Historic piece of Paris’ rich commercial and industrial history is demolished

By Casandra Turnbull

A piece of Paris’ commercial and industrial history was torn down this past week as the owners of 3 and 7 Yeo Street began demolition on the former Walker Press building

The County of Brant notified the public last Friday that demolition would commence with most of the work wrapping up by the end of April. The new property owners consulted with the Brant Heritage Committee last fall to

Photos by Cindy Whelan

determine the fate of the building. A heritage evaluation was completed, and the committee did not recommend Ontario Heritage Act designation. Council supported the decision. As demolition began last week, residents in area neighbourhoods received a notice of disruption letter in their mailboxes advising of the work The new owners were instructed to safely remove the existing building materials with as minimal of an impact on residents as possible.

In the County of Brant issued release, they assure residents that the Building, Roads and By-law Enforcement divisions will continue to work together to monitor the contractors / developer throughout the process. Some neighbours have voiced concerns online that they are experiencing issues accessing their driveways, which were blocked by vehicles and equipment, while others have reported the demolition work started before the public notice was issued. Mostly, there’s an overwhelmingly sense of sadness from residents as they watch this historical building come down

The new owners have proposed a six-storey residential complex consisting of 86 one- and twobedroom units.

Their consultant, from Patterson Planning Consultants, presented the development plan, called Willow Grove, to the Heritage Committee late last year. A delegation was presented to Brant County Council in October 2023. Plans are not finalized.

Any site/development plans, whether they are the same ones presented last year, or revised ones, must be presented during a public engagement process and ultimately approved by council To date, there’s been no development applications for these properties, the county confirmed.

The building was first constructed in 1882 under the ownership of David Maxwell. Charles Walker purchased the land in 1914 and established Walker Press Ltd two years later. It operated in Paris for over 60 years. Forge & Foster purchased the vacant building in 2021 with plans of salvaging the beloved building and transforming it into a combination of commercial and residential units Their plans were squashed by council, citing traffic concerns as the primary reason against the proposed redevelopment. They sold the building a year later See pages 1215 of this Paris Independent for additional history on the building.

If you’d like to review the full Heritage Committee report, it is available here. You can read the Paris Independent’s first report on this newly proposed development plan here.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

How did you feel watching this historic building come down this past week? What are your thoughts on the proposed plans for this site?

Send us a Letter to the Editor by email: stories@theparis independent.com

Renderings of proposed ‘Willow Grove’ development for 3 & 7 Yeo Street. To date, there’s been no development applications submitted. Potential use of the property must be presented to the public and approved by council.