It's been a source of derision for many downtown residents and a thorn in the side of many business owners, but, nonetheless, a local realtor is hoping to save the Prince George Hotel.
The building has been slated for demolition ever since the City of Prince George purchased in April 2010.
But Kirk Gable, the former president of the Downtown Business Improvement Association and a member of the city's heritage commission, said the hotel has irreplaceable historic value.
"There is an asset there that has some value. Why would we want to spend a million bucks to haul it off to the landfill?" Gable said. "For a million bucks I could do a pretty nice facelift on that building."
Plans for a wood innovation centre or performing arts centre downtown could incorporate the existing wood building, said Gable, but the city doesn't appear to have publicly discussed any option for the building, other than demolition.
"When is there going to be a public discussion on it? It's our history and our heritage," he said.
Gable said he considered purchasing the building himself but lacked the funding.
The operation had been plagued by a criminal element and patrons with substance abuse problems when owner-operator Ted Coole shut it down and sold it to a group of investors.
The investors subsequently sold the property to the city shortly thereafter.
The Prince George Hotel's in 1914 - it was the premier hotel in the city for decades. It's the oldest building in the city's downtown and one of the oldest still standing in the city.
"I know the Prince George Hotel is ugly and it has a bad social history," Gable said. "Just because its had some negative social connotations in recent years, doesn't mean it's a bad building."
Prince George has a poor track record preserving historic buildings in the city, Gable said.
"The common theme in Prince George is we celebrate heritage by taking an old picture and mounting it on a plaque... facing where something of heritage value used to be," Gable said.
The building is a public asset and there should be a public discussion on what to do with it, he said.
In April, 2010 the City of Prince George purchased the hotel for $2.5 million from a group of investors. In October city staff reported the estimated cost of demolition was $600,000, plus $300,000 to $450,000 to remediate the site.
A condition assessment would need to be done to determine what repairs are needed to restore the building to its original appearance, said Gable.
Gable is scheduled to make a presentation to city council on Sept. 12 about the issue.
"[But] I wanted to get the discussion happening in the public sooner than that," he said. "I was worried that the building might not be there by Sept. 12."
City director of public safety and civic facilities Rob Whitwham and city heritage commission chairperson Harv Smerychynski could not be reached for comment as of press time.
