Petition aimed at saving old building

SASKATOON — Heritage conservationists have started a petition urging the owners of the historic Farnam Block to save the 103-yearold building from the wrecking ball.

After sitting vacant for nearly two years, the Broadway Avenue building that once housed Lydia’s Pub is slated for demolition. The new owners say it is too expensive to renovate the property and they plan to tear it down.

“A building like that is irreplaceable,” said Chris Randall, who started the online petition.

Since it went live on Sunday at gopetition.com, more than 200 signatures have been added.

Randall said he believes most of the public outrage over the imminent destruction of the building should be directed at Mayor Don Atchison and city councillors. He said they have “sat idly by” while the plans to demolish the building moved ahead.

However, the petition is directed at building owners Roger Kiva and Dean Potapinski; Randall says they have more power than the city to save the building.

“There is a culture in this city where the most financially feasible thing to do is to knock it down and start from scratch. That’s shortsighted,” Randall said.

The first indication of approaching changes on the corner of Broadway Avenue and 11th Street came in July of 2013, when Lydia’s suddenly shut its doors.

Last week, the city approved a demolition permit for the property.