City council approved renovations to Somerset House, which has sat empty since 2007.
City council approved renovations for Somerset House and made one new addition to its heritage register during a Wednesday meeting.
Somerset House is a heritage building on Bank and Somerset streets that partially collapsed in 2007. It sparked lawsuits between the building owner and city over public safety costs.
The approved renovations focus on the north-east corner of the building, which was damaged eight years ago. Plans include restoring the brick exterior and adding a ceiling and glass wall to the top storey of the wall facing Somerset Street.
Architect Derek Crain also plans to include a modern interior, bay windows, and a corner tower, media reports say.
During renovations in October 2007, a supporting beam in the basement collapsed and caused structural damage, says Sally Coutts, a heritage planner with the city.
Firefighters, paramedics and police freed a worker who was trapped in the building for two hours, according to media reports.
Police set up barricades to control vehicle and pedestrian traffic for two months in the surrounding areas while crews used braces to support the unstable building structure.
Building owner Tony Shahrasebi and the city reached an agreement in December 2012, which resulted in Shahrasebi paying the city $650,000 in policing and firefighting costs, media reports say.
The council also added the British American Bank Note Company on Gladstone Avenue, between Preston Street and Parkdale Avenue to its heritage register. The city is also applying to add the Alexander Fleck House at the intersection of Laurier Avenue West and Bronson Avenue to the register.