Toronto theatre collapses, people trapped

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Just a block away from where I'm currently typing this, a Toronto theatre that was in the process of being demolished has now collapsed, trapping people inside, possibly children at a local daycare.

From everything I hear, the theatre was "retired" because the owners didn't want to bear the costs of bringing the theatre up to code, specifically accessibility. The theatre was being extracted from amongst other buildings on the block, as it was up tight against businesses on both sides of the block. Today one of the walls collapsed onto another building (where the day care is, presumably).

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/12/08/theater.collapse.ap/index.html
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/08/collapse_theatre031208

My own editorial note: I always thought it was pretty dirty to close down the theatre rather than upgrade it to allow people in wheelchairs (or with other special needs) to be able to watch movies with the rest of us. If anyone dies as a result of this, I can't help but think that there will be a special place reserved in hell for the people who made the decision to demolish rather than accommodate.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Between this and the DJ-wot-died-stuck-in-wall thread I'm not exactly happy with the universe this morning.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

...a special place reserved in hell...

An ever-collapsing movie theatre maybe. With Ishtar on the screen.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I did a walkabout over to the area to see how bad it was, but couldn't get too close. I'm sure there are better photos available from the news sites, but here's what I saw from the street:

http://ox.eicat.ca/~scarruthers/ilx/collapse1.jpg
http://ox.eicat.ca/~scarruthers/ilx/collapse2.jpg

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

http://ox.eicat.ca/~scarruthers/ilx/collapse3.jpg

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

crap! that's the uptown....isn't it?

― cybele (cybele), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, it's the Uptown, which I thought was a very nice theatre that didn't deserve this kind of treatment.

(also it was apparently a school, not a daycare)

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:49 (twenty-one years ago)

this sounds awful. i'm still a little unclear about how it happened: was it that the demolishing process accelerated unexpectedly, without the surrounding are being properly evacuated? (In which case, it would be a mistake on the part of the people physically demolishing the building - rather than the owners who decided to have it demolished [they could hardly have forseen this])

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:49 (twenty-one years ago)

fingers crossed there are no deaths, anyway

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

From what I hear, a wall they expected to stay up didn't, taking down a bunch of other things that were also supposed to remain upright.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

CBC is saying the last 3 children MAY be out

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

if only you had caught this earlier, people could've made jokes about it! or you could've sold your photos. tsk tsk.

― Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Monday, 8 December 2003 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck fuck FUCK

this is so fucking FUCk

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry i'm incoherently upset about this

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

One adult dead

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck these fuckers, they are destroying our cinemas and killing people ARGHHRGHRGhhr

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:11 (twenty-one years ago)

sounds like the neighbours had been expressing concerns about the safety of the demolition from the get-go.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been in the CD Replay store a few times since they started the demolition; the store is right on one of the affected walls, and it sounded like they were actually coming right through the wall on several of the occasions that I was there. When I went down there, the CD store was closed--enough reason for me to be upset ho ho ho--probably because it was evacuated once the thing started to collapse. I just hope the damage to life and property stops here.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Im more pissed at city hall making them upgrade that particular theater. Though Im also pissed they let them demolish it.
At least the old Eglinton theater is being saved, though not as a theater.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)

what's happening to it? that's like my favourite theatre in the world!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

It's gone, man, gone, nothing but bricks and empty air. I liked that theatre a lot too and really wish they'd done something to meet the accessibility requirements rather than ripping it up.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I seriously feel like crying now

― s1utsky (slutsky), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Ontario Human Rights Commission (not city hall, my bad) demanded that they close Uptown, Eglinton and Plaza or have them wheel chair accessable. Those buildings are approaching 100 years old, they weren't exactly built to be renovated 80 years after the fact.
So the Famous Players (who own at least two, possibly the Plaza as well) sold the properties rather they try and refit them.
The Uptown was a great theater and Eglinton is down the street from me. The Eglinton is staying I believe I read a sign on the property, but its becoming an event hall or something.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:53 (twenty-one years ago)

fucking cripples, destroying our landmarks.
my sister works right across the street. thank god she's okay, she just emailed me. i hope she didn't stay at work, what with a possible gas leak and all. she said it seemed like an earthquake when it happened.

― dyson (dyson), Monday, 8 December 2003 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

one person (adult) is dead.
so far.

my (insane) sister is still at work and i wish she'd go home.

― dyson (dyson), Monday, 8 December 2003 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Our clients (also insane) are still working. Or likely drinking the bar fridge since as far as we know they lost power, or briefly lost it which is all the excuse they need sometime.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 8 December 2003 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

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