Moncton wants owner to fix heritage building at risk of collapse
CBC
The City of Moncton wants a judge to order the owner of a downtown heritage building to dismantle part of the structure after an engineer found it's at risk of collapsing.
St. Bernard’s rectory has been fenced off for a year. Sidewalks and parking spaces at the corner of Botsford and Queen streets were closed in the spring over concerns about the stability of the vacant building’s tower.
Gaps are visible between the tower stones and window frames.
“The current condition of the tower component of the building is such [that] it is in danger of collapse,” says a report from June by a structural engineer hired by the city to examine the structure.
The 2½-storey Gothic Revival structure by architect René Arthur Frechet was built in 1914 and 1915 and is a designated historic site.
The rectory was sold by the Archdiocese of Moncton in 2019 to a couple who planned to turn it into a boutique hotel. While work began, and the interior was gutted, construction wasn’t completed.
The building was sold in 2023 to Ontario-based RAS Can-Ind.
Its website says it hopes to turn the building into a boutique hotel and restaurant.
On Sept. 2, the city filed an application in Moncton’s Court of King’s Bench. It asks for a judge to order the company to dismantle the tower and save its components, or to allow the city to do so and bill the owner.
“RAS has consistently indicated its intent to rehabilitate the Rectory, however, its progress is not advancing at a sufficient pace given the hazard the Tower currently poses,” the application says.
Correspondence between the company and owner filed in court show the city raised concerns about the structure before it was purchased in 2023 and over the months that followed.
The court records include a report by city staff to the city’s heritage board about the structure. In August, the board approved a permit for the owner to dismantle the tower in a way that would allow it to be rebuilt in the future.
Weeks later, the city went to court.
“There are legitimate reasonable concerns and apprehensions that RAS will not proceed to dismantle the Tower to remove the danger and threat to public safety” until the court order is issued, the application states.
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