On Queen Street in St. Catharines, Ont., there used to be a building that held the city’s oldest newspaper – The Standard.
An excavator now sits in what was once its parking lot, surrounded by heaps of burnt debris from a fire on Dec. 5 that took firefighters 18 hours to put out.
Despite the extensive damage, local residents and former staff members are still recalling its history.
Just days after the fire, Joan Wiley Storm, who worked as a reporter at the paper after starting as an intern in 1973, took a walk with her old colleague Michael Clarkson to see what remained of their past workplace before it gets demolished.
From left: Denis Cahill, Joan Wiley Storm and Michael Clarkson visit the old office days after the fire on Dec. 5. (Diona Macalinga/CBC)
During her time at The Standard, Storm witnessed more women entering what was then a male-dominated news field and computers taking over from typewriters.
Even now, she can still hear the sound of typewriters clacking away and admitted she felt surprisingly emotional when she learned about the fire.
“It’s not the building as much,” Storm told CBC St. Catharines. “The building… it just housed the interesting people who were inside.”
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An old photograph of St. Catharines residents reading The Standard’s latest front page story, taken in 1963. (St. Catharines Museum)
“You had people who were rushing around trying to meet their deadlines or arguing over something, or talking on the phone, interviewing people,” said Storm. “It was just a very active place.”
Storm and Clarkson were part of The when it was still owned by the Burgoyne family, with Murray Thomson serving as managing editor.
“They allowed it to be a writer’s paper,” said Clarkson, who won multiple awards for his investigative journalism and features – some during his tenure at The Standard.
WATCH | Joan Wiley Storm and Michael Clarkson recount the busy newsroom:
Former reporter ’emotional’ after hearing about fire that destroyed the old building
Joan Wiley Storm and Michael Clarkson describe what it was like working as reporters at The while it was owned by the Burgoyne family.
Clarkson recalled Henry Burgoyne as someone who “wasn’t afraid to go after the old boys’ club.”
Burgoyne was the last family member to own the paper before selling it to Southam chain in 1996, which eventually changed hands through various owners including Conrad Black’s Quebecor-owned Sun Media and Postmedia before being sold again to Torstar Corporation in 2017.
The Standard reported that prior to this sale, operations moved out of that building back in 2013 and it had been empty ever since.
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Denis Cahill was a former chief photographer at The beginning when he was 19 years old. He was second generation in his family to have worked at The Standard. (Diona Macalinga/CBC)
“All those years I worked at The Standard; if there was ever a big fire in middle of night I’d throw on my clothes and rush out,” Cahill shared during an interview.
This time though he thought about whether or not he should go see it himself instead.
A seasoned firefighter photographer for many years now faced an unusual feeling that left him unsure before deciding against going over there.
The Sunday following this incident Cahill went out looking for some black-and-white photos he’d seen listed online.
Lucky for him, he discovered that seller lived close enough that they could almost throw a rock from one place to another from where they stood amid all charred remains nearby.
Cahill bought an image celebrating “The Standard Family,” which marked their fiftieth anniversary back in 1941.WATCH | Old photographs of The Standard staff and newsroom revealed:
< p class=" video-item-title"> Former staff visit scorched building days before its demolition</>
Denis Cahill recalls how familiar faces appeared throughout those images while purchasing one photo where his father Louis ‘Lou’ Cahill appeared among others-his dad worked here too!
He also got another photograph showing life within these walls right around when “the computer revolution hit.” There behind several reporters typing away.. there stood Joan Wiley Storm caught mid-action!
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A photograph inside the newsroom capturing the moment when computers started replacing typewriters (Diona Macalinga/CBC)
“In our glory days we had five staff photographers!” exclaimed Cahill.” It’s unheard-of given how small our paper actually is-yet look how full this place looks!
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Former reporter ’emotional’ after hearing about fire that destroyed the old building
Joan Wiley Storm and Michael Clarkson describe what it was like working as reporters at The while it was owned by the Burgoyne family.
Clarkson recalled Henry Burgoyne as someone who “wasn’t afraid to go after the old boys’ club.”
Burgoyne was the last family member to own the paper before selling it to Southam chain in 1996, which eventually changed hands through various owners including Conrad Black’s Quebecor-owned Sun Media and Postmedia before being sold again to Torstar Corporation in 2017.
The Standard reported that prior to this sale, operations moved out of that building back in 2013 and it had been empty ever since.
The Building Felt Like Home
Around 3 a. m., on the night of the fire, Denis Cahill, who used to be chief photographer at The Standard, stumbled upon a Facebook video showing flames engulfing their former workplace. Cahill started working there as a staff photographer when he was just 19 until he left in 2008 when Quebecor laid off hundreds of employees.
< p class=" video-item-title"> Former staff visit scorched building days before its demolition</>
Denis Cahill recalls how familiar faces appeared throughout those images while purchasing one photo where his father Louis ‘Lou’ Cahill appeared among others-his dad worked here too!
He also got another photograph showing life within these walls right around when “the computer revolution hit.” There behind several reporters typing away.. there stood Joan Wiley Storm caught mid-action!Dangers Surrounding Demolition Site
The city has deemed this area an active demolition site resulting in road closures impacting downtown’s portion along Queen Street near where everything burned down plus surrounding roads particularly involving William Street.”“We’ve already noticed broken windows,”Said Fire Chief Dave Upper while highlighting risks posed due partly due potential glass shards flying off any remaining wreckage mentioned during December eighth’s council meeting.” “There are dangerous pieces lying everywhere including sharp bits made up entirely from shattered windows!” A message sent via email explained city firefighters along with Niagara Regional Police Services’ Arson Task Force remain investigating circumstances leading up towards causing such disaster which also encompasses separate probe into blaze occurring later December twenty-sixth taking hold neighboring La Scala Restaurant situated nearby located down on nine queen street.” Upper noted problems arise regarding structural integrity stemming originally found present within older buildings & significant holes puncturing floors paired alongside roofs having collapsed indicating riskiness hence necessitating demolishing actions considered essential since Engineer assessment stated, “Building wasn’t salvable!” . The statement issued claimed any follow-up work required post-fire inquiry ultimately rests upon property owner duties designated under control Prim Investments Ltd based Lauzon Company themselves concerning handling responsibilities arising thereafter.”Source link
