BY DUCK PATERSON
Not quite big enough for a wrecking ball, Ladysmith’s derelict food bank building saw the effects of a medium-sized excavator today.
On Monday, March 14, the Town of Ladysmith proceeded with the start of demolition at 26 Buller St. by a local contractor. The deserted old garage was once home to the Ladysmith food bank and used as storage for the donations of food and clothing, but recently is has sat unused.
“The town recently completed a building assessment for hazardous materials and concluded the repairs required to make the building usable again were not cost effective,” noted a news release from the town.
RELATED: Ladysmith council discusses demolition of old food bank building on Buller Street
“The earliest info we have on the building, in the archives building files, is 1918, but it likely predates that. From 1931-1947, August Crucil owned the building and ran it as a garage,” said Quentin Goodbody, chairperson of the Ladysmith Historical Society. “The building was sold to the Gardner family and it’s believed they ran it as a store. The last private owners, on record, were the Jansens who owned the building the museum is now located in.”
The Ladysmith Resources Centre Association moved into the old house on the property in 1994 and the garage was used as a food bank. When the LRCA moved to its location at Second and High Street, the food bank moved at the same time and the old building became empty.
The Town of Ladysmith purchased the property, with both buildings, in 2015. Town council provided an early 2022 budget approval item of $45,000 for the demolition of the building.
There are no other immediate plans for the site at this time, according to the town.