While strip clubs in America battle district committees and even a few courts for the right to exist, one of Toronto‘s oldest strip clubs is being considered for heritage recognition for its role in establishing the character of an area once known as “Sin Strip.”
The Toronto Preservation Board is recommending the City’s Planning and Housing Committee to designate the building which has housed the Brass Rail Tavern on Toronto’s Yonge Street since the 1950s, under the Ontario Heritage Act. The protection would preserve the properties at 699 and 707 Yonge St. — including the entrance address at 701 Yonge St.
“Located on the east side of Yonge Street south of Hayden Street, the properties contain a three-story brick row building constructed in 1887, and include the strip club now known as the Brass Rail Tavern,” reports blogTO.
Originally founded in 1948 as a family-friendly restaurant, the Brass Rail Tavern became a full-time adult venue in the late 60s and early 70s. The establishment was fundamental in the nicknaming of Yonge Street as “Sin Strip,” as other strip clubs and “body rub parlous” followed suit, and the street gained the reputation of being indecent for the general public. Now, Sin Strip is being recognized for its prominence in Toronto’s urban history.
“The subject properties were listed on the Heritage Register in March 2016 and included in the Historic Yonge Heritage Conservation District, which is currently under appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal,” shares blogTo.
The city’s planning committee will be reviewing the Toronto Preservation Board’s recommendation at their meeting on Nov. 30. This is a developing story.
Read the original story on blogTO here.
