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(rshsdepot) Re: Kentville roudhouse threatened

(KENTVILLE, N.S.)— The Nova Scotia Railway Heritage Society, the Kings Historical Society, the Friends of the Kentville Library and the Nova Scotia Industrial Heritage Society are being joined by the Heritage Foundation of Canada in an attempt to have the Town of Kentville reconsider its decision to demolish the historic 1920s era Dominion Atlantic Railways (DAR) roundhouse. The roundhouse is the last in Nova Scotia.

The Heritage Canada Foundation is a national, membership-based organization and registered charity established in 1973 to encourage the preservation and demonstration of the nationally significant historic, architectural, natural and scenic heritage of the country.

Town council decided last month that the more?than $1.5 million it would cost to restore the building was prohibitive, and that parts of the building — timbers and bricks — could be incorporated in the design of a new library.
The four groups feel that a new building will invariably cost a great deal more, including the price of the demolition, and wonder how much of that cost could be invested in restoring the roundhouse, and leveraging funds to give new purpose to an old building.

“This building, for all its current dilapidation, is a gem,” railway heritage society president Jay Underwood of Elmsdale said, “and by itself would make Kentville a unique destination for Nova Scotians and tourists alike.” 

Roundhouses traditionally surrounded a turntable, where locomotives were maintained for service. Hundreds of mechanics, clerks and train crewmen would gather at the building, the focal point of any railway’s activity.

All the groups feel the building — the last roundhouse in existence in Nova Scotia — should remain standing and serve as a monument to the railway heritage of the Annapolis Valley town, since it was once the focal point of the labours of thousands of workers over almost a century.

To that end, the groups are gathering information about the federal, provincial, and corporate funding sources that may be available to the town to help finance the restoration of the roundhouse.
Underwood noted the roundhouse is not just a valuable remnant of the town’s heritage. “Trains that ran from Halifax to Yarmouth on the old Dominion Atlantic Railway were turned here, and the structure represents just about all that remains of the line that served seven counties. It belongs to all of western Nova Scotia as much as it does to Kentville.”   

The railway heritage society noted that the old Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) roundhouse in Yaletown, False Creek, Vancouver BC has been beautifully restored into a community centre and museum with a range of corporate (CPR, Imperial Oil, Vancouver Lions Club) and city funds.

At the May monthly meeting of the Kings Historical Society the membership voted unanimously to send a letter of protest to Kentville Council regarding the decision.
“For close to a century the railway, located in the heart of the town, was the engine that drove the industrial development of Kentville,” the society said in a statement.

“The roundhouse is the last structure of the once mighty DAR and in few weeks this important piece of built heritage could be lost forever.” The members of the historical society are seeking an alternative civic use for the building.

They are also encouraging people to join a letter?writing campaign to demonstrate how much importance the public attaches to its heritage, and buildings like the roundhouse. 

Among new uses for a restored roundhouse — the groups feel — would be a museum, cultural centre, theatre, possible agricultural market, and especially a library.

The Friends of the Kentville Public Library have a mandate to find a new building for the town library and incorporating the roundhouse into their plans is not beyond possibility
“Kentville has a wonderful opportunity right now to decide how we want our community to be, said Frances Schagen, chair of the Friends of the Kentville Public Library. “The Friends of the Kentville Public Library urge all of us to move ahead by preserving what makes us unique while choosing the best of what’s new to continue to make our community a great place to be.”
She added that incorporating the roundhouse in community growth will enhance any development and serve to draw people to the region. She sited Historic Properties in Halifax, old Quebec City and the roundhouse developments in Vancouver and Aurora, Illinois as successes of community economic development.
(no attachments)Private enterprise has not been excluded. “There are plenty of examples where restored railway buildings are playing important roles in the re?establishment of the identity of communities,” Underwood said, noting the DAR station at Annapolis Royal and the old Intercolonial Railway Station at Tatamagouche as prime examples. “Both of those buildings were saved with private investment.”

The groups will lobby the Shannex Group of Halifax, which has signed an option with the town to purchase all remaining DAR land. Mayor David Corkum claims the deal calls for the removal of the roundhouse before it will build a hotel and another senior care facility on the old railway land.
“We are not opposed to private enterprise taking over the property,” Underwood said, “but we want to be assured that their plans allow for the incorporation of the roundhouse.”
“All it takes is a company with vision, and an architect with an imagination,” he said. 

COPIES OF THE PETITION WILL BE E-MAILED TO YOU OFF-LIST IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THIS LOBBY.
JAY UNDERWOOD, ELMSDALE NS


From Railfare-DC Books:
http://www.railfare.net/From%20Folly%20to%20Fortune.html
http://railfare.net/builtforwar.html
Visit the Nova Scotia Railway Hall of Fame:
http://www.nsrwyhalloffame.com/
Visit the Nova Scotia Railway Heritage Society:
http://novascotiarailwayheritage.com/

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1552
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org