Toronto's legendary Matador Club has been saved from expropriation.
The Toronto Parking Authority backed down on their request to pave over the property with a parking lot Tuesday at their board meeting after the local city councillor in the area said he wouldn't be supporting the idea.
The Matador, located on Davenport Road and College Street, is well known to music lovers in the city as the club and has drawn the likes of Leonard Cohen, Stompin' Tom Connors and Blue Rodeo. The building was built during the First World War as a dance hall.
News of the possible take-over rallied the community to band together and form the group, Save the Matador. About 40 members appeared at the board meeting wearing 'Save the Mattador' pins, including literary legend Michael Ondaatje.
Councillor Adam Giambrone said in a letter although he thinks the community needs extra parking, closing the Matador isn't the solution.
However, a second large group of residents in the neighbourhood didn't agree. The group complained the Matador had become a troublesome spot in the neighbourhood, drawing "bad crowds."
About 41 residents and business owners signed a petition objecting to what they describe as the rowdy club scene at the Matador that often lingers into the wee hours of the morning.
