Stretch of Princess Street closed due to unsafe condition of building, city says

A busy section of road in the city'sExchange District will beclosed until further notice, says the City of Winnipeg, because anearby building is in unsafe condition.

Princess Street between Pacific and Ross avenuesis completely blocked to traffic while crewsassess the condition of the building at 216 Princess St. and look forways to fix it.

The building, called the Scott Memorial Orange Hall, is dealingwith some foundational issues, which is fairly common when buildings reach a certain age, according to Gordon Goldsborough, president of the Manitoba Historical Society.

"If you look at the outside of it, you can see that it's suffering some damage," Goldsborough said. "There are some large cracks that have appeared on it... in the last few weeks.

"Usually, it's a result of the building moving," he said, adding that the cracks are on the north and west sides of the building.

The building received historical designation in 2017. Back in the day it was called theGrand Orange Lodge of Manitoba because it houseda fraternal organization called theOrange Order, he said.

"Over 100 years ago [the fraternity] was very active, and there were chapters of it all over Manitoba, all of whom reported to the main lodge, that was the one in Winnipeg," Goldsborough said.

Over the years, the ground floor hadbeen used for an antique shop, but Goldsborough is unsure of what the building's top floors were used for.

Most recently, the building was slated to be renovated into condominiums, he said.

While the lane will be closed to traffic, pedestrianswill still be allowed on the east sidewalk of Princess Street, the city says.

Drivers who use the route should schedule extra travel time and find other ways to get to their destinations.

For Transit re-route and schedule information, people can call follow@transitalertson Twitter,orcontact 311.

People can get updates on lane closures through an interactive map on the city's website.