By Mike Anderson
Virginia Hall will face the wrecking ball this spring, after the Town’s tender for demolition services closes on March 24.
This follows council’s approval of an October 30, 2024 staff report that recommended demolishing the building and preparing the site for sale.
Virginia Hall, also known as the Virginia schoolhouse, located at 28288 Highway 48, dates from 1912, but does not have a heritage designation.
According to the staff report, the building, which has been boarded up since 2011, is in a significant state of disrepair.
The building has mould, animal infestation and structural failures, and poses a “short-term risk of failure, degradation and vandalism.”
The report says that it is cost-prohibitive to repair or replace the building, as it hasn’t been regularly maintained. There is also no future use outlined in the Town’s master plans.
The cost to demolish the building is estimated to be $150,000. However, this cost will be recouped by the future sale of the property with net proceeds going to the Town’s Land Acquisition Reserve– used to finance the purchase of private lands the Town requires. Currently, the Town owns 411 properties totalling about 1,900 acres.
Several residents have stressed their opposition in local Facebook groups. Most would like to see the building saved and possibly re-purposed as a community hub, affordable housing or even a museum.
Paul Brady, president of the Georgina Historical Society, says the Town’s failure to maintain the building amounts to demolition by neglect.
“My biggest concern is the lack of care for these heritage buildings when they’re under the care of the Town of Georgina,” said Brady.
“If somebody gave you a car and you didn’t maintain it, never changed the oil or didn’t wash it, the car would just deteriorate and fall into junk, and this is what’s happening to these buildings.”
Brady also says the Town should save the demolition cost, and allow the new owner to decide what to do with the building.
“I’m sure if they put it on the market for sale, somebody would buy it with the building. Then it would be their money spent to dismantle the building if that’s what they wanted to do,” he said.
However, the staff report states that Virginia Hall shares services with an adjacent property, which would make any sale with the building included challenging.
The Town’s tender also includes the demolition of Jericho House, which once housed the Jericho summer day camp.
Located next to De La Salle Park at 807 Lake Drive East in Jackson’s Point, the house is also in disrepair and has not been used since 2020.
According to staff, it also has mould, an animal infestation, water damage, and structural and foundation failure. The cost to repair the bungalow is also considered prohibitive.
However, the Town has no plans to sell the property, as it will be part of the redevelopment of De La Salle Park under the Waterfront Parks Master Plan.
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