Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Blog Guelph: Inferno
It was anything but a Good Friday last April that saw the Gummer and Victoria buildings on Douglas Street go up in flames.
Since that time, someone has been charged with the crime, businesses have, for the most part, relocated and Douglas Street is pulling itself out of the ashes.
These 6 pics are ones not previously blogged so as not to repeat ourselves. You'll see Douglas Street in both devastation and in happier times.
And, if I weren't such a luddite, I'd be able to display this enhanced photo of the proposed rebuild. But I am, so you'll have to click to see what might be.
I have my own reaction, and you?
-Downtown Lynn-
Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Lost
What remains...
Labels: cinnamon gurl, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: From the Archives
Labels: dezso, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Gummer Glory
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Blog Guelph: Happier Days on Douglas Street
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Blog Guelph: A New Beginning
One of the proprietors of Stelle at the then new location of their beautiful pink dress shop.
They were burned out in less than 6 months.
Labels: dezso, Gummer Building Fire
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Friday, April 13, 2007
Blog Guelph: Gummer Bummer
The various powers that be are offering assurances that the beautiful facades lining Douglas Street will remain intact - which of course includes the Gummer Building.
Post fire photo by Gordon Jennings. Click the pic to see his full photostream.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Blog Guelph: Non-Smoking Building
We have a stunning beautiful city filled with talented, creative people. It was been pure pleasure for me to compile this collection of Guelph photographs and introduce the talent behind the many cameras to a larger audience.
Please keep snapping and I'll keep blogging.
When VW Busman was permitted access to the Gummer Building yesterday, he grabbed this shot of the Gummer Building No Smoking Policy.
For your viewing convenience, I've neatly filed all the Blog Guelph 'Fire in Downtown Guelph' photos here.
See you tomorrow.
Sue Richards
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Blog Guelph: Douglas Street Fire Aftermath
Okay - I lied.
Gummer Building tenant VW Busman aka Barking Dog Studio's co-owner just posted these shots - which I decided to post because the next three are from inside the building.
This sad sight is Blog Guelph's 1,000 photo.
Sue Richards
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Fouth Floor of Gummer Building
There's a story in the Guelph Mercury today - about the fire and citizen journalists. Blog Guelph gets a mention....
Downtown fire draws citizen journalists
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: John Gummer
The late Johnny Gummer.
Click the pic.....
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Stairway Waterfall
I emailed Charlie Fox, my Hillside Festival co-worker from the 80's to tell him the state of our previous office in the Gummer Building. Charlie lost the first 20 years of his work to a fire on Quebec Street - the 15th anniversary of which just passed.
He gave me permission to post his eloquent response.
"Sad indeed - not the way to reno the old Hillside office. Ed Video was incorporated in the law offices just upstairs from the Hillside closet. I even had an office in the back end of the building - the basement suite - before heading out to Saskatchewan. Many artists have had creative digs in the Gummer."
"What a great old building and what a typical Guelph demise. These events are such a loss for the folks that have their studios and offices."
"It was 15 years ago on March 21 since the fire that fried my first twenty years of art practice. But I also remember the love and support the community gave me after that arson-generated mess. Those multiple acts of kindness have always stayed with me as indication of how caring people can really be and how important friendship is to living one's life. A town with a big heart."
"History makes Guelph a bad place as a firetrap, but the creative community made Guelph as good a place as could be for suffering from a fire."
Thanks Charlie.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Before The Fire Jumps
Okay - I said slowly shift our focus from the downtown fire...
Here are three more photos shot during and after the Not So Good Friday fire in downtown Guelph. The first two were taken between 4 am and 5 am, when the fire jumped to the roof of the Gummer.
FireFighting News had this to report on the fire.
Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Fire Jumps To Gummer
Photographer Conni Filteau admitted, "'Twas awful to witness live."
Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Power to Restore
Here's what I'm wondering. Just what kind of power will be needed to restore one of Guelph's most beautiful streets?
Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Monday, April 09, 2007
Blog Guelph: Another Day Dawns
Today's series of 11 photos continue to focus on the Not So Good Friday fire in Downtown Guelph.
The fine folk of Barking Dog Studio's, formerly located on the third floor of the Gummer Building, and friendly host of this blog, have found a temporary home. This link will get you their current coordinates..
The Mercury has a front page story on the fire in today's paper titled: After the Flames.
The Gummer Building had been for sale for the last six months. Let's hope that the owners don't dump the idea of restoration prematurely, take the insurance money and walk away.
Sue Richards
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Frozen Smoke
Welcome to another new Blog Guelph photographer - Brandelicious worked in the Douglas Street building. Click the photo....
