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Nisbet Church, Block House to be dismantled, stored for later display

Mar 6, 2018 | 9:00 AM

The future of two of the oldest buildings in Saskatchewan has been decided, and to the disappointment of some, they will be dismantled.

Prince Albert City Council approved a motion Monday earmarking $10,000 to dismantle and store historically valuable pieces of the Block House and Nisbet Church at Kinsmen Park. The buildings were under the spotlight over the past four months after the Prince Albert Historical Society asked for the city’s assistance in salvaging what is left of the rapidly-deteriorating 145-year-old structures. A recent engineering study showed a restoration would come with a price tag of around $750,000, and both buildings are currently closed to the public because of structural concerns. 

Mayor Greg Dionne told council he met with the museum in February, when they settled on the decision. The buildings will begin to come down in June, Dionne said, as the museum wants a few months of good weather to go through the buildings and mark everything they will be able to save.

After the structures are dismantled, the city will house the salvaged portions at the old city yards or another indoor location. According to agenda documents, the museum has expressed a desire to erect a model of the buildings within a new addition at the museum. They are expected to begin researching grants for the project in the near future.

Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick was a strong opponent of the demolition. Ogrodnick, who previously sat on the Historical Society’s board, expressed trepidation over the lack of a long-term plan for a rebuild, but said he will support the desire of council.

“These buildings are the buildings that Prince Albert was founded on when we became a municipality,” he said. “We have history 10,000 years prior to 1886, but these buildings go back to our founding and to Reverend Nisbet.”

Reverend James Nisbet set up a missionary in the heart of the prairies and named it after Queen Victoria’s deceased husband, Prince Albert, in 1872.

“I think that we need to look seriously at our heritage and our sites that we have in Prince Albert and support them and try to restore them, rather than take them down,” Ogrodnick added.

Expressing unease over the cost, Ward 7 Coun. Dennis Nowoselsky suggested approaching the correctional centres for free labour to help lessen the blow to municipal coffers. He said the Minister of Justice had approved such a move for the city.

“What an excellent project to have some input from the Minister and the director at the correctional centre,” he said. “We are saving the taxpayers some money, and I think they have some very talented people who could do it.”

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr