Regina city council votes against declaring Bagshaw Residence municipal heritage site

Regina city council voted against declaring the Bagshaw Residence a municipal heritage property at a meeting on Wednesday.

The property owner and developer Crawford Homes, the prospective family, Heritage Regina and Crescent's home owner Jeannie Mah all spoke to council before the debate. 

Crawford Homes said it intends to tear the building down and build a new home that would match the look of the neighbourhood. Mah and Heritage Regina opposed the demolition and Mah provided a petition signed by 100 people who wanted to see the home remain on the site.

The provincial heritage review board recommended the heritage designation not be approved due to the deterioration of the home. Coun. Findura said he did visit the home and was shocked to see the disrepair and how the house got to that point. He said it's ready to fall apart. 

"I've always fought for heritage," Findura said. "I would love to keep it as a heritage ... It's important for our city, but this house, unfortunately, it's done it's course." 

Findura said he's hearing from the owners that it would bring a new family to the area and remember the heritage of this home — potentially with a plaque. 

SEE: Images taken from inside the Bagshaw residence at 56 Angus Crescent

Coun. Bob Hawkins said that if this was a case of demolition by neglect by the owner, his opinion would have been different. Hawkins said because Crawford Homes bought it in an already rough shape. 

Council decided to move forward on a report about heritage properties and look at evaluating the current prospective heritage property list. Mayor Sandra Masters said she looks forward to the report.

"This type of situation is simply unacceptable," Masters said. "And as it relates to the building itself it cannot be heritage at all costs."

Only Coun. Shanon Zachidniak and Coun. Andrew Stevens voted to make the home a municipal heritage site.

The Cathedral Community Association said it hopes in the future there will once again be an advisory committee to assess properties. A past committee included architects, historians and conservationists who provided alternate ideas for problems. 

"A walk-through of a building by decision-makers who lack this specialized background, or engineering reports paid for by those seeking demolition, are not the best way to form decisions around historic significance and restoration planning, and are unlikely to gain full public trust," the association said in its written delegation. 

Three home inspections were submitted along with the report. Buyer's Choice Home Inspections said the walkways had areas of "significant settling visible indicating soil movement." The inspector said this may be because of poor construction methods when it was built. 

It said there are cracks in the roof, the roof trusses have been cut or altered and need repair or replacement, knob and tube electrical wiring was still live, and both heavy flame rollout burn marks and asbestos were present. 

It also highlighted extensive water damage to parts of the ceiling, mold on the ceilings, unlevel floors, open or missing grounds for the current electrical and stairs that have been moving as the house shifts on the uneven ground below it.