As neighbours and students from St. Joseph-Scollard Hall watched the home of the late Merle Dickerson being dismantled, the lyrics from John Mellencamp’s song ‘Crumblin' Down’ may have best described the action.
As neighbours and students from St. Joseph-Scollard Hall watched the home of the late Merle Dickerson being dismantled, the lyrics from John Mellencamp’s song ‘Crumblin' Down’ may have best described the action.
“When the walls come tumblin’ down, when the walls come crumblin’ crumblin’, when the walls come tumblin’ tumblin’, crumblin’ tumblin’ down.”
A fire ripped through the two-storey home at 833 McLeod Street in June of this year, killing 43-year old Maurice Leonard Desrochers and leaving the building in extreme disrepair.
Although the home has been an apartment complex since the death of Dickerson’s wife, Vera in 1977, the house has remained somewhat of a memorial to a colourful man who was the city’s longest serving mayor.
Dickerson, best known for stunts like riding a dogsled through the Royal York Hotel in Toronto to promote the Fur Carnival and for his gambling habits, died June 11, 1984.
Reports indicate that Stephen Cerisano, who purchased the property following the fire, plans to leave the lot vacant for the immediate future.
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