Demolition begins as council discusses saving building
Council’s final vote on heritage designation is Dec. 9
The former United Canadian Malt building at Lansdowne and Park Streets was already under demolition on Monday evening when councillors decided it needed a heritage designation to protect it from the wrecking ball.
Neighbours said the demolition began at the rear of the building on Saturday, and on Tuesday a metalclad addition at the rear was gone and large holes had been made in the brick walls of the original building.
The Malt building is located at the intersection of Park and Lansdowne streets, across from Home Depot. It was built in 1931 in the Art Deco style, states a new city staff report.
It is sometimes referred to as the Ovaltine building, since the milk flavouring made from malt extract used to be manufactured there.
The owners of the building — David and J.R. McGee — already have a demolition permit for the building, but on Monday councillors followed a staff recommendation to put a heritage designation on it to preserve it.
On Monday councillors gave preliminary approval to the plan at a committee meeting in an 8-3 vote; the votes against the heritage designation were from councillors Lesley Parnell, Andrew Beamer and Don Vassiliadis.
The heritage designation needs a final vote at a council meeting Dec. 9; until then, said city heritage co-ordinator Erik Hanson, the McGee brothers have a valid demolition permit.
“We’re in a really vulnerable zone right now,” Hanson said on Tuesday.
When reached on Tuesday, David McGee did not want to comment for this story.
David and J.R. McGee bought the Malt building three years ago after malt operations ceased and announced plans to convert it into highend apartments.
The McGees are car dealers as well as developers, operating Jack McGee Chevrolet on Clonsilla Boulevard.
In an interview last Thursday, David McGee said it isn’t fair of council to try to “encumber” him.
“I’m not having the city tell me what I can and cannot do with my building, which was bought with hard-earned money,” he said. “It doesn’t work like that.”
Some neighbours along Brioux Avenue said demolition crews arrived on Saturday.
“No warning — no nothing,” said Jennifer Lyons, whose yard overlooks the property.
Lyons works nights and must endure demolition noise during the day when she’s home resting.
“The whole house shakes,” she said. “Some warning would’ve been really nice.”
Estelle Dovak, another neighbour, said she doesn’t mind if the whole building comes down. She also said the demolition started on the weekend.
Coun. Parnell found out Tuesday the building was already under demolition and said it’s a shame.
“I fear this non-transparent process has lead to this unfortunate, expedited result,” she wrote in a text message to The Examiner.
Meanwhile, on Monday at city hall, councillors were making plans to save the building.
Coun. Henry Clarke was the first to speak in favour of preservation, saying buildings in the Art Deco style are rare in the city, and this one’s a “treasure.”
Clarke also said he spoke to the McGees, and they said their vision is still to reuse the building but want to keep their options open.
Yet sometimes cities want to preserve buildings and it’s appropriate to place restrictions on demolition, Clarke said — and this is one of those times.
On Monday, Parnell called it a “hostile designation,” one that was cloaked in secrecy. The McGees say they didn’t even find out what city staff was planning until councillors heard of it a few days ago, she said.
Parnell called it one of the least transparent processes this council has carried out, and she didn’t think it was fair to give scant notice either to the McGees or to councillors.
“I don’t like being blindsided in my own ward,” she said.
But Clarke said he didn’t see anything “secretive” about the process.
“Sometimes you have to work quickly to protect a treasure,” he said.
In response to a question from councillors on Monday, city commissioner of community services Sheldon Laidman said staff tried to reach David McGee in advance of the publication of the staff report but he was out of the country.
Hanson, answering a question from Coun. Kemi Akapo, said on Monday the McGees do have recourse, if they’re unhappy. They have 30 days to object to councillors’ intention to designate the building, he said, after a notice of council’s intention is published in a newspaper. Then a quasi-judicial board would give a further opinion to council.
Coun. Kim Zippel, Parnell’s wardmate, said it was a good idea to honour Peterborough’s industrial past by preserving this unique building.
“It’s solid and ready to give more to this community,” she said.
City staff recommended a heritage designation after consulting with the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee which discussed it at a meeting under new business on Nov. 7.
Heritage designations stop “unwarranted demolition” and controls alterations that might mar historical features on a building, the report states.
City staff recommended a designation that would preserve the heritage attributes of the exterior “while allowing the interior to be freely renovated for a new use,” the report explains.