The Corbet Foundry Fire

August 22, 2007

There was a fire last night at the old Corbet Foundry & Machine Co. building at 1064 1st Ave. West, near the corner of 10th street and 1st Ave. Though never designated a Heritage Building the old Corbet Foundry has some interesting historical significance.
The Corbet Foundry Building
A foundry was first established on the site in 1853 by George Corbet and Son (John Corbet), and the structure that burnt last night was erected in 1910. John Corbet had been a partner in the Shallow Lake Cement Plant, a plant with some historic significance of its own. This connection to the cement plant was likely the reason that in 1910 the Corbets chose to make the Foundry building the first poured-in-place concrete structure in Canada and possibly North America.

A 1912 publication contains an advertisement stating that the Corbets handled such projects as steel truss bridges, iron and brass castings, blacksmithing, boilers, and fire escapes. The Kennedys purchased the foundry and the 1.8 acre site joined the historic Black-Clawson Kennedy site in the mid-1900s. In the 1960s the red brick addition was added. Though the city’s planning site suggests that the “…buildings on this site have been vacant since 1989…”, a neighbour who lives near by suggested to us the possibility that squatters may have been living in the abandoned structures.

The area of the fire is currently cordoned off, blocking traffic from 1st Ave. West between 10th Street and 11th. As the investigation continues and more information is released we will let you know. We are particularly interested in the cause of the fire and the fate of the building. We are also interested in why a building which is purported to be the first poured-in-place concrete building in Canada and maybe North America doesn’t have a Heritage Building designation. In fact, that question opens a whole can of worms, especially in light of the fantastic parking lot we have instead of the Queen’s Hotel building. What are the criteria for declaring a building a Heritage structure? What are the maintenance requirements for Heritage Buildings versus non-Heritage buildings? Are there people in our area involved in protecting our invaluable old architecture, and if so, how can we contact them? Surely we must have the vision to recognize that the future of this city’s flourishing economy will rely on the strength of our history, and our reputation as a cultural centre in Canada. If any of our readers out there have any ideas, they need only contact us!

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Comments

3 Responses to “The Corbet Foundry Fire”

Joshua Says:
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:10 pm
A friend was on his way home from our house when he captured some cellphone footage and photos of the fire. I will try to get them for you guys…
Jon Says:
August 22nd, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Wow. This article has a heck of a lot more substance than any of the “official” news publications. I couldn’t find anything at the Sun Times website, and Bayshore Broadcasting had a short article that basically said “There was a fire” which I already knew because it was two houses down from me and I saw it from my parking lot. You should be writing for the “real” papers. They desperately need some help.
theOwen.com/go : Blog Archive : The Corbet Foundry Demolition Says:
August 24th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
[…] in the week we covered the Corbet Foundry fire. Since that time 1st Ave West between 10th and 11th has remained closed and under police […]

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The Corbet Foundry Fire

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