Charlottetown stalls demolition as it considers Prince Street building's heritage significance

A downtown Charlottetown property built a century ago has been spared from being torn down — for now.

City council has granted 10 Prince St. a temporary designation, meaning plans to demolish the building to make room for a new development have been delayed for at least 45 days.

Deputy Mayor Alanna Jankov says the city will be considering whether the property should be protected permanently.

"The staff would take that 45 days to do a deep dive into the history of the property, the architectural history of it," Jankov said.

"There's many components that they would look at, and then they would decide whether or not it deems a permanent heritage designation."

A permanent heritage designation would mean property owners would be barred from demolishing the building, and any renovations or upgrades would have to conform with the city's heritage bylaw.

The building, located at the intersection of Prince and Water streets, was likely built around 1900, according to the city. 

Officials said it's not old enough to have played a role in Charlottetown as the birthplace of Confederation a few decades before its construction, but it does "add to the scale and ambiance of the area."

The building was once a single-family home, but has been occupied by various businesses over the years.

Blank Canvas Art Supplies has been operating in the building since July. Owner Beth Arsenault said she signed a two-year lease to run her business there.

She "freaked out" when she got a message from a friend saying the building would be demolished, Arsenault said.

"I paced my apartment for a couple hours. I was just worried about where I would go and that I couldn't afford to be closed," Arsenault said.

"This was the only space that I could afford within my price range in downtown Charlottetown. I continue to look for spaces and they are all almost double what I'm paying now for the same amount of space. And it's just not possible for a small business — especially in the first year."

Arsenault said she worries the building will be sold if it's designated as a heritage resource, meaning she might still have to look for a new location.