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Cob maintenance 2026
March 25, 2026
looking west
looking east
tape on the ground
March 27, 2026
From: Erella <wow@erella.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Subject: OH NO! -the crumbling cob kitchen
To: Jutta Mason <juttamason@gmail.com>, Kaitlin Wainwright <Kaitlin.Wainwright2@toronto.ca>, Kunal Chaudhary <kchau095@gmail.com>, Sami Safarian <samison2013@gmail.com>, Donna Densmore <Donna.Densmore@toronto.ca>, Em Wong <Em.Wong@toronto.ca>, Alejandra Bravo <Alejandra.Bravo@toronto.ca>, Heidrun Gabel-Koepff <heidrungk@directbox.com>, Erin George <egeorge@ymail.com>, Carmelo Bonacci <Carmelo.Bonacci@toronto.ca>, Cynthia French <cynthia@onegirl.ca>, V M <vivandmike@hotmail.com>
Cc: Georgie Donais <georgie@mutablearts.ca>, Skylar hill-jackson <skylarhilljackson@gmail.com>
I am horrified to see the state of the cob kitchen. I haven’t looked at in some months.
I am including some other people in the conversation. This is an extraordinary part of our park.
I have reminded people in charge that this needs some imminent attention but looking at the photos I realize this is more of an urgent matter now.
First of all, Georgie, do you know anyone that might be a cob expert that can help give us some advice about how to repair this?
Peter Thillaye no longer lives close to the park but perhaps we could get his help.
For years, I said to Howie and other park folks that I suspected that the city was allowing it fall into disrepair so there is no choice but to remove the entire gorgeous structure. I brought it up last week at the meeting with Councillor Bravo and in January at the meeting at St Mary’s about the state of the park.
What is best, should we get a group together that might be prepared to work on it? Should we send a message to my dufferin list or the dufferin FB page or the other social media avenues?
I am sure there are lots of engaged folks that would love to work together to get the cob restored to its former glory.
Erella
March 27, 2026
From: Kaitlin Wainwright <Kaitlin.Wainwright2@toronto.ca>
Date: Fri, Mar 27, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Subject: RE: OH NO! -the crumbling cob kitchen
To: Erella <wow@erella.com>, Jutta Mason <juttamason@gmail.com>, Kunal Chaudhary <kchau095@gmail.com>, Sami Safarian <samison2013@gmail.com>, Donna Densmore <Donna.Densmore@toronto.ca>, Em Wong <Em.Wong@toronto.ca>, Alejandra Bravo <Alejandra.Bravo@toronto.ca>, Heidrun Gabel-Koepff <heidrungk@directbox.com>, Erin George <egeorge@ymail.com>, Carmelo Bonacci <Carmelo.Bonacci@toronto.ca>, Cynthia French <cynthia@onegirl.ca>, V M <vivandmike@hotmail.com>, Andrew Bell <Andrew.Bell@toronto.ca>
Cc: Georgie Donais <georgie@mutablearts.ca>, Skylar hill-jackson <skylarhilljackson@gmail.com>, Jason Foss <Jason.Foss@toronto.ca>, Michelle Reid (Parks) <Michelle.Reid@toronto.ca>
Good afternoon Jutta, Erella and community:
I’m adding in a few of our Parks colleagues into this discussion – Jason, Andrew and Michelle. We will discuss over the coming days and get back to the group.
Kaitlin
March 28, 2026
From: Georgie Donais <georgie@mutablearts.ca>
Date: Sat, Mar 28, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Subject: Re: OH NO! -the crumbling cob kitchen
To: Erella <wow@erella.com>
Cc: Kaitlin Wainwright <Kaitlin.Wainwright2@toronto.ca>, Jutta Mason <juttamason@gmail.com>, Kunal Chaudhary <kchau095@gmail.com>, Sami Safarian <samison2013@gmail.com>, Donna Densmore <Donna.Densmore@toronto.ca>, Em Wong <Em.Wong@toronto.ca>, Alejandra Bravo <Alejandra.Bravo@toronto.ca>, Heidrun Gabel-Koepff <heidrungk@directbox.com>, Erin George <egeorge@ymail.com>, Carmelo Bonacci <Carmelo.Bonacci@toronto.ca>, Cynthia French <cynthia@onegirl.ca>, V M <vivandmike@hotmail.com>, Andrew Bell <Andrew.Bell@toronto.ca>, Skylar hill-jackson <skylarhilljackson@gmail.com>, Jason Foss <Jason.Foss@toronto.ca>, Michelle Reid (Parks) <Michelle.Reid@toronto.ca>
Hey all,
It is indeed distressing to see how the cob kitchen is currently fairing. I was by a couple of weeks ago and saw the damage first hand. There used to be staff with the know-how and the mandate to look after the cob, but I sense that those resources are no longer as available as they once were. A few years ago, a couple of citizens who were recent architecture grads came up with a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate and maintain the structure which they then submitted to the city, but I'm not sure if they ever received a reply.
As a Canadian manifestation of community-building projects that have taken hold in cities like Portland, Seattle and elsewhere, the cob kitchen stands as an example of on-the-ground civic engagement that many communities aspire to. The cob kitchen has appeared in at least two books about urban building innovation, is a local tourist attraction, and over the years has caught attention from the wider world. The question is whether Torontonians and the City of Toronto consider this structure a valuable and valued part of the city's built environment as well.
If the structure is to be saved, then there are several options, including:
-- Retaining the current structure: reorganizing the roof to remove the need for shingles/shakes, remodeling the area above the fridge and the green roof on the west side, bolstering the arch, and then replastering the whole shebang
-- Reducing the footprint: removing part of eastern curlicue to improve sightlines, fixing the fridge and green roof area, addressing the arch, and rejigging the roof structure to accept plaster, before replastering
-- Reducing the footprint and shortening the wall: removing part of the east curlicue and the arch, and bringing the whole structure to a little above counter height, along with reshaping the top of the wall into a curve to accept plaster.
Each of these options meets different needs, requires different resources, and is more or less labour-intensive. There are decisions to be made depending on the outcomes desired.
As the wall's original designer and project lead, I have a deep love for this structure and the memories we created together as a community. With the city's support, I would be more than happy to talk further, and be involved in renovations if consensus is reached about moving forward. The next building season would be this summer, so plans would need to be made very soon. In the meantime, the potential of arch collapse should be taken seriously. In my opinion, the arch must be completely blocked off/filled in with wooden cribbing as soon as possible, so that children cannot approach or transit through the arch, and to offer some structural support. The exposed top surface should be covered with plastic or tar paper sheets to reduce water infiltration and allow the arch to dry until the next step is determined (do not completely wrap the arch).
Is the city ok to go ahead and secure the arch asap, and then chat about next steps?
Georgie
April 3, 2026
new tape up