Masonic Temple owners haunted by heritage holdups

We love this building, we love the beauty of it. But … we're just a small theatre company."- Kathie Hicks, Spirit of Newfoundland

Kathie Hicks and Peter Halley bought the historic landmark from its original owners, the Freemasons, in 2008 to house their local theatre company, Spirit of Newfoundland.

They had originally intended to put all three storeys of the temple to use right away.

"As soon as we bought it, the rules changed. All the rules changed," said Hicks.

'Made it impossible'

The pair says the city began making demands: widen the hallways, add eight women's washrooms, create three exits — all unanticipated — and costly changes.

"[They] made it impossible for us to go ahead. We had architectural drawings and all that stuff and we had to stop," Hicks added.

"It doesn't relax its rules at all, which makes it practically impossible to preserve our heritage," Hicks said.

"What a shame having to cover over the dungeon, what a shame having to cut up that room."

Hicks said the city required them to expose a number of walls and rip up flooring and raised platforms, concerned about secret passages and hideouts.

But when officials wanted to go through the Masonic pavement tile — a significant part of the Masonic ritual — to see under it, the pair refused. They found their own way under the floor to keep the symbol intact while complying with council's mandates.

"To them it's like, 'Why are you bothering to save this?'" said Hicks. "I would say the city needs some sensitivity training on heritage."

City responds

The City of St. John's, however, says there are safety reasons behind regulations that apply to the building. 

The upper floor can only be used for storage "due to lack of safe exiting and required fire ratings," according to a statement provided by a city spokesperson in response to questions emailed by CBC. 

"All interior renovations must comply with building and life safety codes," the response reads. 

The city has "provided alternate solutions in lieu of a sprinkler system," but those weren't accepted and no additional progress has come since 2011, when a meeting between the two sides was held. 

The spokesperson reiterated that municipal heritage regulations apply only to the exterior of buildings, not the inside. 

Heritage carries hefty costs

With all of the city's demands factored in, Spirit is anticipating a minimum of $300,000 in interior work alone.

Hicks said both the municipal and federal government aren't much help when it comes to funding; she says the maximum they can get from the city is a $5,000 annual grant, and federally they're out of luck because Spirt of Newfoundland is a for-profit company.

More luck with the province

At the provincial level, however, Hicks and Halley have had some success with the Crown agency dedicated to preserving the Newfoundland and Labrador heritage, which grants up to three instalments of $50,000 for registered heritage landmarks like the Masonic Temple, although that would be for a restoration projected to cost at least $750,000.

But the group also requires that the Masonic Temple be thoroughly assessed by those who specialize in heritage structures, and when getting quotes from heritage experts for the assessment, Hicks said Canadian companies were asking "crazy" prices.

"It's ridiculous, but they wear it as a badge of honour 'cause they're getting all the government work and they're able to charge huge dollars," said Hicks.

So the group outsourced to an Irish company, the Architectural Conservation Professionals — the same team that worked on the Basilica of St. John the Baptist across the way.

The cost of the ACP quote was a third of the one Hicks had received from workers in Moncton, travel expenses from Ireland included.

"The point is that if we want to save our heritage we've got to make it easier for people," said Hicks.