It's amazing how much the landscape can change in a matter of days.
On Monday evening, the flat roof atop Walking on A Cloud collapsed. While the West Street store had been closed for over a year, that space had been home to a shoe store for several decades.
But a wicked winter's worth of snow had accumulated on the flat roof and it gave way under the weight at about 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 24.
Orillia Fire Chief Chris Ferry said the force of the collapse blew out the store's papered-up front windows and left one wall leaning into the alley separating it from the former Huronia Trust building.
As a result, city officials deemed the structure unsafe and ordered it to be demolished.
Beginning Wednesday, crews from two local companies — R&F Construction and Morris Shelswell & Sons Excavation — began the demolition of the collapsed structure. It was a difficult job due to low hydro lines and the proximity of nearby structures on one of the city's busiest streets.
It is "sad to see this old building go," Rick Rimkey of R&F Construction said on social media.
Like so many people in Orillia, he recalled fond memories of going to what was once known as Tudhope Shoes to buy running shoes.
"When demolishing the structure, the exterior walls had the old 8 x 8 post-and-beam structure with wide planks for exterior walls," he said, noting the building was reportedly once a horse stall.
"It was very cool as it makes you think back in the past what the building was used for," he said.
West Street, which had been closed between Mississaga Street and Coldwater Road since the collapse, was reopened Friday evening.
This is the second demolition of a downtown building within six weeks.
On Jan. 21, the landmark building at the corner of Peter and Mississaga streets burned down; the $4-million blaze destroyed the building. It was systematically demolished in the days and weeks after the blaze
Ferry says significant snow fall this winter has already caused fire crews to respond to several similar incidents around Orillia.
Earlier this month, the roof of a modular home on West Street collapsed, while a large greenhouse was also destroyed by snow. On Sunday night, two large structures, each home to about 30 boats, collapsed at Starport Marina in Ramara Township.