Groups fight for Devon building
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com
Published Monday February 25th, 2008
Appeared on page A1
Heritage groups are hoping for a last-minute reprieve for a piece of Devon's history.
The McFarlane-Neill building at the intersection of St. Mary and Union streets has stood there since 1882.
But the old blacksmith factory is slated for destruction under the city's Union Street secondary plan.
A tender for demolition and removal of the building at 106 St. Mary's St. is to be awarded at tonight's city council meeting.
Widening of the intersection is one of the items proposed in the Union Street secondary plan.
City council is also expected to hear an item tonight regarding public presentation of a bylaw regarding that plan.
The building is to be razed so the city can widen the intersection to accommodate trucks.
"I feel very sad," said Ian Robertson, chairman of the heritage identification and preservation committee of the Fredericton North Heritage Association.
"The Devon area was really the first community to amalgamate with the city ... and one could argue that of the northside communities, it has benefited the least from amalgamation."
Now, he fears an important piece of history is about to be knocked down and bulldozed over.
The McFarlane-Neill building may not have the grandeur of some buildings on the southern side of the river, but it holds an important place in Devon's history, Robertson said.
"You have to look at this in its relative context. When you look at Devon, there is little remaining of the industrial heritage of the community. This is one of only two brick buildings from the turn of the century and certainly the only industrial one in north Devon."
Robertson said the city should have considered other options put forward by residents and heritage groups, such as diverting truck traffic onto Cliffe Street instead of St. Mary's Street.
That makes sense, he said, because Cliffe and Two Nations Crossing could be widened to accommodate trucks.
That would move dangerous truck traffic off a residential street and save taxpayers more than $1 million in expropriation, demolition and intersection widening costs, he said.
Robertson said he feels there's been no real effort made to work with heritage and community groups to reach a different solution.
Coun. Mike O'Brien, who represents the area, said there has been plenty of discussion, but a decision had to be made.
"Unfortunately every now and then, it's a balancing act," he said. "There was a debate over whether this was a heritage building or not. In the true sense, it isn't.''
Traffic flow in the area was the dominant concern, O'Brien said.
An option that would have taken truck traffic up Cliffe Street and along Two Nations Crossing was considered, but not accepted.
The proposal for a second bypass such as the Ring Road is a generation away, he said.
"If there was another viable option in terms of traffic flow and cost, it would be worth considering," O'Brien said.
Robertson said he's heard that line before, but he points to York House as another example of a building that couldn't be saved. The city eventually stepped in and bought the property for its own office space. He said the same type of action should be taken in this case.
The McFarlane-Neill building was once a hub of activity.
It was established as a blacksmith shop in 1863 by Walter McFarlane and originally used for repairs on ironwork on carriages. Work eventually expanded to repair and manufacture farm equipment.
By the early 1880s, the plant was producing peavies, a tool with a spike and a hook, used in the log drive and tongs used to move ice blocks.
The brick building was built in 1882 in the aftermath of the devastating St. Mary's fire.
The company's products were used across Canada and shipped into the eastern United States. The plant was so busy that shifts ran through the night.
The factory continued operation until 1939.
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