Dear Editor
A few weeks ago, North Battleford’s mayor, the city manager and city planner invited me to meet with them to discuss the fate of the old Sallows and Boyd Building (affectionately known by the public as the Pigeon Hotel). Hundreds of pigeons make their home in the upper echelons of the old building.). Why meet with me? Well, I wrote a serialized three-part story on this historic building that was published in the News-Optimistand as president of the Battlefords Heritage Society, I have a vested interest in the preservation of our heritage buildings.
The mayor and administrators straightforwardly told me that the old building was beyond redemption and is slated for demolition this coming spring. I appreciated this heads up and agreed, though with some reluctance. It’s now clear the final solution is the only solution. The building is beyond saving. Over the past two years, two sets of entrepreneurs have tried to gut and clear out the building to ready it for renovations. Both failed and simply walked away after having dropped substantial amounts of money into the project. Unfortunately, the City is correct in its assessment. The building is unsafe – pigeon and rat infested, and structurally unsound. There comes a point when economics and common sense intersect with the historical value of an old building and it makes sense not to preserve it. Despite its storied 100-year history, it should be razed. And, in fact, the city has a responsibility to its citizens to do this. There. I said it.
So that’s how it goes in the real world. The writing is on the wall. The old Sallows and Boyd Building’s days are numbered. But despite this I muse that the stalwart old building could still be saved if a millionaire businessman with an appreciation for our city’s architectural heritage bought the building, brought in a legion of professional renovators and restorers backed by the latest technical hardware and products, and spent whatever was required to gut, renovate and restore the building – even if it didn’t make sense from a business perspective. I know. Dreamer. It won’t happen.
It’s too late to save the old Sallows and Boyd. But the truth is that it should have been saved long ago before the pigeons, and before it fell into morbid disrepair over the years. A succession of city governments (not our current mayor and council) created the downtown core the way it is today (quite a story. I would like to research it and write it sometime) - no plan and no policy to manage our city’s built history.
In conclusion, I appreciate the mayor calling me in to discuss. I shall say as well, that the city is showing definite signs of wanting to preserve our heritage buildings in the downtown core as part of its revitalization initiative. This is indeed heartening.
Richard W. Hiebert
Battlefords Heritage Society
North Battleford
