Preservation or landfill?
When a building is demolished, several questions come to mind. Whether the building has a heritage designation (Richmond Hill and Belvedere Orphanage), or not (Pratt House, 140 Waterford Bridge Rd.), is not the only consideration. One wonders if any attempt was made to renovate or repurpose these buildings. If serious consideration has been given to these alternatives, and demolition is truly the only option, could the building be deconstructed, rather than demolished? Deconstruction, or even soft-stripping, could be used to ensure that some of the structure would not wind up in landfill, and could be useful.
By looking at individual buildings, even those which are not designated
heritage, as important aspects of what defines various neighbourhoods, we gain a larger picture of St. John’s. We see a city where neighbourhoods are important, where streetscape helps define these neighbourhoods, and were not only buildings, but also, the surrounding areas are significant. In fact, in the case of the Pratt house, an argument could be made that the landscaping, designed by Rudolph Cochius (also the landscape architect of Bowring Park) should be preserved even if the house is demolished.
There should be a process where anyone seeking permission to demolish should have to answer questions describing what attempts were made to recycle, repurpose, reuse. If a permit is granted, restrictions should be imposed on how the structure is removed. Realizing that none of this would have prevented the demolition of the Pratt house, which was done before the permit was granted, penalties should be such that the owner will consider adhering to the process preferable to proceeding without a permit.
St. John’s city council has an opportunity to set an example. It may be too late to save a fine example of art deco architecture — the pool house in Victoria Park, a city owned property — which is slated for demolition.
However, it is not too late for council to remove it in a manner which
will reduce its impact on landfill, and allow some of it to be repurposed.