Black Walnut Café hits major milestone in rebuilding after fire in London, Ont.

The owners of Black Walnut Bakery Café have finished their application for a municipal Heritage Alteration Permit, allowing them to take the next steps toward rebuilding the iconic local eatery following a devastating fire in the spring.

“The wheels have been turning,” co-owner Mandy Etheridge said. “Heritage has been so great to help us along to make sure that we would go quickly once we submitted and they’re giving their thumbs up.”

The Wortley Village mainstay was ravaged by a morning fire April 16, with damages estimated at $2 million. London Police charged a 20-year-old local man with arson with disregard to human life and arson causing damage to property in relation to the fire.

Plans for the new building closely resembles the original 145-year-old structure, with minor alterations, such as straightening out the back corner, where Etheridge and her brother, the building’s owners, believe the fire started.

“In terms of facade and visuals for heritage purposes, we kept it pretty much identical,” Etheridge said. “We want that iconic, old building in that spot, we want to stay true to what it was. And so we’re really not stepping out of the bounds of what was previously there.”

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Etheridge says the commitment to retaining the building’s original character has made working with heritage planning a smooth operation.

The report from city staff reads, “The proposed new building doesn’t replicate the former building but reflects its spirit.”

The new design will also retain the café’s popular sidewalk seating and bring the building up to code while retaining the character of the interior.

“We kind of had some bottleneck areas in the previous location because of the tightness of it,” Etheridge said. “All in all though, we’re keeping true to what was there.”

Progress on the rebuild has been quick, with work beginning the same day as the fire.

“When it all happened in April, we said, ‘we have to be open in a year,’ so that was our mindset going in,” Etheridge said. “Of course, there’s going to be issues, what happens happens. But my brother and I are just squeaky wheels, and we’ll keep working hard and try to get open as soon as possible.”

As it stands, the plan is to have the café rebuilt before summer of 2024.

Community support has been a driving factor behind the speed of the rebuild, with Etheridge reporting that she’s received “dozens of emails” from supporters asking about the progress.

“It’s not just our building, it’s a community building, it’s our community hub, it’s the place in Wortley that brings everyone together. Their words of encouragement and support have just fuelled us to get this push through as quickly as possible and get rebuilt.”

The application goes before the community advisory committee Aug. 9. After that, a building permit is required, then construction can begin.