REGINA - The sad end has come for the Gordon block at 2170 - 12th Avenue in Regina's downtown.
Crews from Silverado Demolition were on the scene Thursday to demolish what remained of the 111-year old building, which was gutted by fire on Sunday morning.
The fire caused structural damage within the building itself and work began this week to bring down the building, Word is that Silverado Demolition was privately contracted by the property owner Harvard Developments to handle the "deconstruction", the word used by the City to describe what is taking place at the site. Regina Fire and Protective Services have also been on scene overseeing the process, and the city confirms there are also efforts to try and preserve some of the historical features of the building as it is brought down. It was expected the demolition will take a few days to complete.
As the work proceeded on the building Thursday, a number of interested spectators were on hand in Victoria Park viewing the demolition in progress and taking pictures and videos. Very little was left of the structure by the afternoon, with a large amount of debris on the ground.
On Wednesday, following city council, Mayor Sandra Masters was asked about the loss of the heritage property in Regina.
"First of all to Fire and Protective Services, just deeply appreciate the work that they do for the community. We know they were out there and still out there, and they were out there for a couple of days as it continues to smoulder.
"Anytime we lose a property at all it's really unfortunate, it would be an understatement. Understanding there's an investigation going on. Council has passed a Heritage policy, which includes working with landlords to secure properties. That can't prevent everything.… The general sense of safety for people and property continues to be top of mind for Fire and Protective Services as well as of Regina Police Service, we continue to figure out how to prevent some of these things."
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