It has stood for more than a century in what is now the Stouffville GO station parking lot.

But in May the town's historic grain elevator will be demolished, after both the Whitchurch-Stouffville council and Metrolinx, which runs GO Transit, conceded that years of searching for a way to re-purpose, refurbish or move the fading structure have failed.

The grain elevator will be torn down as part of a GO parking lot makeover. The removal will make room for a few more cars, but Metrolinx says public safety, not parking, is the main reason for the demolition.

Although it has no official heritage designation, the grain elevator is a devastating loss for residents who have a deep affection for the landmark that reminds them of Stouffville's rural roots, said Darlene Shaw, of the town's heritage advisory committee. She remembers visiting the elevator for feed and fertilizer as a child.

"This is a huge piece of our heritage we're losing. We haven't been pro-active in our heritage. We've lost so much. Where do we stop? If we don't set a precedent now, we're in huge trouble. It's a shame because once it's gone, it's gone," she said Wednesday.

From a distance, the three-storey grain elevator looks charming. Up close, its paint is peeling and the interior has been breached by critters and water.

Heritage advocates like Shaw blame GO for failing to care for the structure it acquired from CN 20 years ago. It was leased by the Co-op for the ensuing 10 years but has been vacant for a decade.

"We understand how people are attached to those kinds of landmarks, but it's basically been unused for decades and, as it's dried out (with) no occupancy, it becomes a fire hazard," said Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig, who said local fire officials were the first to flag safety concerns.

"We think it's the right thing to move on now... particularly as we're making investments in the parking at the GO station, which is desired by the community as well," he said.

Its a kind of loss that's inevitable in a town forced to reconcile its rural roots with the modern realities of public liability and tight budgets, said Mark Pourvahidi, Stouffville's acting chief administrative officer.

Metrolinx faces a real liability issue and has fenced off the grain elevator to keep people out, he said.

Its offer of up to $1 million to help move the 1,690-square-foot building or dismantle and store it until a new home can be found wouldn't nearly cover the $2 million cost of policing, moving hydro lines and building a new foundation — even if the town had found it a new home.

"The community would have liked to see this saved and preserved for future generations. The end decision is all about the dollars and cents. If you had $2 million, would you want to preserve heritage or spend it on roads, sidewalks and facilities?" said Pourvahidi, adding that Stouffville has grown from 18,000 people 17 years ago to about 45,000 now.

Records show construction on the grain elevator began in 1886. It's believed to be one of only five remaining in Ontario.

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"There are good examples of (grain elevators) that have been retained and used to emphasize the landmark for small towns," said Bob Curgenven, of the heritage advisory committee.

Stouffville looked at ideas to preserve it, ranging from making it a tourist centre with a climbing wall, to moving it to a park or using it to house boutiques. None of them materialized, he said.

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