Vault removed as construction begins on new Alt Hotel

One of the last historic vaults in St. John's was removed on Tuesday as construction began to ramp up on a new downtown hotel.

• Alt Hotel plans moving ahead for St. John's harbourfront location
• New 'chic' hotel planned for Prescott-Water near St. John's harbour

The brick and stone vault was on the grounds of the circa-1800's Marshall Brothers cellar, and was the only remaining structure on the site that once housed the Marshall Brothers store, a post office and a warehouse, among other things.

An earlier owner may have used the expansive vault to store wine and spirits.  

The long vacant lot on the corner of Water Street and Job's Cove near the east end of Harbour Drive is being cleared for construction of an Alt Hotel, owned by Montreal-based Groupe Germaine. 

In an earlier statement, the company said it plans to move ahead with "respectful architectural planning" to ensure the outline of the former cellar "will be incorporated into the hotel's exterior landscaping and paving making it a celebrated feature and effectively allowing the old and the new to coexist in harmony."

In addition, the hotel will have a "feature wall" that will display materials excavated from the cellar, as well as historical pictures and text.

Groupe Germaine is aiming to open the four-storey, 148-room hotel in 2017.