Atherley Narrows

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The Atherley Narrows which separate Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching is one of those Central Ontario locations steeped in history. Pre-historic fish weirs constructed here fed the local Mnjikaning natives and Samuel de Champlain passed through here way back in 1615. More recently, the Midland Railway constructed a swing bridge in 1873 which is the topic of today's post. Just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, 30th October, 2010 one or more arse-clowns set fire to the historic control building. Having been there a few months ago, I think it à propos to post pics from the day . . .


Here's the story from Jennifer Burden of the Orillia Packet & Times -

The abandoned Canadian National Railway (CN) control building for the Atherley Narrows swing bridge burned down in a suspicious fire on Saturday. Orillia firefighters were dispatched to the site where the Millennium Trail ends at at The Narrows, behind Crate's Lake Country Boats on Atherley Road, just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, 30th October, 2010. Numerous 9-1-1 calls reported a fire in the area, deputy fire chief Jeff Kirk said.

"(Callers) thought it was actually Crate's Marine because of the location of the building," Kirk said.

It took 12 fire fighters approximately three hours to extinguish the fire completely and crews had to return to scene on Sunday to deal with further hot spots. The fire was brought under control quickly, Kirk said, but because the building was so old and dried out, it collapsed shortly after personnel arrived at the scene, making it difficult to extinguish entirely.

"We had a terrible time getting at the timbers underneath all the rubble," he said.

The fire has been deemed suspicious because there were no inhabitants, no power and no utilities of kind at the site, he added.

Frank Kehoe, Orillia native and railway enthusiast, said the structure was built in 1873 by Midland Railway, which later joined the Grand Trunk Railway and then the Canadian National Railway. His great-grandfather, Francis Gaudaur, was a Midland Railway surveyor and one of the swing bridge's first keepers. His childhood home backed onto the railroad tracks close to the swing bridge and he fondly remembers visiting the swing bridge's control building and whoever was operating it "hundreds of times," as a kid, he said. He remembers the historic, two-storey wood tower as being simple, with no wallpaper or drywall, and nothing in it but a wood stove on the main floor and a lookout on the second.

"It's a damn crime because it should have been a historic building to begin with. It's in so many photographs of historic value," Kehoe said. "I hope they catch the kids that did it."

In recent years, there has been talk about restoring the site of the old swing bridge with plans of building a pedestrian bridge in its place connecting the Orillia and Ramara trails. The charred remains of the historic structure have been turned over to the CN Police, owners of the property, whose responsibility it is to clear the debris. Julie Senecal, CN spokesperson, said CN would hire a local contractor to remove the debris in the next few days.

The bridge has been locked in the open position since 1996 when CN abandoned the line into Orillia and lifted the trails.

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Orillia Asylum

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Local businessman Henry Fraser began the construction of a large stone and brick building at this site for use as a hotel in 1858. Only partially complete, the province including many municipal councils in the area acquired the property and building in 1860 and began preparing the site to accommodate mentally handicapped patients from other over-crowded facilities including the nearby Convalescent Lunatic Asylum located in Orillia's Couchiching Beach Park.














Huronia Regional Centre opened in 1876. It was originally called the Orillia Asylum for Idiots but was renamed the Ontario Hospital School for obvious reasons. In 1974, it was renamed the Huronia Regional Centre.












Initial construction included a female residence (opened in November 1887), a male residence (opened in February 1888), a central building serving as a water tower, boiler house and kitchen and, about a quarter mile distant, a small plant to create coal gas for lighting located near the railway tracks. The present Administration Building, added to the front of the existing complex, was opened in April 1891.

There are approximately 1.5 kilometers of tunnels which link most of the structures on the property - some tunnels have been sealed.

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Video time - grab your respirator and bag 'o' popKorn.

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The peak population at one time was approximately 2,800 in 1960.
Beginning in 1987, the Province of Ontario began closing all such facilities and began integration of those with developmental disability into the general community.






















The facility closed in March, 2009.

Many buildings now on the formers grounds have found new life such as the Ontario Provincial Police Academy, the family Courthouse and offices for other crown agencies.

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Sundial 3

This is the last trip to the Sundial as it has now been fully explored. For the previous posts, check out Trip 1, Trip 2a, and Trip 2b.

Explorers in attendance were JuicyFruitKisses, our buddy neX, the ubiquitous phrenzee and his exploring partner Ms DeKay. As the day in question was stinking hot, we headed to the pool first.



We were able to get a better idea as to the flooding in the basement but did not DARE venture down due to the one of the most nasty mould / fungual blooms I ever saw.


Speaking of HOT, the crew discovered the hottest place in the known universe - the former hot tub / sauna room. The unique glass dome here allowed the killer heat in and then magnified it. I was rather surprised that none of the team members spontaneously combusted during the brief foray into this space.








Seeking any relief from this heat, the team stumbled over to the empty restaurant, then to the 'Starlite Room'.

















Finding no staff to revive us, we seated ourselves at the bar and then waited in beverage purgatory until phrenzee took it upon himself to serve us.
It did not take us very long at all to realise that there were no available staff to serve us . . . To this end, I took it upon myself to staff the facility after finding an appropriate name tag.








Phrenzee left a message for other future explorers in the front lobby shortly before we left this amazing abandonment.


