Rubin Block lands on national endangered places list
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2019 (1745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A south Osborne Street landmark has been identified by the National Trust for Canada as one of two buildings in Manitoba on the agency’s top 10 endangered places list for 2019.
The 105-year-old Rubin Block, at the corner of Morley Avenue and Osborne Street has been singled out by the National Trust as “at risk due to neglect, lack of funding, inappropriate development, or weak legislation.”
“People in the neighbourhood remember when it was a vital part of the community,” said Jenny Gerbasi, the former ward councillor and long-time chairwoman of Winnipeg city council’s historical building committee. “There have been various attempts to revitalize over the years, but people are frustrated because it’s just sitting there vacant and nothing is being done.”
The Rubin Block was designed by local architect Max Zev Blankstein, who also designed several other prominent buildings of the era, including the former Merchant’s Hotel, Uptown Theatre (which became known as Uptown Lanes at 394 Academy Rd.), and the Jessie Block (626 Jessie Ave.).
The three-storey building was considered an anchor to the thriving south Osborne Street commercial district when it opened in 1914. It housed the first Winnipeg suburban branch of the Merchant’s Bank of Canada. The building suffered extensive damage during a fire in 2006, and has been vacant and boarded up following a second fire in 2014. It currently is listed on the city’s vacant buildings list.
The National Trust for Canada is a charity with a mandate to promote and protect historic places and properties. The agency first released its endangered places list in 2005.
The other Manitoba structure on the its 2019 list is the former Birtle residential school, roughly 100 kilometres northwest of Brandon.
The Rubin Block lost its protected status in 2014, when city hall developed new criteria for heritage buildings. The property currently only has commemorative status — largely a token measure that recognizes its history but does not protect it from demolition nor require its owner to take out special permits for renovations and upgrades.
The city property assessment department has assessed the value of the property at $1.4 million. It currently has a C2 commercial zone, with ground-floor retail and 27 residential apartments on the second and third storeys.
Gerbasi said the community’s frustration is fuelled by the owner’s refusal to renovate the property or sell it.
Heritage Winnipeg, acting out of frustration, nominated the building for inclusion on the National Trust list.
Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, said the organization has been working behind the scene with the community and the owner and had found a buyer for the property, but talks apparently stalled earlier this year.
“We just want to see a decision made on this building,” Tugwell said. “We’re hopeful they still want to sell.”
Messages left with the property owner were not returned.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 5:35 PM CDT: Updates for formatting