$20M apartment building rises from ashes of Tara Hall

Thirty-five years after Tara Hall was destroyed by fire, a new five-storey building is rising on the site at 110 Pim St. behind the Algonquin Hotel.

Toronto-based developer Steve Perzia originally envisioned a 72-apartment building when he got his first approvals from the city in 2017.

By 2021, his approved design had swelled to 103 apartments.

This month, Perzia's One Ten Pim Inc. persuaded the city's committee of adjustment to add five more residential units inside the same building envelope, bringing the total number of apartments to 108.

The committee also agreed to eliminate 22 of the 135 required parking spaces.

"The proposed parking reduction to 113 spaces is appropriate for the property, especially considering its downtown location," said a report prepared by city staff.

"A full range of commercial and institutional amenities are located in the downtown within close proximity to the proposed development site.

"Many people who do not drive, own a car, or prefer to walk or cycle, choose to live in the downtown due to its walkability and close proximity to a variety of amenities.

"Experience has shown that a parking ratio of one space per unit is ample for residential developments located within the downtown area.

"Both council and the committee of adjustment have approved previous residential developments with a parking ratio of one space/unit within the downtown," the report said.

Tara Hall was built in 1912 and was considered the oldest local apartment building of its kind when fire struck on Nov. 2, 1987.

It was boarded up and left vacant, eventually leaving behind only the foundation, which many locals referred to as the Sault's Stonehenge.

The foundation was removed in 2022.

"Walking into that smoke was like walking into a wall," recalls SooToday's Carol Martin, who lived on the building's third floor at the time of the fire and was credited in media reports with saving at least one life as she fled the flames.

Known then as Carol Behnka, Martin was studying political science and philosophy at what was then Algoma University College.

"Being in the smoke was like being in another world because it was so thick," she remembers.

"Tara Hall was very run-down when I lived in Apartment R, but I really appreciated being able to live in a place with such character on a student's budget."

"It was the oldest multi-residential building in Sault Ste. Marie. It was all heavy oak and crystal chandeliers, with the staircase from Gone with the Wind. It was very romantic, if you looked past the prostitutes and drug dealers."

Developer Perzia is a former Saultite with a long history in the local rental housing scene.

He started by developing 42 units at 615 Albert St. W., then 18 units at 555 Albert St. W.

Perzia also built a 70-unit building at 100 James St., 126 units at 70 East St. and 80 units in the nine-storey building at 700 Bay St.

Construction at 110 Pim St. is expected to continue into the new year.