Don't forget to visit the roof of this great hotel which overlooks beautiful lake Couchiching.
Until next time, Happy & Safe Exploring !

Quick Note : My other Blog, Lorwyn Unleashed has moved to
www.MTG-Realm.Blogspot.com

Sundial Reloaded 2

As promised in the previous post (here), this is part 2 of the recent Sundial Inn exploration.

As previously discussed, this exploration was somewhat close to magical given the very pristine shape of the abandonment, the massive volume of equipment / articles left behind, and the absence of any wanton destruction from local vandals (aka a$$-hats).

Here is the second video summarising our exploration . . . enjoy !

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As I had wandered though the hotel (being very careful to leave everything the way I had found it), I did start to think of the number of staff who had toiled here for years on end to keep the place looking good and their guests happy. It was not too difficult to imagine this as a large number of rooms appeared already made with linen / bedding and ready to receive guests.


I wondered about the day this place did close . . . how did management inform their staff - was it emotional, did it come as a surprise? I should think that staff would have seen the writing on the wall for some time (and many knew that doors would be closing eventually) - the closing of the kitchens in 2005, no expenditures provided for upgrades or repairs, and finally the long parade of dismal reviews by guests - some of which may be found here.

It must have been as cheery as working at a funeral home or perhaps keeping bar on a sinking ship - taking unending complaints from guests and knowing that the owners in Calagary would do absolutely nothing about it.

From the reviews I had, . . erm . . reviewed, it appears that the pool had also been closed down in the last year or so of the Sundial's operation due to a broken heater, a broken pump, ad nauseum.

Many poor reviews from guests did arise from the issue around false advertisement - specifically images on the website showing guests enjoying facilities that had since been closed - such as this one to the right.

I rather enjoy empty indoor pools in abandonments - I not sure why. Perhaps it is because these facilities had been witness to so much life before their close . . kids splashing, families playing, etc. And now just a dead husk that presents something almost macabre in its nature.









When one explores a pool room in an abandonment, the first thing one may notice is the distressing lack of any water within the pool itself. While I was snapping a few images and taking a some video, I thought about how staff may have drained the pool and perhaps even pulled the pump for a replacement that would never come. To delve further into this, I noticed a narrow stairs which most likely lead to the mechanical room and perhaps the exercise rooms.

I took only one, perhaps two steps down the stairs when something felt odd - specifically it was the sound of my foot-falls on the stairs. I stopped and then saw that the entire basement was approximately waist deep in water . . . given the brightness of the pool area above, it was not immediately noticeable in the darkness below very still waters.

Just glad I did not get a soaker here.

Until next time, safe and happy exploring everyone !

Sundial Inn

The once-famous Sundial Inn built in the early 1960's was a landmark on the northern edge of Orillia which greeted travelers heading too and returning from vacation in the Muskokas.

This swanky hotel and adjacent restaurant incorporated a 'Googie' or 'Popluxe' design into its architecture (a style which I absolutely love). Googie was a style popular in the late 1950's and 1960's and originated in southern California. This type of futurist architecture, influenced by car culture, and the Space / Atomic Age featured bold angles, upswept roofs (often cantilevered), geometric designs, colourful signs, and daring use of glass, steel, and neon.









Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for this post's purpose), very little effort was made to renovate and update the Sundial Inn. With business starting to decline, the Inn was sold to Travelodge in the mid 1990's. This was a time when area business was beginning to pick up with Casino Rama (located a short drive away) becoming a popular destination.











Again, unfortunately, the new owners did very little to improve the facilities at the Inn. A small tower was added to increase the number of rooms to just under a hundred for the increased demand for accommodations from the nearby Casino.











By 2004, the round 'Googie-riffic' restaurant had closed it's doors and Travel Advisor members were already cautioning would-be guests not to venture into the pool. Coupled with the opening of the luxury 300-room hotel at Casino Rama, the end was in site.










Last year, the courtesy shuttle, operated by the Casino was canceled which may very well have been the last nail in the coffin. The Sundial Inn closed its doors on Friday 1st, 2008.











There was an interest to have the Sundial redeveloped to serve as a senior's residence but that too had fallen through. Lamentable as it is, there is very little nostalgia in Central Ontario for a wonderful hotel such as this. I can only hope that the wrecker's ball will spare the sundial on the restaurant's roof.

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UPDATE -

Approximately 4 hours after JFK and I left the saucer-shaped canopy at the Sundial Inn caved, tearing a hole in the roof.
Fire & Emergency as well as the mayor attended the scene to survey the damage. A combination of snow load and metal fatigue are thought to be contributing factors.
Royal Host, the owner has fenced the area off and are collecting repair estimates . . . I personally think they would rather see the buildings demolished and the property sold.

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Odd to think that I may have been one of the last people to walk though the restaurant entryway before the structural collapse. I also have a feeling that a few people are riding on my coat-tails on this one . . .

The old place is starting to get a lot of attention from the Orillia Packet & Times as well as the Orillia Municipal Heritage Committee. I hate to tell Joanna Fonseca (past chair of the Committee shown below snapping a pic) that the only way to save this building is to amputate the hotel and find a developer willing to drop a lot of money into restoration of a unique 'retro-trendy' restaurant.