One of Toronto's first apartment buildings may be about to lose its historic stained glass windows | CBC News

"Tenants of a 111-year-old apartment building in downtown Toronto say they're being told the historic stained glass windows that adorn their units are a fire hazard and must either be removed or altered. "It's heartbreaking because there's so much craftsmanship, so much beauty in the windows," said Lynda Eng, a 20-year resident of the building. "We're losing heritage if they do take the windows out.""

"The inspector noted that the stained glass transom windows, which connect 11 of the building's apartments to short hallways, don't meet the city's fire code. The fire code stipulates the windows must be able to keep a fire from spreading for at least 20 minutes. Stained glass has no fire rating at all, according to Ed Ceaser, a vice-president at Onyx Fire Protection Services in Mississauga, who is not directly involved with the Charles Street case."

"The TFS order says the windows must be made fire safe by Jan. 13. That means either replacing them or covering them with a material that has a 20-minute fire rating, such as wired glass, Ceaser said. The building's managers, 30 Charles Street East Management, told CBC Toronto they intend to fight the TFS order. The company would not agree to an interview but said in an email they may not have the authority to alter elements of the building, since it's a designated heritage site."

Thirty Charles Street E., a 111-year-old downtown Toronto low-rise, has stained-glass transom windows linking 11 apartments to short hallways. A Toronto Fire Service inspector found the windows do not meet the city's fire code requiring 20-minute resistance to fire spread. Stained glass has no fire rating and can break during a fire, potentially allowing flames to spread faster than fire-rated glass. The TFS ordered the windows made fire safe by Jan. 13 by replacing them or covering them with 20-minute-rated material such as wired glass. Building managers plan to contest the order, citing heritage designation and requesting a review.

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