Even before the old Empress Hotel burned to the ground two weeks ago, Yonge and Gould was a neighborhood in need of help.

Despite the Herculean efforts of nearby Ryerson University, which has led the charge to civilize the area, this stretch of Yonge remains as seedy as ever. A certain amount of seediness is to be expected, of course, especially in a precinct that likes to think of itself as Toronto’s Times Square.

But Times Square, 42nd St. and environs have all been cleaned up now, and the same should happen here. As the recent conflagration made depressingly clear, Canada’s Main Street has not been well treated, as often as not, even by those who have most invested in its fortunes.

The problem isn’t new; back in the dying days of the old City of Toronto, council expropriated the land on the east side of Yonge, north and south of Dundas, to halt the neighbourhood’s decline. The result — the brilliant Dundas Square and the not-so-brilliant building to the north, Toronto Life Square — were intended to begin a renewal process that remains incomplete.

The next big move will be the Ryerson Student Learning Centre, now being designed by the innovative Norwegian architectural form, Snøhetta. It will occupy the north corner of Yonge and Gould, where Sam the Record Man used to be. Given its credits — Oslo Opera House, the Alexandria Library — Snøhetta can be counted on to produce something memorable, even striking.

Now there’s the question of the south side of Yonge and Gould, a burnt-out hulk that will be a key to future development. Best-case scenario would be for Ryerson to acquire the land and enlarge its presence on Yonge. It and the student centre would form an obvious entrance to the campus. But at $20 million, the site is beyond Ryerson’s means.

Keeping in mind that much of Gould between Yonge and Church was closed off to vehicular traffic last year, the development potential is enormous. Gould’s role as the university’s main drag has been enshrined in bylaw.

Ryerson president Sheldon Levy has had his eye on the site for some time.

“We’ve had discussions about the property with various members of the Lalani family” — which own the now destroyed building — “for the last two years,” Levy reports. “There was never any sense they wanted to sell. But we could not afford anything like another Snøhetta building without a private partnership of some form. We’d love to see great architecture there; it’s so important to the city that Yonge Street is vibrant.”

Levy also points out that whatever is built will be an ideal location for another entrance to the Dundas subway station, the one most used by Ryerson students. As he notes, the existing ways in and out are not quite adequate to the task.

Beyond this there are issues on the west side of Yonge north of Dundas, which feels ratty and unkempt. Buildings such as The Atrium on Bay, Toronto Life Square and the Eaton Centre bring little to the area. None addresses the street, or quite connects to the larger city. Though the Eaton Centre has some memorable interior spaces, most notably the Galleria, the other two buildings have nothing to recommend them.

Against such odds, remaking Yonge/Dundas won’t be easy. But whatever happens, the Gould sites are critical. One has been taken care of, one remains. In light of recent history, the city must pay very close attention to make sure we don’t get burned again.

Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca