Vancouver heritage building to be demolished this weekend
The 115-year-old Dunsmuir building has been used over the years as a hotel, military barracks and a shelter
Crews began the process of demolishing a 115-year-old building in Vancouver's downtown core on Saturday, weeks after its owner was chastised for letting the historic building fall into disrepair.
Vancouver City Council declared the structure a danger to public safety in December and ordered property owner Holborn Properties to demolish the building, which has remained vacant for the past decade.
Built in 1909, Dunsmuir House was initially the Hotel Dunsmuir. It was later used as a barracks for sailors during the Second World War, a shelter run by the Salvation Army, and more recently, social housing.
The active demolition will begin Saturday morning and is expected to be finished by Monday. The following road closures are in effect until Monday morning:
- Dunsmuir Street between Homer and Seymour streets.
- Richards Street between West Georgia and Pender streets.
Sidewalks will remain open.
The city has also approved an exception to noise bylaws to allow the work to continue nonstop throughout the weekend.
"The City thanks residents and businesses in the area for their understanding and patience as this critical work proceeds," reads a statement from the city.
It noted efforts are being made to complete the work as planned, but said unforeseen circumstances may arise and impact the demolition schedule due to the size of the operation.
As crews began work on Saturday, Vancouver's chief building official said it may take between six and eight months to fully remove all the debris after active demolition work is completed Monday.
"Partially, it's going to be up to Holborn to see what they want to do with the property," Saul Schwebs told reporters.
"I'm hoping they, you know, turn it into something that's an asset for the city, but I can't really comment on that."
Heritage features not being preserved
City council had required the owner to preserve heritage features in the process of the demolition, provided it could be done safely.
However, an update from the city last week noted a third-party consultant estimated preserving the building's front would take over a year, posing significant safety risks.
At the time of the decision, city councillors expressed disappointment in the building's owner, Holborn Properties, at the state of the building and asked staff to look into legal avenues the city could take against property owners who do not maintain historic buildings.
Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung called the issue "incredibly frustrating" and said the owners had acted "egregiously."
A spokesperson for Holborn said the developer had submitted three redevelopment proposals for the historic building since it ceased operations as a single-room occupancy housing building in 2013.
"None have been successful, however we remain committed to seeing this site revitalized in a meaningful way that addresses needs for this important area," they said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Akshay Kulkarni and Pinki Wong