By Michael Bennett
Local Journalism Initiative
The Ridgetown Independent
It’s last call for the Arlington Hotel.
The 129-year-old landmark will be demolished by the end of the year after the building’s owner failed to respond to communications from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent about their intentions to renovate or tear down the compromised structure.
Paul Lacina, director of building development services, said there had been no communication with the owners – a numbered company from Windsor – since late April.
The municipality sent a registered letter in July informing the owners that demolition procedures would begin unless they declared their intentions.
They waited about six weeks, but a response was never received.
“We said, ‘That’s enough, we’re going ahead with the demolition,’” Lacina said.
The paperwork to begin the demolition procedure began in August but Lacina said he had to wait until engineers’ reports were completed before going public with the demolition announcement.
One of the reports confirmed the presence of “a lot” of asbestos as well as lead and mercury, which came as no surprise, Lacina said.
“Typical of what you would find in a building of that age,” he said. “Whoever bids on the tender will need that information.”
Lacina said when the final engineer’s report on best practices for demolition is complete, the municipality will begin the tender process.
He expects tenders will go out in October for a three-week period to allow potential contractors the opportunity to go through the building to determine their demolition plans, and believes demolition to begin in late November or early December.
There was activity at the site late in mid-September as the cement barricades were removed along the Main St. side of the building while Entegrus cut off the electricity.
“We’ve had a lot of complaints about pedestrian traffic, so we had another look at the facade on Main St. and it was decided for the time being, we can remove the blocks so pedestrians can still walk in front,” Lacina said.
The municipality installed the barriers in February due to safety concerns for pedestrians and motorists from the potential of falling bricks.
The blocks will be put back in place for the demolition.
The Victorian-era building, which opened in 1885, has been vacant since the former Arlington Hotel owners closed the establishment in 2019.
The future of the building has created a split among local residents – some happy to see the dilapidated, eyesore finally come down and others upset to see another historical building be torn down.
Local historian Marlee Robinson was “saddened” to hear the demolition order has been issued for the Arlington, especially with Ridgetown’s 150th anniversary being celebrated in 2025.
“To have a lead-in to 150 years with some terrific architecture of what was the cornerstone of the life of Ridgetown for decades and decades, its demolition is obviously very sad,” Robinson said of the Arlington’s demise.