Here's another helpful link from the Downtown Board. If you want to help out the tentants from this fire, efforts are being coordinated.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: All Hail the Guelph Firefighters
Downtown Lynn encourages Guelph firefighter worshiping.
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Labels: Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Fire Inside Out
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Labels: Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Guelph Fire Aftermath
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Douglas Street Fire in Guelph
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Labels: Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Loss
Denis McAuliffe was the elevator operator in the Gummer Building. Yes, you read that correctly - elevator operator.
I can only image what he must be feeling as he watches 'his building' burn.
Photo Credit: Dave Steele from Barking Dog Studio
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Labels: Guelph People, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Barking Dog Studios
If you click on this picture, you'll get additional 'insider info' about the offices of Barking Dog Studios.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Guelph Firefighters
Heros in action.....
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Labels: Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Friday, April 06, 2007
Blog Guelph: Fire in Downtown Guelph
I just returned from my first face to face with the Gummer Building. Water was pouring from the front door like a creek runs in the spring. Smoke puffed out from the roofless building - And Venus Smiled was not.
A bunch of men in hard hats mapped out the location of the more permanent barrier that will replace the yellow police tape while firemen milled about. The woman standing beside me was a tenant from the building. She had little to say yet spoke volumes with her body. I simply felt numb.
Hillside Festival had their first office in the basement of the Gummer - maybe in 1987. I'm being generous when I call it an office - in fact it was a closet of another grassroot Guelph group. Charlie Fox and I shared the cramped space for several month as the festival's first employees. We had to synchronize our comings and goings or risk bruising.
If you're interested, here are more fire related links for you to explore.
The City of Guelph Media Release
Ward Two City Council member Ian Finlay posted an excellent historical overview of the three buildings involved in the blaze.
This is the link for all the Blog Guelph Gummer Building Fire Photos.
Sue Richards
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Fire In Downtown Guelph
Downtown Guelph suffers a tremendous blow with a major fire in the downtown core.
More photos from the backside (Old Quebec Street) of the Gummer building as the building continues to burn hours later. Check links in earlier posts for media stories.
Photo by Downtown Lynn - what a sad day for Guelph.....
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Labels: downtown Guelph, Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Guelph Fireman Fights Blaze
Photo by Downtown Lynn.
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Labels: Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Gummer Building Devastated By Fire
Photo by Downtown Lynn.
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Labels: Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Guelph Fire Burns On
Sad Photo by Downtown Lynn.
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Labels: Downtown Lynn, Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Fire Destroys Gummer Building in Downtown Guelph
As you will see by the next dozen photos, downtown Guelph suffered a tremendous loss last night by way of a fire in the block of buildings on Douglas Street. Firefighters are still on the scene.
One of Blog Guelph's Flickr guys also happens to be a partner in Barking Dog Studio - a current tenant in the Gummer Building. Chris, aka VW Busman posted this, along with several photos on his Flickr page this morning.
"It's never good news when the alarm company calls you a 3:30am, but early this morning it was as bad as it gets. The Gummer Building, our home from 9-5 (and usually later), for the last 10 years was severely damaged by a fire. Our office on the third floor doesn't look like it was on fire, but there is no longer a roof on the building, thus we can assume a massive amount of smoke and water damage."
"It's a sad day for Guelph and those who work on Douglas Street."
Yes indeed Chris - a very sad day.....
Sue Richards
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Labels: downtown Guelph, Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Guelph Mercury Reports on Fire
Photo Credit:VW Busman - for more images - click the pic.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Downtown Guelph Fire Up in Smoke
Here's another Gummer Building Fire story from The Fountain Pen.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Gummer Building Business People
Photo Credit:VW Busman - for more images - click the pic.
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Blog Guelph: A Sad Day in Guelph
Thanks to Tony Leighton for sending these photos my way - as devastating as they are.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire
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Blog Guelph: Downtown Guelph Fire on Douglas
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Blog Guelph: Downtown Guelph Fire
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Blog Guelph: Downtown Guelph Water Damage
And Venus Smiled isn't....Photo Credit: Tony Leighton
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Blog Guelph: Downtown Guelph Gummer Building
The Gummer Building was the first home of the Hillside Festival.Photo Credit: Tony Leighton
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Blog Guelph: Downtown Guelph Fire Fighting Action
Photo Credit:VW Busman - for more images - click the pic.
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Labels: Gummer Building Fire, vw-busman
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Blog Guelph: Guelph Gummer Building Burns
Photo Credit:VW Busman - for more images - click the pic.
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Blog Guelph: Guelph Gummer Building Burns
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