Century-old building to come down

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This article was published 15/10/2021 (1680 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A couple living next door to a historic red brick building is shaken after the city council appeal committee greenlighted a plan to tear it down to make way for three new single-family homes.

Brenna Blackman and Ben Scoville attended the hearing on the morning of Oct. 7 to speak about the litany of concerns they have about what the demolition of the St. James Telephone Exchange Building at 340 Rutland St. could do to their home, property and day-to-day lives.

“Whether the developer likes it or not, Brenna and I are stakeholders in this proposed development,” Scoville said during the meeting.

Blue Bella Drafting and Design has produced a plan for three visually distinct homes on the 7,573-square-foot property, which is subdivided into three 25-foot-wide lots.

The foundation of the couple’s 102-year-old home lies less than five feet from that of 340 Rutland St. Scoville, who’s starting his career as an engineer, voiced his worries about how the construction may affect the structural integrity of his residence.

Scoville fears that removing the building and excavating the property could stir up a cocktail of hazardous materials, including asbestos and lead. The pair are also grieving the impending loss of one or both of the nearly century-old trees straddling the two properties.

The couple had hoped developers would transform 340 Rutland St. into housing units, a retail space, or a restaurant. Blackman emphasized that she supports affordable housing in her neighbourhood.

“People have been waiting for something. The worse case scenario that nobody necessarily anticipated was tearing it down,” she said.

According to the Manitoba Historical Society, the south portion of the building was created in 1916, and the north wing was built in 1925. The building has no heritage status.

As it stands, 340 Rutland St. acts as a “visually appealing” feature wall, fence, and sound and wind barrier, Blackman told The Metro.

“Losing that will definitely be an adjustment,” she said.

The couple wasn’t alone in the opinion that the building should be spared.

Carly Skinner has lived directly across the street from the building for seven years. Skinner would’ve liked to have seen the building transformed into a retail space, she said.

As she stood on her front porch, Skinner excitedly recounted the oral history of 340 Rutland St. The building originally housed the Manitoba Telephone System (which evolved into MTS) before Manitoba Hydro took it over. More recently, it was home base for a neighbourhood watch group.

“It’s pretty neat,” Skinner said.

Skinner gestured across Ness Avenue to a tall and narrow infill home and expressed concern that the proposed development could block out the sun.

According to the appeal committee’s report, the new homes cannot exceed a height of 30 feet. Coun.

Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) voted against the proposal.