Historic Trust slams demolition of Salvation Army buildings in St. John's

The demolition of two old Salvation Army buildings on Springdale Street in downtown St. John's that began this week has provoked outcry from one Newfoundland and Labrador Historic Trust member.

"We were never given the right to even go and visit them," said Grant Genova, architect and chair of the trust's preservation committee. 

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Genova said for that reason, the trust could not catalogue what may have been structurally unique or worth saving inside the roughly 75- to 100-year-old buildings, although he said the art deco-style exterior of one of them suggested a more elaborate interior than simply gyprock.

However, Genova is sure the architectural landscape of the city has taken a hit.

"We don't have much diversity of types of buildings in St. John's," Genova told The St. John's Morning Show.
"We had two examples of art deco in major buildings, and we just took one down."

Salvaging: not a new idea

Genova would like to see a more organized architectural salvage effort form in St. John's, with an eye towards reselling valuable pieces.

"What we don't have, and what we have to start working on, is where do we put these things?" said Genova.

"We've got to have a storage place and we got to have the ability of a volunteer base of some sort, to clean them up to a degree that then could be remarketed to the public."

He said such an idea has been well-used for decades elsewhere, particularly in the southern U.S., where many antebellum-era mansions were dismantled and sold piecemeal.

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"You could actually go to huge warehouses and see ornate fireplaces, totally intact, three storeys tall, being sold," Genova said, adding that even 40 years ago such pieces could fetch upwards of $55,000.

He said repurposing of old architectural elements is visible everywhere in St. John's, including many popular downtown restaurants.

"If you look at them analytically, they're made up of things that are from the past. We expose brick, we expose the warmth of wood, we use rusty steel," said Genova.

"And yet all that resource was sitting in those buildings."

But in order to make that happen, Genova said all levels of government have to be on board to change regulations and offer some sort of tax credit.

Otherwise, "there's no incentive for the owner to possibly look at demolition differently," said Genova.