Old buildings come in two forms: those destined for demolition and those destined for restoration and preservation.
There’s not much wiggle room because ignoring old structures’ predicaments usually leads to option one, demolition by neglect.
It’s that no-man’s land where the National Trust for Canada is trying drawing attention to those building in danger of crumbling under the burden of time and weather for lack of purpose and support.
One of its tools in highlighting historic structures is the Top 10 Endangered Places List published since 2005, putting the spotlight on landmarks and architectural treasures by attracting media attention. The 2018 endangered places list, sponsored by the Canadian Construction Association this year, will be released on May 23.
The list does have some impact, The Guild Inn in east Toronto, for example, was on the 2011 list despite years of efforts to preserve both the surrounding park and the structure. Dating from 1914 it was a residence that became an artists’ colony, a wartime PTSD hospital and a hotel over time.
By 2001 it was vacant and decaying and in 2008 was damaged by fire. With some $16 million invested since then it has reopened as a restaurant and conference and event centre.
Chris Wiebe, Manager of Heritage Policy & Government Relations, says it is stories like the Guild Inn which help drive other campaigns forward because there is hope things can change.
“The diversity on the list is quite remarkable,” he says. “And it brings national attention to a range of places in trouble, right across the country.”
Often we’re just impatient to solve the problem,
—Chris Wiebe
National Trust for Canada
Many types of structures are impacted, he says and the 2017 list, for example, includes the Black Horse Pub (1882) and Pig’s Ear Tavern (1856) in Peterborough, Ontario which are slated for demolition as efforts continue to try and save them.
Another grand dame is the Cathédrale Saint-Germain (1862) in Rimouski, Que. which is closed due to safety issues. Repairs could cost up to $20 million.
With the decline of congregations in traditional churches, many are being left to rot, be torn down for condos or converted into condos, says Wiebe, and many are architecturally significant.
Then there are entire neighbourhoods such as Young Avenue, in Halifax, N.S., a streetscape of upscale residences from the 19th and 20th Century. Many of these homes could be demolished. Some are institutional buildings which have always seen cycles such as the old style red school house which was long ago left behind to be converted into commercial or residential use.
That’s happening with newer schools too, he says, pointing to Davisville Junior Public School in Toronto, a 1962 modern-style design which doesn’t meet current Toronto Public School Board guidelines but is significant because of the architects who created it.
Others, such as Bryn Mawr, Baird Cottage, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, dates from 1907 and is at the heart of lawsuit over forced heritage designation between the city and the owner.
In Lethbridge, Alta., the Manie Opera Society, also knowns as the Kwong On Lung building, built in 1907, is the oldest in downtown Lethbridge but is crumbling because of a lack of a new owner and purpose.
There also is 896 Somerset House in Ottawa on Bank Street which is a Queen Anne style structure falling apart due to neglect.
Hangar 11 is the last of the Second World War hangars at Edmonton’s now closed municipal airport which is slated for demolition to make way for a new “sustainable community” development.
The Sinclair Centre in Vancouver, B.C. is four connected buildings — the former Main Post Office (1910), the R.V. Winch Building (1911), the Customs Examining Warehouse (1913) and the Post Office Extension Building (1936) which together take up a city block downtown.
Ironically, the federal government which owns the property wants to put a 29 storey office tower there which would cause a “loss of portions or all of one or two of the heritage buildings on the site.”
British Columbia faces unique heritage challenges because of seismic risks, he says, with the default position that if retrofitting older buildings costs more than 60 per cent of the cost of a new one, then demolition is the default option.
Finding the right owner with the right usage plan for a heritage structure takes time, Wiebe says.
“Often we’re just impatient to solve the problem,” he says.
The ultimate solution is to find a workable arrangement whereby the owner gets a concession, either in the form of tax credits or in the way of higher density or more floor and square footage to recoup the investment in renovating over demolition.
“There are efforts in motion such as Bill C323 which call for tax incentives like they have in the U.S. for the last 40 years,” he says.
All stakeholders need to see the bigger picture, he says, and think outside the box because a building which is 100 years old doesn’t mean it’s unsustainable, he says.
Heritage buildings, with their high ceiling and opening windows, can’t be assessed against modern day specifications.
“We had one building in which one engineer recommended demolition but a second who had experience with old structures, came to a different conclusion,” Wiebe says.
“There needs to be a thoughtful and right kind of assessment.”
The carbon footprint of a new building and demolition also needs to be factored in to the equation, he adds, with the existing structure representing carbon which has already been vested and where preservation incurs far fewer total emissions.
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