Toronto Star

The past may be a different country, but it's one we still inhabit in Toronto. Though our record on heritage preservation is less than stellar, the 19th-century city remains very much a part of the 21st. That was made clear by the terrible events of Wednesday, when a row of buildings from the late 1800s burned down on Queen St. W. None of the structures involved qualified as an architectural marvel, but perhaps that's the point. Taken together, they added up to an authentic slice of an earlier Toronto. Like all cities, Toronto had a few great buildings and many more that weren't so great. But a city that saves only the best examples of its historical architecture keeps only a tiny portion of itself. These are the architectural masterpieces that transcend time and place. They are the monuments, the landmarks, the icons by which a community is known to the larger world. But it's buildings like those on Queen that define the city for those who live here. They are not the buildings that stand out, that force us to stop and pay attention. They are the buildings where we go to buy falafel, used CDs, videos, bongs, and the like. They are the stage on which real life unfolds. Thus, their loss, though not quite tragic, hurts deeply. Their disappearance leaves the city diminished.