HISTORIC NELSON BUILDING TO CO

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29178, 12 April 1960, Page 19

HISTORIC NELSON BUILDING TO CO

Preservation Would Be Too Costly After an Investigation of the Nelson Provincial Council buildings in Bridge street, a majority of the members of the Nelson regional committee of the National Historic Places Trust has decided against their preservation as an historic place. Stating this in his report to the annual meeting of the committee, the president, Mr J. A. Jenkins, said that the poor condition of the roof beams and woodwork in general, would make preservation and restoration so costly that it would be- out of proportion to the benefit to be derived. The majority of the committee had decided that, when the new Justice Department building was erected, a large photograph of the Provincial buildings in their early form should be exhibited, and that the foundation stone should be preserved for inclusion in the new building. The Provincial Council buildings,. now more than 100 years old, were the seat of the Nelson Provincial Government They have long been used as Government offices. The handsome Provincial council chamber is used as a Court room. The block, which is imposing in its architecture of the period, is due to be demolished soon, and the Nelson regional committee of the Historic Places Trust has been considering how far it could go in attempting to preserve these buildings which have an important place in Nelson’s history.