Urban historian Paul Moore isn’t buying into the notion that a historic Yonge Street address with the track record of being a revolving door for various businesses is cursed — even though he dined at a popular Thai restaurant in the building the same day a wall there collapsed.

The outer wall of a unit above Tatami Sushi, adjacent to the Thai joint and popular Ryerson University hangout Salad King, crumbled in April 2010 almost a year before a fire, set by a serial arsonist, gutted the century-old heritage building that was once home to the historic Empress Hotel.

The site has a storied history of being home to an eclectic mix of establishments, including a bakery, electronics store, a live music hot spot, and most recently a series of restaurants and — following the building’s demise — a food truck pop-up.

“The history of that site is the history of change at Yonge-Dundas,” said Moore, a professor at neighbouring Ryerson University.

“If there is a sense of that corner being cursed it’s because people are unsure of the future of Yonge Street and how Yonge Street fits into the future of downtown at a time when Yonge-Dundas is no longer the heart of it all,” Moore said.

Moore, and an official with a downtown business improvement group, are excited for what’s next on the menu for 335 Yonge St.: a 30-storey mixed-use condo, retail and commercial development, earmarked for the site which has been vacant for several years.

An application by 2160943 Ontario Ltd., a numbered company connected to the Lalani Group, seeks to build a tower over four storeys of retail/commercial space. The building would also have 165 residential units, including 26 studio units, 70 one-bedroom units, 52 two-bedroom units and 17 three-bedroom units. It proposes no vehicle parking spaces, and makes space for 222 bicycle parking spaces.

“A redevelopment in that location is needed because its sort of a space in the dental work,” said Mark Garner, CEO and executive director of the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area.

“This is one that has been out there before and I’m glad to see that there is an application in place, so we can hopefully address that corner,” he said, adding he hopes to see elements of the design factoring in its old roots.

The site had started out as a bakery in 1847, before morphing into the Empress Hotel in 1888.

In the later half of the last century, it became home to many establishments, including Strata shoes and Frank’s Gourmet Hot Dog Restaurant. Eventually, it became home to Salad King, a happening and successful Thai food eatery, which operated at the site for many years and Moore says debunks the idea of an evil eye watching the corner.

“It gave Salad King an opportunity to expand and really become an institution in the neighbourhood,” Moore said of the restaurant now located across the street.

The city denied attempts made by Lalani Group to get a demolition permit for the historic building in 2010.

But then the building saw a run of bad luck in 2010 and 2011 with the wall collapse and arson, netting the property the myth as a cursed site, Moore said.

In January 2011, a six-alarm fire ravaged the landmark, mere months after the building was designated as being of cultural heritage interest.

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At the time the brown bricks came tumbling down, the building stood as the only surviving 19th century commercial building along the east side of Yonge Street in the block between Dundas Street East and Gould Street.

It was hailed by city officials as a well-crafted example of a late 19th century commercial building that blends elements of the Second Empire and Romanesque Revival styles.

The property has since become a site for a food truck pop-up that featured more than a dozen vendors.

Garner vows to ensure the history of the site continues to be told by way of a plaque at the new development.

For now, Garner reminisces about the 1970s when he purchased Fleetwood Mac and Steve Miller vinyl anthems from Music World record shop at the property.

“When you go back to the Empress Hotel years and think of the iconic performers that played there, it’s legendary,” Garner said of major U.S. acts, including blues singer and guitarist Bo Diddley, rock and roll musician Bill Haley, the Everly Brothers and Carl Perkins.

Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic

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