East-end ‘eyesore’ demolished, raising hopes for new housing

Demolition work is finally underway at a vacant building at Hamilton and Gore roads. CTV London’s Sean Irvine reports.

A long-vacant building at the split between Hamilton and Gore roads has finally been demolished.

About an hour before the end came, it was still easy to make out the familiar front entrance of the structure at 1154 Hamilton Road.

Over the decades, it had been a restaurant and a bingo hall.

But its appearance had changed dramatically from its beginnings in the 1960s as a Dominion grocery store.

“It’s become an eyesore, and people really just want to see it gone in this part of this town,” said Ward One councillor Hadleigh McAlister in an interview with CTV News.

He added that the property owner will be forced to pay the demolition bill.

“I’ve had a number of these cases now. And in every case, the demolition gets put back onto the property owner’s taxes. And we’ve been able to recover those costs, in every case.”

That’s good news for Randall David, who lives in a building right next door.

He says area residents have grown tired of constant vandalism and fear of fires.

“I’d be happy with anything going up. As long as it’s good for London and the people of London, like maybe some kind of housing.”

Although an earlier plan to build homes has fallen through, McAlister remains undeterred.

“This site is actually zoned for residential, and we have had a lot of interest in the area in terms of residential redevelopment. So, I actually don’t have any worries that the site will be used for something.”

One definitive plan for the corner is to install a roundabout to eliminate the fork in the road at Hamilton and Gore. McAlister is hopeful it will be in place within two years.

That’s good news in the eyes of David. “That corner is horrendous. It can be tricky with the traffic.”

With the fork being redesigned and the old store gone, McAlister anticipates renewal for the area.

“Ideally, we’d like buildings to be repurposed. But sometimes, you know, the city has to take this action, to knock them down.”

McAlister estimates the cost to bring down the structure will exceed $100,000.