Garrison District building that was set on fire may be headed for demolition

A Garrison District building in downtown Fredericton that was built nearly 200 years ago is in danger of being demolished after it was set on fire in March.

The building has undergone a fire-damage assessment to see if it could be salvaged, said a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence, which owns the building at 11 Carleton St.

But the damage "has resulted in a complete structural, architectural, electrical, and mechanical loss," Kened Sadiku said.

Another spokesperson said "it is recommended that the building be demolished due to the extent of damage."

The department would not provide a copy of the fire assessment report, saying it could only be released via an access to information request. 

The building, which was set on fire in March, was known as the militia arms store and dates back to 1832. It was used as a hospital starting in 1882, and it became the residence for the Carleton Street Armoury caretaker in 1918, the department says.

Sadiku said in a statement that while the Fredericton Military Compound is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada, the building itself is not, "as it does not possess significant heritage characteristics."

But John Leroux, an architectural historian in Fredericton, said it isn't accurate to say the militia arms store isn't a designated historic site or that it doesn't possess significant heritage characteristics. 

"The military compound comprises four specific buildings, and it's even listed on the plaque that the militia arms store is … one of those," he said. 

"It lists that building in the exact same capacity as the other three buildings there. And [the designation] speaks specifically about the character-defining elements of the militia arms store."

The Parks Canada National Historic Site of Canada designation for the Fredericton Military Compound can be found online and says that only four buildings remain from the original British garrison, including the militia arms store. It says the buildings are representative of early 19th century British military architecture. 

The designation lists key elements that contribute to the heritage and character of the militia arms store such as its rectangular wooden two-storey massing, its steep roof, balanced facade and inset chimneys.

"If it was torn down, the national historic site designation of the military compound would be radically transformed and cheapened," said Leroux.

The City of Fredericton is not involved in the ownership of the building but it was renting it at the time of the fire. The city did not provide an interview for this story.