Dramatic change to Centennial Building facade rejected by Fredericton committee

A proposal to completely transform the face of a prominent downtown Fredericton building was rejected Wednesday night by the planning advisory committee.

Centennial Heritage Properties director Geoff Colter, who owns the empty Centennial Building, had sought city approval for a design change that critics said would ruin the building's historic character.

But the planning committee, made up of councillors and citizens, went with a city staff recommendation to reject the proposal. It will go to council later for an official decision.

The committee rejected the developer's latest proposal, pictured on top. Council had previously approved a proposal, on bottom, with inset balconies, which the city said respected the building's character. (City of Fredericton)

About 30 people filled council chambers, with more joining virtually, for the discussion of the Centennial Building, which a local architect called the most important building built in the last century in New Brunswick.

Tony Dakiv, a senior city planner, told the committee that Coulter's latest design proposal differed from the one approved in 2022 that respected the building's character.

The initial proposal "achieved a balance" between heritage character and an adaptive reuse strategy, Dakiv said, and its planned inset balconies did not disrupt the building's vertical grid-patterned facade.

The new design replaced that facade with a cladding system that included metal panels and featured balconies projecting outward.

Coulter told the committee that the initial design had become too expensive to carry out. (Sam Farley/CBC)

Coulter told the committee the initial design proved to be "way over any economical budget that existed," and the biggest factor driving up the cost was the plan for inset balconies.

"We said, well, what if this was a more conventional-type cladding like you would see on an apartment building that's not in the city centre and it's not the Centennial Building?"

The Centennial Building on King Street, kitty-corner to the back of the New Brunswick Legislative Building, was constructed in 1967 as part of a nationwide infrastructure campaign to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Confederation.

For decades, it housed offices for about 1,000 provincial employees and the premier. It was vacated in 2012 for renovations before being sold in 2018 by the newly elected premier Blaine Higgs.

It was sold to Coulter in 2019 for $4 million, but the province did not apply any heritage protection or designation before selling. Since the sale, the building has been fenced off like a construction site but with little apparent activity going on.

Architect decries proposal

John Leroux, an architect and historian, asked committee members to reject the latest design proposal and not let "what once was our greatest achievement be reduced to suburban balconies."

Leroux said that he went to school with Coulter and has worked with him before, but that he got the design wrong.

John Leroux, architect and historian, told the planning advisory committee the proposed new design shouldn't be allowed in the downtown government area. Developer Geoff Coulter is behind him, on the right. (Sam Farley/CBC)

"The Centennial Building is, with no hint of exaggeration, one of the most intentional design projects in the history of this city and in the history of New Brunswick, where nothing was left to chance, not a single detail, where the outward appearance and its carefully designed details were meant to say that we as a province had arrived," Leroux said.

"This was the tangible symbol of economic advancement of the province, of their equal opportunity program, and that New Brunswick mattered."

Other speakers also criticized the proposal.

"The city deserves something more than a stack of cargo containers with some sort of scaffolding attached to the front of it," Robert Rombough said.

The downtown Centennial Building has been empty since 2012 and fenced off in more recent years. (Aidan Cox/CBC)

Jeremy Mullin described the building as a "gift from the 1960s."

"We need to learn to cherish such gifts, not allow them to be changed so drastically that they're no longer recognizable."

The committee also received six emails from people opposed to the proposal and two from people in favour of it.

Lisa Alexander wrote to support for the new design, saying she welcomed any progress on the project. Her email referred to an earlier project, which Higgs stopped, to incorporate the Centennial Building into plans for a new courthouse.

"Since the previous provincial government decided against using it as a courthouse, it has sat as an eyesore in the downtown," Alexander wrote.

Karolyn Law also wrote that the renovation "was long overdue" because it would help alleviate the city's housing shortage.

Developer hopes council can help find middle ground

In a brief interview after the planning advisory committee's rejection, Coulter said he wasn't surprised.

"I'm hopeful that when it gets to council that maybe it'll open a discussion of how else we might bridge the gap here," Coulter said.

WATCH | From 2020, see an in-depth report about art stored at the deteriorating Centennial Building:

"Because the reality is, if we can't find a way to bridge the gap, then the project — nothing gets done."

Coulter said while some view the property as heritage, it has not been declared a heritage building.

When asked what he would say to local people who had expressed affection for the Centennial Building, Coulter declined to comment.

On Friday, during an interview on Information Morning Fredericton, he was asked if had considered selling the building.

"A sale of the property is something I would have to discuss with my partners, but right now, that is not on our radar."