The R.L. Hearn Generating Station is under threat of demolition. The City of Toronto received an application to demolish the building in August, but Heritage Toronto was only recently made aware of its submission.

Peter Kuitenbrouwer of the National Post

Hearn was featured in our heritage photo exhibit, Building Storeys, in February this year. Industrial heritage is often seen as gritty, and not as "valuable" as other types of heritage, but it is a key part to Toronto's growth as a city. Hearn has had a prominent place on our waterfront for many years, and serves as a reminder of our waterfront's industrial past, and should be preserved with a new purpose to bring it into the future.

The City of Toronto has recognized the historical importance of Hearn and it is listed under the Inventory of Heritage Properties.

Here are photos and information from Building Storeys:

Building Date: 1949-51, 1959-1961
Architects: The Stone and Webster Engineering Company
Current Owner: Ontario Power Generation
Location: 440 Unwin Avenue

The Richard L. Hearn Generating Station is an important landmark in the Port Lands Industrial District, an area that was developed in the early 20th century.

Planned in the 1940s, the Station was strategically located near the lake for the convenient receipt of coal by ship. It was named for Richard Lancaster Hearn, an engineer, nuclear power entrepreneur, and the Chairman of Ontario Hydro from 1955-1956.

On its opening in 1951, the Plant became the largest thermal-electric station in Canada. Constructed of structural steel, reinforced concrete slab floors and brick infill walls, it housed four coal-fired generating units which supplied 188 000 kilowatts of power to the province. Another four generating units were added from 1959-1961.

In the early 1970s, and partly in response to increased complaints about air pollution, a larger smokestack was built to disperse the plants pollutants over a broader area. By 1994, the Station had ceased operations.

In 2002, Ontario Power Generation leased the Hearn Generating Station and a portion of the adjoining land for use as a film studio. In 2008, the new Portlands Energy Centre, powered by natural gas and steam, was opened on the Station's lands. Today, the Richard L. Hearn Generating Station faces an uncertain future.

City Council has a motion tabled to request a public meeting to discuss alternatives to demolition for this significant property, which will be voted on Thursday, December 16th.

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2011.MM2.2 

Photo: Hearn in the 1960s. City of Toronto Archives, Series 1057, Item 751