Historic buildings should be preserved
City council should do everything it can to preserve two historic downtown buildings that have been threatened with demolition.
For the moment that might mean stepping softly and talking to the prospective developer of the sites.
The three-storey, 19th-century buildings both happen to be home to bars – the Black Horse Pub on George St. and the Pig’s Ear Tavern, just around the corner on Brock St.
One building is 152 years old, the other 135 years old. They feature ornate brickwork and architectural features that make them both attractive and architecturally significant.
And they bookend one of downtown’s most impressive historic buildings, the four-storey Morrow Building that wraps around the corner of George and Brock streets.
The three buildings present a seamless face that might be the best remaining example of what downtown Peterborough looked like as it grew into a regional commercial centre in the middle-to-late 1800s.
The Morrow Building was designated for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1995. Once designated, a building can’t be torn down or substantially altered without city council’s approval.
On Monday night council will consider whether it should begin the process to designate the two neighbouring buildings.
That debate comes in the wake of development plans for both buildings. Two months ago it was announced that the Pig’s Ear building was being sold to Parkview Homes, a local residential developer. Since then the city has received demolition permit applications for it and the Black Horse building.
A city-appointed committee that oversees architectural heritage preservation then recommended both properties be designated for Heritage Act protection.
Council could vote to start the designation process on Monday night. However, a staff report indicates the developers are willing to talk about preserving historic features.
The staff recommendation is to hold off on a heritage designation and see what the developers have in mind. No demolition permit would be issued so there would be time to talk. It’s a delicate balancing act. Starting the heritage protection process immediately would seem the best guarantee for preservation. However, heritage designation isn’t guaranteed. If the developers fought it and won they would likely also be able to force through demolition permits.
One option is to hold off on designation but require the developers to sign an interim agreement that nothing would happen to the buildings while details of how they would be preserved in the context of redevelopment are worked out. That is, for the moment, the path to follow. Any final agreement would have to guarantee preservation of the existing buildings’ facades. If not, the city could, and should, apply for Heritage Act protection and fight any attempt to tear down two valuable pieces of its past.