The Pink Building is now gone, but its demolition revealed a glimpse of Barrie’s past

The Pink Building. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.

February 2024

Another part of Barrie’s past has fallen to the wrecking ball. The southern Ontario city of Barrie is like many cities and towns across Canada, with many historic buildings in their downtown core. What became known as the “Pink Building” in recent years, due to the pink paint that covered its exterior, had stood at the corner of what was once Fred Grant Square and Simcoe Street for over 130-years. Now it’s gone, but it’s demolition gave an interesting glance into Barrie’s past.

The demolition revealed that the completely below-grade basement was once a walk-out basement on the south side, something that has only been known to previous occupants of the building and long-time residents of Barrie. Over the decades since its construction, the grade towards the south side of the building has been raised, leaving windows and even an exterior door buried and forgotten, covered up by soil on the outside and brick and plaster on the inside.

The shoreline along Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie’s downtown area has changed over the decades, with landfilling extending the shoreline to accommodate a now-abandoned rail line, addition of a new roadway and finally, Heritage Park, which is where the shoreline currently sits.

History of the “Pink Building”

Built by businessman and newspaper publisher Nathaniel King in 1891, the building began its life as King’s Music Hall, a three-storey, 1000-seat hall that saw numerous singers, quartets, bands and theatrical performers grace its stage. The building had soaring arched windows that reached from the second to the third floor.

Business at King’s Music Hall was great for the first five years, but the opening of the Grand Opera House, one street north on Collier Street, in 1896, cut into its business. By November 1909, the music hall had been transformed into the Crystal Moving Picture Show, where early silent films were shown. King leased the hall to picture show operators Samuel and Theresa Guthrie, both newcomers from Peterborough.

It was not long after the Guthries took over operation of the hall that the top floor was destroyed in a fire that was later determined to be arson for the insurance money. On the evening of 17 November 1909, at around 10 pm, Barrie Fire Department responded to a fire at the Guthrie residence on Thompson Street. The Guthrie family weren’t home at the time, so the fire was reported by neighbours.

While still tending to the fire at the Guthrie residence, the fire department received word that King’s Music Hall was also on fire. As it was unusual to have two simultaneous fires in Barrie, combined with suspicious details related to the fire at the Guthrie residence, Mayor James Vair called for an inquest. Led by Coroner Wells, the inquest quickly zeroed in on Theresa Guthrie and her daughter Clara, who were eventually charged with arson and perjury. Samuel Guthrie, who had been away on business in Peterborough, was eliminated as a suspect.

Both charges were eventually withdrawn by the Crown, but not before Theresa has skipped bail and left Barrie, leaving daughter Clara to spend a month in the Barrie Jail before she was released on 23 December, after the charges were thrown out due to a technicality.

The entire Guthrie family left Barrie not long afterwards, ending their brief residency in the town.

In the years afterward, the building, now just known as the King Block, had a variety of different occupants, mainly business offices. After former professional wrestler turned turned osteopathic doctor Edwin Wilson took over the building, after which it was known as the Wilson Building.

The final tenant was Bank of Montreal, who occupied the building from the mid-1960s, until the branch re-located to a new building on Collier Street in 2014.

The Pink Building sat vacant for the next nine years, with various owners attempting to restore and re-purpose the building and its 14,000 square foot space above grade, with a 6,000 square-foot basement, for new use as office space, commercial or retail. Nothing came to fruition, leaving the deteriorating century building in such a poor state that demolition was becoming inevitable.

In an attempt to beatify the dilapidated building in what would be its last two years, the exterior brick was pained pink, thus giving it the Pink Building moniker, along with various removable artworks attached to the walls.

One of the challenges for the demolition contractor, North 7, was the removal of the large bank vault. Fortified by two-foot thick concrete walls and a steel door, removal of the vault required heavy-duty machinery.

The current owner of the property, known municipally as 6 Fred Grant Street and 4 Chase McEchern Way, hair care specialist Marc Anthony, through his company Wynstar Commercial Properties, has yet to announce any re-development plans for the property. For now, it will be turned into a private parking lot.