A recent history of Fredericton's heritage woes

The Risteen House is only the latest old property in Fredericton to find itself in a precarious spot.

The stone building on Queen Street was built as a house in the 1820s and became the Risteen Sash and Door Factory later in the 19th century.

Now it may disappear to make room for condos.

Jason Jeandron, an archeologist with Archaeological Prospectors, said the city has indicated heritage is important, but the actions of city hall and council tell a different story.

"The City of Fredericton hasn't really done much at all to provide protection for our heritage and certainly aren't providing any sort of incentive to encourage landowners, property owners to conserve our heritage," he said.

He said there's been a continuous loss of heritage in the city.

Richard Bird, the president of the Fredericton Heritage Trust, isn't generous when grading the city's commitment to preserving history.

"Oh I'd give them a C," said Bird.

Bird pointed to the decision to tear down a house on Charlotte Street to make a parking lot for a hospice and the demolition of the former nurses residence near the Victoria Health Centre. The later demolitionwas a provincial decision.

"We can't save every old building, I think one has to recognize that," Bird said.

"But picking your place of where and what to keep, I think the city has not done well."

'Unnecessary' losses

Jeandron said the city haslost a lot of heritage properties "unnecessarily."

"Those couple of nice yellow houses that were on Regent Street we've got the impending loss of those two historic brick buildings where the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival was,"

Jeandron was referring to the two yellow houses that were torn down last year to make room for a new apartment complex and to two brick buildings beside the Regency Park building on the 100 block of Regent, whichthe city has approved for demolition to make way for a high rise.

The later project has raised privacy concerns for neighbouring condo owners.

Marion Beyea, a member of Fredericton Heritage Trust, said the city's neglect of its heritage has gone on for a while but it has accelerated recently.

"I don't think there's a real appreciation of their value and how unique they are and how special they are," Beyea said.

Property rights

Eric Megarity, a north side councilor and president of the Northside Fredericton Heritage Association, takes issue with the notion the city doesn't do enough to protect its heritage.

He pointed to thecity's preservation review board, which according to the city hallwebsitehas the job of"protecting the historic and architectural character of the preservation areas in the city."

Megarity said council recognizes the need to protect heritage properties but has to balance that with property rights and development.

"We can't just go into an area and say this whole area is determined to be heritage," he said.

"We can't just go in with a blanket and cover that whole area."

City expects to need the land

Megarity said the city is expected to grow by up to 35,000 people in the next 25 years, which will mean more housing and possibly further discussions about some heritage properties.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure on developers to find developable land and house those people."

But Bird isn't convinced a population increase has to come at the expense of downtown heritage.

"Why does it have to be downtown?" Bird said.

"Why does it have to be in a historic district? It's time to say 'Look, OK, the city's going to grow. But maybe there's some part of the city that really should be left as it is.'"

Megarity said it's possible the city could do more but it only has so many resources.

"When a person pays their taxes we have to worry about roads and streets and police and fire we have to be very careful."

Here are some of the properties that have been saved, let go or put at risk in the past decade or so.

Saved

York House

York house was designed by James C. Dumaresq, who also designed the New Brunswick Legislature.

It had been a school, teachers college, library and hostel.

In June 2007 the owners, the Brunswick Street Baptist Church, said they would have to tear down the building to expand the church.

The building was saved after a land swap agreement with the city.

York station

The old train station was never at risk of meeting the wrecking ball. Federal statutes meant it couldn't be torn down.

But it was not in good shape by the 21st century.

The building was renovated and now a liquor store.

At risk

Grannan home

The Brunswick Street structure was once home to Mary Grannan, a children's writer and CBC personality.

The Fredericton Heritage Trust told CBC News last October that the building is badly in need of repair.

"Being a framed house and a simple construction it wouldn't be that big of a job to bring it back to a good condition." Beyea said.

Lost

McFarlane-Neill Building

The McFarlane-Neill Building was the remnants of an old factory on the corner of St. Mary's and Union streets.

The site was originally a blacksmith shop, according to the trust, and during the Second World War shell casings were produced there.

The building was torn down in March 2008 so the city could widen the street and intersection.

Centennial Park

Centennial Park was a green space beside the Playhouse and the siteof thefirst legislative assembly in Fredericton.

The park even maintained a portion of the structure's foundation.

The park was destroyed to make way for the Fredericton Convention Centre and a hotel.

Regent Street

Two heritage homes on the 200 block of Regent Street were torn down in 2018.

The buildings will be replaced with apartments.