Bathurst rallies to save historic building damaged in fire

The city of Bathurst has ordered a permit from the provincial government to tear down a historic building ravaged by fire last month.

Many in the small city oppose the move.

"It would be like the Royal York in Toronto. Do you want to tear that down? This is whatBathursthas," saidBathurstHeritage Museum volunteer NancyCulliganBruner.

TheDangerous and Unsightly Premises Act dictates buildings which are unsafe must be torn down. The city would then be reimbursed by the provincial government for the cost of demolition.

"Wouldn't it be nice if the building could be cleared of its rubble and constructed again from the inside? Maybe then it could be utilized as something that like a community centre," said Bruner.

The building, a former Bank of Montreal built in 1919, is a landmark for Bathurst. It is one of the oldest buildings in the downtown.

A Nov. 28 fire destroyed two neighbouring buildings on King Street and gutted the relic, known as "the old bank," or "the old Greco," after the pizza shop that most recently moved out.

The fire has been deemed suspiciousby police and is still under investigation.

"No man's land situation"

Local MLA and Environment and Local Government minister Brian Kenny has put a hold on the city's request for demolition.

"Time is of the essence but I think it's important," he said of the building.

"We've had so many people from our community say let's maybe save that building because you know, we have a habit of taking the easy way out to be able to tear the building down."

The corner building is built from Quebec limestone and the foundation is solid, according to Kenny, though it needs a new roof.

The MLA has assembled a committee of business people, contractors, and architects to evaluate the possibility of salvaging the structure.

"The important thing today is to make sure we don't tear the building down and look at all the possibilities," said Kenny.

"It's important to look at the positivity of what could take place on the corner."

The biggest hurdle, he says is who will pay for any possible development. Kenny calls it a "no man's land situation," since the old bank has been repossessed, and wasn't covered by insurance.

Nevertheless, history buffs like Nancy Culligan Bruner remain positive.

"You want to preserve. Don't you want to keep that preservation, some of that history?"