Attempts to save a group of colourful and historic houses in Saint John, N.B. were in vain as they were demolished Saturday morning to make room for what could be an apartment complex.
The jellybean homes, as they were affectionately called due to their colourful exterior, were built more than 150 years ago in the 1860s and had survived the great fire of 1877. By Saturday afternoon, the houses were reduced to a pile of rubble.
“It’s a crime scene: speaking architecturally, historically, for our tourism industry and for the citizens of Saint John,” Lori Seymore, a city tour guide, told CTV Atlantic.
Attempts were made from multiple groups to save the buildings, but none came to fruition. According to Brian Russell, a local resident, three developers in the last week alone submitted proposals to buy and fix the historical houses.
“City hall just pays no attention to heritage and pays no attention to the will of the people,” Russell said.
Saint John Deputy Mayor Shirely McAlary previously acknowledged that while a couple of developers did come forward, they did not have the funding or ability to save the homes.
The homes were purchased by the city of Saint John in 2008 while one was owned privately. According to the city, the houses were beyond repair after years of neglect.
McAlary also previousy said a Saint John non-profit housing organization wants to use the property to build a new multi-unit apartment complex.
Michelle Carson-Roy lived in an apartment in one of the jellybean houses for about three years. According to her, tourists were drawn to the houses because of their brightly coloured facades and architecture.
“They’d always have the pink buses stop in front so I never knew if I was going to be photo-bombing a tourist,” said Carson-Roy as she watched the demolition of the buildings.
Seymore said she’s worried that if these historically significant buildings can be torn down, there will be more demolitions in the future.
“I’m afraid our heritage is not being taken seriously in Saint John, and in Canada’s oldest incorporated city,” said Seymore.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore
