Hamilton building collapse at downtown park could've had 'terrifying' consequences, mayor says

Two buildings that collapsed by Hamilton's Gore Park early Monday morning were slated for demolition in 2013, only to be saved after heritage advocates pushed for a different development plan to restore their facades.

But the buildings have sat boarded up and fenced off since then. On Monday morning, facades collapsed into a pile of rubble on the sidewalk.

The collapse exposed the interior rooms to passersby, who gaped at the massive hole. A Hamilton police officer on the scene told CBC Hamilton that calls came in around 6 a.m. reporting the collapse. 

Firefighters were also on scene investigating to determine, along with police, the "severity of the compromised building," Hamilton police posted on social media. 

Mayor Andrea Horwath and city manager Marnie Cluckie visited the site Monday and told reporters no one was injured. 

Horwath said city officials who are investigating currently "don't know a hell of a lot" about how the collapse happened and are investigating. She's asked them to try to save whatever they can of heritage value.

"It's a loss for the city," Horwath said. 

Nearby Remembrance Day ceremonies were held at the cenotaph a block east later that morning.

The day before, hundreds of people had walked by the buildings for the garrison parade, Horwath said. 

"I cringe at the thought of what could've happened had this devastating incident occurred yesterday," she said. "I feel speechless to be honest with you."

Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch surveyed the damage Monday as well, and told CBC Hamilton that firefighters have been using drones to assess the damage. He said they won't know for sure what caused the collapse until they excavate through the fallen material.

He said the interiors appear to have been exposed to the elements for some time. 

"Demolition by neglect is my basic understanding of what happened here," he said.

The buildings that collapsed were part of a swath between 18 and 28 King St. E. that was set for a $120-million-development announced in 2012.