A local heritage preservation group fighting to save Stratford's first hospital from the wrecking ball hopes a recent decision to put a tender out for demolition isn't the end of the historic building.
The Save Avon Crest group wants the hospital, which opened in 1891, repurposed and reused.
"This is an important heritage building, it is an important piece of Canadian architecture, an important piece of Canadian hospital architecture," said spokesperson Howard Shubert, an architectural historian, author and former curator at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.
The group includes a steering committee with a variety of experience, including an architect, lawyer, a planner and others with deep-rooted historical interests. Save Avon Crest have amassed 900 signatures on a petition. They have met with community groups, started a website (http://saveavoncrest.ca), and visited the local public high school to discuss their efforts.
"The goal has always been to raise awareness and change opinions," Shubert said.
The building, across the street from Stratford General Hospital, hasn't been used in years and is in a state of disrepair that is costing the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance up to $250,000 per year, according to Andrew Williams, HPHA president and CEO.
"The building does cost us money even though it’s sitting there empty."
Millions more would be needed to get it anywhere near usable, he said.
Williams said he understands and supports the importance of heritage and the role it plays in the community. The decision to demolish the property and build new is difficult news for some, but the correct business decision, he told StratfordToday.
"We have said all along if someone has a solution we are more than open to looking at it. None have been forthcoming. We have gone out to the development community and have had consistent feedback, saying the costs are too high for the existing building to work."
Shubert suggested there should be discussion, perhaps with Stratford city council, about other options. Two members of the group were scheduled to meet with Stratford mayor Martin Ritsma.
“We can’t come up with costed proposals, that is for the HPHA to pursue but there has to be a will to actually do that," Shubert said.
Shubert said there are creative possibilities that get eliminated "if you have an all or nothing approach to things."
"Saying no one has come forward yet, that is not the way things work. You have to come out with a specific plan and say this is what we want to do. You have to know what you want, you can’t just say, 'hey anyone want to do something here'?"
Williams said the land will be developed in a way that benefits the health and wellness needs of the community and HPHA will maintain ownership of the land, likely arranging a lease agreement.
"We are open to options. We are in discussions with a potential developer for part of the property, which we are very excited about. I can’t talk about it publicly. There will be a lot of interest in co-locating adjacent to the hospital for healthcare providers. We are fairly open to uses but it has to contribute to the health and wellness fabric of the community. We think that is where our focus needs to be."
Submissions for demolitions are expected this month, the president/CEO said, and the site could be cleared by end of summer or early fall.
Shubert said Save Avon Crest will keep fighting to save the property.
“There has to be some kind of creative way of thinking about the site as a starting point, if your starting point is let’s just tear it down, there is really nowhere to go from that.”
