'Like a house of cards'
An investigator at the Wonderland Gardens site said they have not ruled out a suspicious cause, a 'typical' move for a fire of such magnitude. Today may provide some answers, he said.
APRIL KEMICK, Free Press Reporter 2005-08-31 02:05:05
A day after the $1-million fire that razed the historic Wonderland Gardens dance hall, the cause remained a mystery to fire officials who are treating it as suspicious.
As investigators sifted through the wreckage yesterday for clues to what sparked Monday's blaze, Londoners flocked to the site to reminisce over the Garden's glory days.
But one face was noticeably absent from the melancholy throng -- that of Chuck Jones, former president of the Gardens, who said he deliberately avoided the site where he spent much of his childhood and adult life.
"I didn't want to come back to town," Jones said, his voice cracking with emotion.
"To see it boarded up just ate away at me, and to see it like this, in rubble, would be very difficult for me."
Deputy fire Chief Dave Kitterman said the building was devastated by the fire.
"There's a lot of twisted metal and wreckage," he said. "It was like a house of cards that pretty much collapsed only a matter of minutes after the first crew arrived."
An investigator for the Ontario Fire Marshal's office, Mariano Perini, said officials haven't ruled out a suspicious cause, which is "typical" in a fire of such magnitude.
"We always treat these things as suspicious, even if there's nothing to suggest that it's suspicious," he said, adding officials might have a better idea today of where the fire originated.
"We're still digging and removing the roof and wall structures so we can see what's underneath," he said.
For Jones, who took over the family-run business with his brother in 1971, the city-owned site is steeped in memories.
"At least we have the memories," Jones said. "At least we can hold on to that."
The city shut down the site in 2003 when Jones's lease on the site expired. The city hasn't decided how, or if, it will replace the Gardens.
Two redevelopment proposals, made before the fire -- one for a renovated entertainment hall, the other for an apartment complex and spa -- are being considered.
"At the time (the lease was expiring), I thought the city had a plan for Wonderland," said Jones, who finds it difficult to talk about the Gardens' final days.
"I still don't understand why they didn't want us there. I thought we were doing a pretty good job."
Jones's father, Charlie, and his uncle, Wilf, began leasing the land from the city in 1929, developing it from a swampy marsh in the country to a cherished landmark.
In 1935, the brothers opened the outdoor bandshell, which survived Monday's fire.
They added the dance hall, known for the bands that played there in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, in 1941.
More than 40 years later, in 1983, the next generation of Jones brothers -- Jones and his brother, Don -- debuted the Riverview Restaurant.
"It was quite a place," Jones said of the site. "It used to be really swinging.
"At first, there were guys there dancing with their girlfriends. Then they'd be back dancing with those same girls who were now their wives. And then, of course, years later, they'd be back with their kids," said Jones, whose parents met at the Gardens.
Jones's niece, Carolyn Natterer, who grew up at the Gardens and worked at its restaurant for a decade, shed a few tears as she looked over the wreckage from the fire.
"(Monday) was a very sad day," she said. "I'm still in shock."
Natterer said she hopes the city will find a way to rebuild and restore the original structure, built on a Thames River flood plain.
Officials with the city and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority say a new structure can be built there as long as certain conditions are met, including:
- The new building must fit in the footprint of the old if it's located on the flood plain.
- It can be used for functions no more intense than before. A dance hall would be allowed, but not a hotel.
- The conservation authority must be satisfied the building is flood-proof, and its old foundation would need to be replaced.
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