Old parks, rec building to come down
City council repeals historic designation to make way for Lundy’s Lane Cemetery changes
Despite its historic designation, a 104-year-old building on Lundy’s Lane will soon be coming down.
Niagara Falls city council approved a staff recommendation Tuesday to repeal the designation and tear down the former parks, recreation and culture building to create a new gateway and columbarium for the Lundy’s Lane Cemetery.
The move will potentially generate $1 million for the city, based on the sale of 250 new inground lots at the cemetery and 400 spots within the columbarium.
The building has been vacant since 2005 and is infested with mould and asbestos. To renovate it into a columbarium would cost an estimated $1.9 million to $2.2 million, as opposed to demolishing it at a cost of $255,000, according to the city’s manager of cemetery services, Mark Richardson.
Speaking to council Tuesday, he said preserving the building would also require about $15,500 per year in maintenance.
“Maintaining a historic building at times does come with increased costs.”
Richardson presented two options to council, outlining the differences between saving and demolishing the building.
To turn the existing building into a columbarium would result in a loss of between $975,000 and $1.3 million for the city.
It’s an option Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni quickly dismissed. She said council’s inaction over the building has already made it twice as costly to tear down as it would have been a decade ago.
“The building doesn’t look any different, it’s an eyesore to Lundy’s Lane,” she said. “It’s long past due.”
The building at 7565 Lundy’s Lane was built as a schoolhouse in 1915. It became police headquarters in 1953, and 10 years later became home to the city’s parks, recreation and culture department. It closed in 2005 when staff moved to MacBain Community Centre.
It has fallen into neglect ever since, even after the city granted it with a historic designation in 2010.
“If we had taken care of it years ago, it might not be in that state,” said Coun. Mike Strange.
Some of the building’s red brick and quoined corners would be implemented in the new gateway feature.
Local business owner Felix Pingue, a longtime advocate for the building, said it still appears structurally sound. It was built by immigrants, he stressed, and deserves a better fate.
“You want to re-use the stone … it’s there, why take it down?” he said, addressing council. “We’re talking about a building that people volunteered their time (to build).”
Ioannoni responded “we’ve heard that same presentation for 12 years, every time we discuss this.”
“Same presentation, same inaction around this council.”
This time, the building’s fate was decided by a 6-2 vote. Couns. Vince Kerrio and Victor Pietrangelo were opposed.
Pietrangelo wondered why council bothered giving the building heritage designation nine years ago if it had no plans to save it.
“The majority of council is still here,” he said. “The very people that designated it as a heritage building are now going to demolish it.
“We’re sending the wrong message to the community.”
But Coun. Chris Dabrowski said the busy corner of Lundy’s Lane and Montrose Road is a “gateway” to the community, and the building simply doesn’t fit in any more.
“We need to let it go and do something with that corner.”