be used for parking, the large lot across from the Business building is going to turned into a welcome centre with a parking garage behind it, until that garage is built these new area will probably used to make up for the loss of those parking spaces. My understanding is that once the garage is open these lots as well as the visitors lot beside the Drama building will become green space. Not sure what the plans are for the music building site. The present university admin seems to be determined to turn the approach along wyandotte into an impressive entrance to the campus rather than the wasteland of parking lots and temporary makeshift building that have been its hall mark up until now
My favourite thing about this building when I was student there in the 80s was the metal letters on one side of the building that formed a sign directing people to Essex Hall Theatre. Every year some of the letters would be stolen leaving only the words “Sex Theatre” and an arrow pointing toward Essex Hall
…actually between the time that building was a loblaws and the drama program moved in it was the visual arts building. from around 1968 through 1972. drama shared the building with visual arts during those 4 years. its scene design shop was there. the music building across the street was a bowling alley before music moved in. there was a dairy queen on the corner of wyandotte and sunset in the corner of what is now the odette space.
My dad used to take me shopping at the old Loblaws and then down the street to “Bird Hardware” with the giant saw neon sign. On the way home we would stop at dairy queen for a soft ice cream. All good memories, but “loblaws” and the old bowling alley have deffinitely served their time.Tear them down!
Hey Peter. From Bird Hardware heading west…Queen’s Grill , Zetner Photography,Kramer Automotive,the old LCBO, TD Bank, Johnny’s Meats. etc.
I remember the old hood fondly.
At least the UofW is finally going to build a parking garage! I guess they realize that acres of asphalt parking doesn’t make the surrounding area look good and continues to erode the existing neighbourhood(s).