Heritage Trust aims to spare Halifax Alehouse building from demolition

The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia wants to save the Halifax Alehouse building from demolition.

The building at 1717 Brunswick St. was purchased by the Ramia Group in December, almost two years after a patron died following an altercation outside the bar. A demolition permit for the property is now under review by the city.

"The benefits to our community by retaining this building are infinite," Emma Lang, executive director of the heritage group, told CBC News in an interview on Wednesday.

"There are economic benefits, we know that heritage structures are a reason tourists come to our community, they're the reason they want to spend time downtown, they're part of what gives us a visual richness."

The trust has launched a petition calling on Halifax Regional Municipality and the province to stop the demolition, strengthen protections for heritage buildings in the city and create more incentives to preserve the "historic fabric of our city."

The petition also calls on the Ramia Group to "do better." Lang said the heritage group plans to reach out to the company directly about their concerns. CBC News contacted the company on Wednesday about the petition but has not received a response.

In February 2020, Halifax staff recommended 1717 Brunswick St. be registered as a municipal heritage property, noting the architectural merit and integrity of the building designed by prominent architect Henry F. Busch, its history as a Salvation Army Citadel and temple after construction was completed in 1895, and its relationship to the surrounding area.

Following the Halifax Explosion, the report noted, the building was used to shelter and feed people left homeless by the disaster and also served as a logistics headquarters for relief efforts. Lang said after the Salvation Army left the property, it became home to a printing company and then a bar.

"This building has had so many uses. So there's so much to be inspired by this structure because of its rich history," Lang said.

She said the building is still in fairly good shape despite its age and would have had to pass building inspections recently since the Halifax Alehouse only closed in November 2024.

The petition, launched on Tuesday, had 763 signatures by Wednesday night.