St. John’s building stripped of heritage title despite protests – New Brunswick | Globalnews.ca

Built in 1941, the brown building is 411 King St. E. Inn. found in Saint John Now he seems to be living on borrowed time.

property, ownership JD Irving Ltd., was protected by its location within a heritage area of ​​St. John’s Uptown – removed by a meeting of St. John’s Common Council until Monday night.

That legacy condition previously saved the structure from a ball of debris in 2016 when the company sought to demolish it for employee parking.

In the years that followed, the condition in which it has fallen has only worsened.

“When I look at the building now, I see a dump,” says St. Joanner Colin White.

“I see something with a lot of potential that has been left to decay.”

White spoke in favor of maintaining the structure’s heritage status at Monday’s public hearing – a discussion that lasted nearly two hours, becoming the longest council meeting ever held in the period.

“I have to do what feels right to me, and what feels right to me didn’t happen last night,” White says.

In the end the council voted 5–4 in favor of JD Irving’s efforts to remove the legacy status, opening the door to demolition.

Count David Hickey, whose ward includes the property, voted against it but says the outcome was inevitable.

“At the end of the day, if the owner of the property is not ready to sell, the building will eventually be torn down and eventually brought down by them or by the city,” Hickey said.

A representative for JD Irving was not made available for an interview Tuesday, but a spokesman provided details of the state of decay seen inside the building at Monday’s meeting.

Photos of a room with extensive water damage, rotten floorboards, and its entire ceiling were shown.

Critics accused the company of willfully neglecting to meet its goal of leveling assets.

“The boarded-up part, to me, is a disgrace to J.D. Irving,” Monica Byrne, a resident of the area, told Monday’s public hearing.

“It’s the richest slum in Canada,” she continued, before being asked to refrain from name-calling.

Byron, who says she lives across the street, said that the brown building is dear to her and many others, no matter how dilapidated it may have been.

“I am still in awe of that building. It is a magnificent building. It is at the top of the heritage area, so it is an eye-catcher,” she said.

It is unclear when JD Irving can now proceed with the demolition of the building, as he is free to do so.

The company says that it plans to build a park on the lot. The agreement around this would need to be returned to council at a later date.