from today's T&T
Historic home finds a new lease on life
Published Friday October 14th, 2011
Developer restoring 131-year-old downtown house
By Craig Babstock
Times & Transcript STaff
Developer Thierry Le Bouthillier says it may cost more to restore an old property instead of tearing it down to build a new one, but he thinks it's worth it.
GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
Thierry Le Bouthillier is restoring this former home built for a railroad executive in the late 1800s at the corner of Archibald and Queen Streets in downtown Moncton.
"It's a passion," says the head of Groupe Le Bouthillier, talking outside his company's latest project at 201 Queen Street. "This is located downtown, so it has to be restored to preserve it."
Le Bouthillier has restored other properties in the city, including one at 45 Elmwood Drive in Sunny Brae. That building was erected in 1912 and condemned because of its condition but Le Bouthillier saw promise, purchased it and restored it last year. It was transformed into three executive suites plus office space under the brand My Studio Moncton, with the slogan, Urban Living Made Simple.
"We made something better out of it," he says.
Now he's turned his attention to 201 Queen Street, which was built in 1880 by CNR as a home for an executive and his family. The structure, located at the northeast corner of Queen and Archibald Streets, has been several things over the years, including a residence and bed and breakfast, and now it's the latest My Studio Moncton project.
Le Bouthillier just took ownership of the property a week ago and workers have spent the last few days starting the restoration. The outside of the building, which includes a circular turret on one of the corners, will be restored as closely to the original colours and design as possible. The inside will be modernized, though original components will be incorporated into that design where possible.
The work should be finished in January and result in four furnished executive suites targeting corporate executives, who can rent the space for various lengths of time, depending on their needs.
The building is not designated a heritage property, so Le Bouthillier is under no obligation to maintain its original characteristics, but he says his heart is in the project, which he expects will cost more than $400,000 including purchase price. He believes the city and its residents appreciate it any time a piece of the city's heritage can be restored.
Moncton Coun. Paulette Theriault, council's liaison with the Moncton Heritage Preservation Review Board, is delighted to hear another old building is being restored.
"That's wonderful," she says. "It's preserving our heritage, our culture and it's about telling our story as a city."
Theriault says this seems to be a trend in the community.
"When I drive around, lately, I see a lot more people are renovating, revitalizing and preserving older buildings and that's a good thing," she says. "When you visit cities and towns, you look for culture and history, and by destroying these buildings, you destroy a page of our culture.
"When you travel to Europe, that's what makes it special. They don't tear down a building because it's 300 years old."
Developer Bob Holmes, whose projects include restoring the Albion Block on Main Street, is currently in talks with Le Bouthillier about working on a project together. He says keeping the city's heritage intact is a good thing when it comes to development. He adds that once an old building is torn down, the character is gone.
"You can't replace that character," he says.
Holmes likens restoring an old building to doing a heart transplant. You revitalize the interior while maintaining the exterior.
Holmes also owns the property on Main Street where the former Dewey building stood before a biker burned it down in August 2000.
"We'd like to get something going there as soon as possible but I don't see anything happening until the spring," he says.
personal note - this is all good stuff. I'm all in favour of restoring quality buildings in the downtown as long as it doesn't interfere with larger developments. It helps to build the character of the community. The last several paragraphs are an interesting tidbit. It sounds as if LeBouthillier and Holmes are planning on something new for the old Dewey Building location with construction to start perhaps next year. It would be great to fill up that hole on Main Street! 
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