Condo development at former Hamilton Store Fixtures, flattened by fire, will go ahead as planned

It could be as late as September before a mountain of debris left in the wake of a massive fire at a historic downtown building last month is cleared.

A nearly street-light-high pile of rubble replaced the former Hamilton Store Fixtures on June 18 after an early-morning blaze flattened the century-old building at the corner of King and Caroline streets.

Once famous by virtue of its unsightly brown metal cladding, the iconic site was primed to be flipped into a modern condo tower before the suspicious blaze - which led to a woman being charged with arson - broke out.

And that remains the plan despite cleanup of the structure's remnants projected to take eight weeks.

The project is moving forward as planned with a new building and residences that celebrate the spirit of the site's former life as a radio station," said Vernon Shaw, the Toronto-based developer behind the proposed brick-and-beam residential highrise at 206 King St. W.

Dubbed the Radio Arts" condos - a name invoking the building's former life as a radio station in the 1960s - Shaw plans to erect a 13-storey, 122-unit tower marketed toward young professionals at the site.

Downtown councillor Jason Farr previously said the developer planned to begin building in the fall.

But the group still needs some permits from the city that will allow a professional cleanup crew to clear their property of debris, Shaw said.

While the historical building was a total loss from the fire, Shaw said he hopes to incorporate some of its past in the new highrise.

Our design team will continue to seek opportunities to incorporate elements that celebrate the original building's brick-and-bream architecture and life as a former Hamilton broadcasting station," the president of Canlight Realty and Radio Arts said.

Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com