WILLIAMSBURG – It was the option of last resort for former Piccadilly Theatre owner Pam French. The nearly 100 year old building was torn down November 1.
“It breaks my heart to do this,” French told The Leader Wednesday afternoon. “I tried to sell it, but many offers fell through.”
The theatre was built in 1935 by Alfred Casselman, French’s grandfather. It opened when the village was thriving during the Great Depression. Williamsburg was bustling thanks to the medical treatment practice of Dr. Mahlon W. Locke. For decades now the building has been a mostly empty shell.
“The building was structurally sound,” French said. “There just wasn’t the business case for anyone to make a viable go of doing anything with it.”
She continued that the property had been for sale for years, and over that time there had been several interested parties.
“They walked away,” French said. “There are limited options for businesses here. The prospects needed to be able to make money.”
She added that traffic patterns changed in Williamsburg following the relocation of Canadian Tire to Morrisburg. Now most traffic slows down and doesn’t stop in the village.
The 40×100 theatre building sat on a small lot, with close adjacent properties and limited parking behind the building.
“It was in a tight space and really close to the road. It was really limited.”
French said that before the building was torn down, she removed some of the items from the building that were special.
“I didn’t sleep in the days leading up to this,” she said as demolition day loomed.
Securing the building, and liability issues contributed to her decision, explaining that there were frequent break-ins to the building.
“I was tired of replacing the locks all the time, and worried someone would get hurt inside,” French said.
The building was not covered under any heritage protections and had no restrictions placed on it.
Looking ahead, French said there are no plans to do anything with the property after the demolition site is cleaned up. The property size and close proximity to other buildings, including her business next door – Green Triangle Design – limit what can be done on the property.
“This was difficult to do. I don’t want to be remembered as the one who tore down the theatre, but there was really no other option at this point.”