Project moving forward
Work resumes at former BMO building in Sydney
Work has resumed at a historic downtown Sydney building after the Cape Breton Regional Municipality approved a building permit at the former Bank of Montreal.
Joyce Rankin, executive director of the Old Sydney Society, the group opening a museum in the building, confirmed with the Cape Breton Post on Wednesday that work has once again begun at the building and that the society is hoping to have the renovations finished soon.
“We’re working away — we’re getting things ready,” said Rankin.
In April, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality issued a stop work order at the building after the municipality failed to receive the proper requirements for a building permit.
The original plans for the building were rejected by the municipality at the end of January. The plans were sent back to the owners of the building, the Old Sydney Society, with a letter indicating what was required.
Paul Burt,
Cape Breton Regional Municipality manager of building, planning and licensing laws, said the issue was resolved fairly quickly after the stop work order was issued.
“They got themselves an engineer and he came in and met with us and gave us the required documentation,” said Burt. “We lifted the stop work order and we’ve received a complete set of plans now.”
The engineer responsible for the project provided the municipality with the information, plans and a report for the building on April 24. The municipality has since received the final sign off letter from the engineer as of May 9.
“It’s a great project for Sydney’s downtown, so it wasn’t our intention to kill it or anything, but they have to follow the codes and get their permits straight, which they did very quickly,” said Burt.
The building, located at the corner of Charlotte and Dorchester streets, was constructed in 1899 during the steel industry’s economic boom. The unique architectural appeal and historical significance secured its recognition as a registered municipal heritage property.
The Bank of Montreal donated the building to the Old Sydney Society after it moved to a new facility on Prince Street in Sydney last year. The society officially received the keys to the building last fall.
In February, the Old Sydney Society received funding of $175,000 through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Innovative Communities Fund, which the society planned to use on the renovations, which included two bathrooms and handicap access.
The museum will feature Cape Breton and Sydney history, artifacts as well as electronic and new designs that are in museums in other parts of the country. The
“We didn’t do any work while the stop work order was in place, so as soon as we got the work permit we went back to work. We want to make sure that everything is done right and that we are completely ready when we open.”
Joyce Rankin
total cost of the renovations, including displays, was expected to be around $350,000.
The Old Sydney Society was hoping to have the museum open by May 1 for the start of the cruise ship season, but work wasn’t finished in time.
Rankin believes the location for the museum is ideal for cruise ship passengers.
“It’s so much closer then the Lyceum, it’s much more confident, that’s one of the reasons why the building really worked for us,” said Rankin.
Rankin couldn’t confirm when the museum will open its doors to the public.
“We didn’t do any work while the stop work order was in place, so as soon as we got the work permit we went back to work,” said Rankin. “We want to make sure that everything is done right and that we are completely ready when we open.”