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Monday, August 15, 2011

City Being Asked To Buy Historic Courthouse

The biggest murder trials in the city have taken place in the Sydney Street Courthouse and Common Councillor Chris Titus wants the city to buy the building from the province when it becomes vacant after Peel Plaza with its brand new courthouse is finished.

 Architect Bob Boyce warns the courthouse on Sydney Street will be joining a long list of the most historic buildings in the city that are empty sooner rather later. Some of them are being converted but many like the synagogue on Carleton Street and the old St. Vincent's school on Cliff Street are vacant. He's hoping developers will turn their attention to these buildings after the upper floor renovations are done on King Street.

Kurt Peacock of One Change tells CHSJ News developers are showing more of an interest these days in the old North End with building permits up and investment at its highest level in 20 years.

Titus warns if the courthouse is left vacant for too very long, it will fall into a state of disrepair. When asked a couple of years ago whether the city might buy the synagogue, Mayor Ivan Court said, at the time, the city wasn't in the business of buying buildings.