The Price of History

Earlier this year, the City of Red Deer announced its intentions to purchase the Arlington Inn. It's an old hotel that dates back over 100 years and is of historical significance to the Province of Alberta and the City. It was in this building where one could argue that Alberta was born. Today, the Arlington hosts a pub and provides affordable housing to those with low income.

The City says it wants to purchase the building in an effort to revitalize downtown Red Deer. It would like to demolish the building, sell the property to a developer, and see a mixed commercial-residential building erected on the site. Residents were recently given eviction notices for November 14th.

The City's course of action is not the best way to revitalize the downtown. The building has historical significance, and more importantly, the building has character. It calls back to Alberta's early history and it would be a shame to see the building disappear. Good revitalization may include restoring the façade of the building, retrofitting the inside of the building, and even turn the residences into office space. The City should also aid residents of the Arlington in their search for a new home and should hold off on any work until they've found a place to live. Perhaps a municipal or provincial museum is in order given the building's historical past.

Architecture gives cities character, and the Arlington is no exception. Only one block away do the street signs read 'Historical Downtown.' Those signs may need to be replaced if buildings like the Arlington disappear if the area becomes overrun with skyscrapers. For example, it's difficult to find several historical buildings in downtown Calgary. I'm sure at some point in time they were abundant.

Progress may be the flipside of the argument, and I agree. Cities are living, breathing organisms where older buildings will eventually be knocked over. But that begs the question, do all historical buildings need to be demolished in the name of progress? A person I ran into on the street mentioned a historical building was demolished to make way for the bus terminal. Progress should honour history while looking to the future. One city planner who presented a plan to London City Council last year said a good city mixes the old with the new. Skyscrapers and tall office/residential buildings should be built behind older buildings. It gives city streets charm, while realizing the need to densify the city's core.

Revitalization doesn't always equal demolishing old buildings. It means incorporating them into the grand plan, unless of course you could kick it and it would fall over...the Arlington is not faced with that situation.