July 12th is the last day for Jilly's, the seedy strip club housed in the Broadview Hotel. The days were numbered for the business in the wake of the building being sold to Streetcar Developments in mid May. While the developer has yet to reveal its plans for the building, it was clear from the beginning that Jilly's was not a part of the site's future. The club will host a weeklong farewell party starting this Saturday. Aside from cheap drinks, it's unclear what the nature of the celebrations will be, but I'll let you use your imagination.

In other important news related to the building, next week's city council meeting will see an official heritage designation considered for the site. 704 Queen Street East is already included on the city's list of heritage properties, but it lacks the higher level of protection that comes with a formal heritage title. While it seems that Streetcar is keen to preserve the unique historical character of the building, one suspects that council will grant the designation. The Broadview Hotel might be in desperate need of repairs, but it's an important building to this city, and could play a huge role in a fully revitalized Riverside.

Photo by Dale Roddick