An unsalvageable heritage building on Sparks Street will soon be demolished to make room for the street’s first ever hotel-condominium project.
City council approved the development at Wednesday's city council meeting, which includes plans to reinstall very few elements from the old building.
Originally, Ashcroft Homes wanted to keep the front of the heritage building intact for the new building.
In November of last year, the developer decided the heritage building, built between 1870 and 1875, was too far gone to salvage.
However, the project will retain certain aspects of the existingbuilding.
“The project will conserve historic elements of the front façade of the building at 116 Sparks St. by removing, restoring, and reinstalling the metal window elements and wooden elements,” says May Pham, a development planner with Ashcroft Homes.
The designers of the building got their inspiration from a historic photograph of the building from 1909.
The ground floor will feature a contemporary style, while the upper floors will have more historic elements.
In addition to reinstalling some of the heritage building’s existing features, they will also be constructing elements such as a cornice, which is a decorative piece of metal work near the roof.
The project includes the six-storey condo building on Sparks Street as well as an 18-storey tower facing Queen Street.
“At the street level will be a courtyard that will provide separation between the two buildings as well as pedestrian access between Sparks Street and Queen Street,” says Pham.
With retail and commercial uses on the ground level, a hotel on the lower levels, and condos on the upper levels, this building will be the first mixed-use building of its kind on Sparks Street.
The condo project, called the “re Hotel and Residences”, has a 66-year lease with the NCC, says Cédric Pelletier, a NCC communications officer.
However, Paul Rothwell, the director of planning and development with Ashcroft Homes says the NCC will most likely renew the lease after 66 years, giving the building an extra 36 years.
“If the building has been well managed, well maintained, and it is an asset to the community, then they will likely renew the lease,” says Rothwell.
When the building’s lease finally comes to an end after possibly 102 years, it may be time for a renovation.
Rothwell says all condo owners will be given notice well in advance of when the lease will end so that they can make other arrangements.
This could be a concern for people far in the future, but for now, simply constructing the building is also a worry for some.
“It’s going to be a disaster. It’s like most construction sites, it’s going to have a big impact on us in the short term and it’s going to affect our merchants,” says Les Gagne, executive director of the Sparks Street Business Improvement Area.
With the Bank of Canada undergoing serious renovations on Sparks Street, this new condo building will add even more roadblocks for pedestrians and on-street activities.
To lessen the effect on the street's merchants, the Sparks Street BIA will be planning new events to keep people coming.
Although the project’s construction could have a temporary negative impact on the street, Gagne says it will bring a lot of pedestrian activity in the next few years.
“You’re going to see a significant improvement in it being able to attract and invite more people and more activity down here at all times of the day,” says Gagne.
“So it’s actually going to be quite nice when it’s all finished, he adds.