WINNIPEG -- Crews have begun demolishing a historic building in the Exchange District, after renovations damaged its foundation, leaving no other options, the city said.
For more than 110 years, the Thomas Scott Memorial Orange Hall has stood at 216 Princess St. The building was in the process of being renovated, but excavations to the basement caused the building to lean precariously.
In a statement to CTV News, the city said it had looked at options to save the stone façade of the building, but there was an imminent danger the building could collapse and had to be torn down.
"It's a huge hit," Cindy Tugwell, the executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, previously told CTV News. "It's rather bittersweet, because, I mean the building was finally seeing some life again and finally being rehabilitated."
The building had many historical elements to it, including a mural inside and the outer stone façade, all of which have been turned to rubble in the demolition.
IN PICTURES: Inside a historic Exchange District building condemned to be demolished
Tugwell said that Heritage Winnipeg will be advocating with the owners for a building with a sympathetic design that fits in with the rest of the Exchange District.
