Residents fear pieces of Wheatley, Ont.'s history will be lost as next phase of demolitions begins

The demolition process for another round of buildings following the 2021 downtown explosion in Wheatley, Ont., will begin next week, and locals say they have mixed feelings about seeing some pieces of local history go.

"Most of the buildings still have their contents inside the buildings," said Barry Broadbent, owner of the former Car Barn restaurant.

"Mine especially, everything … has been there since the explosion .... It is in a pretty, pretty bad state of affairs, that's for sure."

Barry Broadbent, owner of Car Barn restaurant in Wheatley, has been running a catering business since the explosion. He says there are many uncertainties that would come with reopening his restaurant. (Jacob Barker/CBC)

The restaurant has been closed since the Aug. 26, 2021, blast. Now, the building is one of nine slated for demolition.

While Broadbent has owned it for 37 years, the restaurant was around for 20 or more years before that.

Terry Lobzun, a local historian and lifelong Wheatley resident, said the Car Barn used to be used by rum runners.

Another local activist said the building was a billiard hall, garage and bowling alley at different points in its history.

"It's an old institution ... These buildings all have a history," said Rick Taves.

Broadbent said the demolition will be emotional for many businesses.

"It's going to be a tough day obviously for everybody that's involved with their businesses — you know, it's been really hard on the town of Wheatley and the folks that live in Wheatley," he said.

"It's definitely leaving a void in the town and we're hoping that … with the beginning of the demolition, there will be some prospects for the future as far as rebuilding and [getting] the town back on its feet."

Broadbent said salvage companies are currently looking at any pieces that can be saved and then he'll settle up with his insurance company. In the meantime, he's running his catering business.

This is the corner where the explosion took place in downtown Wheatley as seen in December 2022, according to Chatham-Kent's website. (Chatham-Kent )

But he said he doesn't knowwhere his business is going.

"Plans for rebuilding, we don't know. I won't know until they decide what they're going to do with that evacuation zone ...  So I don't have any real future plans for the restaurant at the moment."

Demolition to take place by June 3, town says

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent said in a news release that nine buildings along Erie Street North and Talbot Road East within the downtown core of Wheatley will be prepared for demotion starting next week.

Residents will notice more activity in the area as contractors work on site Monday to Wednesday, and demolition of the buildings will begin no later than June 3. Demolition could last several months.

Buildings deemed unsuitable to redevelopment and repair remain fenced within the evacuation zone that was created after the blast.

The town previously identified it would purchase a handful of properties on Erie Street North within the evacuation zone that are not suitable for redevelopment. The purchase is being funded by a provincial grant and strategic reserves.

"Negotiations continue for the potential purchase of the remaining properties within the evacuation zone," the municipality said in February.

'Gets you right in the heart,' historian says

Lobzun said he's sad to see some of the town's older buildings go.

"It gets you right in the heart if you've lived here all your life," he said. "These buildings have a lot of history in them and a lot of memories too, so it's going to be really difficult, I think, for people to see all the open sky."

This photo was taken two days after the buildings exploded in August 2021. (Jennifer La Grassa/CBC)

He said he'd like to see more of an effort to save some of the pieces of the building. While he admitted there aren't a lot of architectural features, "it seems a shame that you throw half of a town into the landfill."

Taves said he's looking forward to the next stage of the town's redevelopment.

"We hope that within a couple of months, we know where we're at so the community can begin to heal."