City’s approach to heritage buildings clearly needs work

It is not too late to save the best parts of one of Peterborough’s few Art Deco landmarks.

As of Tuesday almost all of the former United Malt building at Lansdowne and Park streets was still standing.

More importantly, the demolition began briefly last week but then stopped and had not ruined the building’s most significant decorative features.

The front door, including stylized panels on either side, and the raised brick “columns” built into the front façade were all still there with only some minor damage.

The entire north wall, which repeats the distinctive column theme, had not been touched.

Developers who plan to turn the 1930s-era industrial site into an apartment complex can still preserve those elements and incorporate them into a new building.

It wouldn’t be the total preservation architectural heritage supporters would like to see, but it would be a good compromise.

And the fact that developers David and J.R. McGee stopped demolition work more than a week ago might be a sign they are willing to compromise.

City council should have understood that option and acted on it Monday night.

Some tried.

Although a chunk of the rear of the building was already gone — legally demolished under a permit before council could take delaying action — a vote to designate it as a heritage site lost by the narrowest possible margin, a 5-5 tie.

Had Coun. Kim Zippel been there it almost certainly would have been a 6-5 win for the heritage side. Zippel spoke in favour a week earlier when designation was endorsed 8-3 at the committee level.

The “too late” argument was made most forcefully by Coun. Lesley Parnell, one of the original opponents.

But Coun. Parnell’s statement, “It’s simply too late — the building is coming down,” only became true after the heritage motion was defeated.

Had it passed, the developer would have been legally blocked from continuing work for at least 30 days.

Parnell has shown in the past she is no fan of heritage designations so would be expected to take a hard line. It was more surprising that Coun. Stephen Wright joined in.

Wright supported designation a week ago and on Monday said he is a strong proponent of saving heritage buildings. Then he cast what was effectively the swing vote against saving this one, also on the grounds that council was too late to act.

Technically, their votes helped make those false claims real. With the decision against designation made, the building can come down.

Can, but might not. The developers did stop work on their own.

That might mean public opinion swayed them to consider saving the historically and architecturally important façade, or at least some parts of it.

Or perhaps they had second thoughts on their own.

Whatever the reason, city officials should take advantage of the lull to attempt a negotiation. And the McGees should sit down and be serious partners in that discussion.

Whether or not a deal to save those Art Deco details can be reached, the city also needs to rethink the way it deals with demolition permits and heritage buildings.

The process has to be more transparent and open for everyone involved. We have just seen the alternative: bad decisions on both sides based on misinformation and hard feelings.