Heritage Trust Calls on HRM to Stop Demolition of Important Historic Buildings
The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia is calling on the City of Halifax to convene an emergency meeting of the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC) to consider heritage applications for five historic buildings on Williams Street, Robie Street, and North Street.
In its request to Acting HRM CAO, Brad Anguish, the Trust expressed concern that when the HAC met on September 24th, the Committee was not properly informed about the options the Committee had available to it when responding to petitions from the Friends of Woodill and Residents of Williams Street to support applications to add #6027 Williams Street, #2494, #2500, #2514/2516 Robie Street, and #5816 North Street to the municipal registry of heritage buildings.
From listening to the recording of the September 24th HAC meeting, it was clear to the Trust that the HAC was not informed that they could request to evaluate the heritage applications for the buildings, and that if the buildings met the required grade, the buildings would be added to the registry of registered buildings. Doing so would then have given HRM the authority under the Heritage Property Act to stop demolition of the buildings. In the view of the Trust, by not suggesting this potential course of action to the HAC, HRM precluded discussion about the possibility of HAC requesting expedited consideration of the five heritage applications.
According to the applications, all five buildings have architectural value and are associated with important historical figures. The building located at #5816 North Street, for example, is attached to the former home and clinic of Dr. Clement Ligoure, the first licensed African Nova Scotia medical doctor, while #6027 Williams Street is associated with James Ralston, a Liberal Member of Parliament who held the prominent position of Minister of National Defence during the Second World War.
The reason that the Trust has asked for an emergency meeting of the HAC is due to the threat of demolition these properties face. At least one of the buildings, #6027 Williams Street, has a demolition application under review and neighbours report interior demolition is already under way. According to Williams Street residents Mike and Morgan Grimbly, “If the city doesn’t act immediately, it will be too late. A beautiful heritage building will be gone along with its associated history, and all that will be left is a hole in our beautiful historic neighbourhood.”
#6027 Williams Street – Gas line being disconnected. Neighbours report interior demolition is well underway. As of September 28, HRM’s permitting website indicates that no demolition application has been approved for #6027 Williams Street.
