Risteen building demolished after heritage designation denied

The historic Risteenbuilding in Fredericton, N.B., has been demolished.

After Fredericton city council voted down a motion Sept. 9 to give the building heritage designation, the owner proceeded with plans to tear it down.

The city confirmed the building, located at the corner ofQueen and Smythe streets, came down over two days. Thewooden section came down on Thursday and the stone section on Friday.

All that remains at the fenced site is a large pile of rubble.

The building was built in the 1820s and was the first cut-stone building in New Brunswick. In the 1870s, it became the Risteen Sash and Door Factory.

The building's fate hasbeen in question for months.

Developer Gabriel El-Zayat owns the adjacent properties, which have already been demolished, and plans to build an apartment complex on the site.

He applied for a demolition permit for the Risteen building in April. That's when the city issued a stop-work order to consider whether it should come under heritage preservation rules.

The stop-work order on the demolition of the building was lifted after the motion was defeated in a 5-4 vote.