Peggy Walt has been fighting to save a historic home, built in 1897, after finding out Dalhousie University has plans to tear it down. Photo: Peggy Walt
Thursday morning, Peggy Walt woke to what she thought was construction crews replacing the sidewalks on Edward Street.
She lay in bed, listening, before getting up to investigate. When Walt saw the trucks parked in front of 1245 Edward Street, she threw on her clothes and ran outside.
To her dismay, the historic home she’d been fighting to preserve was being gutted.
“Within about half an hour they had smashed out the upper windows in the back of the house and were throwing lumber and furniture and everything: windows, glass – it was all just being smashed onto the back deck,” Walt said.
The community wasn’t aware the demolition permit had been approved.
Walt, who’s lived across the road from 1245 Edward Street for 25 years, was devastated.
Shame on you @DalPres rushing the demo of this gorgeous heritage home before it gets reviewed on July 27 for heritage status. #destroyer @CH_coalblackhrt @HeritageTrustNS @CBCNS @CTV_Liveat5 @SaltWireNetwork @globalhalifax pic.twitter.com/1JrHa8WHoa
— Peggy Walt (@pwalty) July 7, 2022
‘Not some derelict old building’
The home was most recently owned by the Sapp family, who raised their seven children in the house, before Mr. Sapp’s death.
Later, Mrs. Sapp ran a daycare before eventually renting rooms to female international students, offering home-cooked meals and a friendly face foreign country.
Sapp, who Walt describes as a warm and maternal figure, lived in the house until she was almost 100 years old.
“This was not some derelict old building,” Walt said.
Following Mrs. Sapp’s death in 2021, the home, which was built in 1897 and later survived the Halifax explosion, was sold to Dalhousie University.
The slow creep
The community around Edward Street has long been concerned about Dalhousie’s slow encroach into the residential area south of University Avenue, Walt said.
“There was always kind of this line in the sand — they wouldn’t cross university avenue or they wouldn’t cross South street, but they’re really really encroaching into the family neighbourhoods when they come down these side streets.”
Dalhousie owns a modest, three-story apartment building next door to the property.
Peggy Walt stepped outside Thursday morning to find Dalhousie University had been granted a demolition permit, and the historic home she’d tried to save, was being torn apart. Photo: Peggy Walt.
With concerns about the future for neighbouring 1245, Walt and her community reached out.
They tried for months to get in touch with the university to discuss plans for the building, Walt said. When they finally got a response, the answer was clear: there would be no meeting; there would be no discussion.
“We love this area, but we don’t want to live across from a big student residence.”
So, Walt took to the internet, starting a petition, which has garnered almost 6000 signatures.
Community members made an application to the city, hoping to secure heritage status for the home. But when speaking with councilor for District 7, Waye Mason, Walt says she was told there was no way to pause Dalhousie’s application for a demolition permit while the property’s heritage merit was reviewed.
“You’re a university, you’re teaching your students about sustainability, you’re winning awards for sustainability — well this is not sustainability. You’re setting a bad example,” Walt said in May, following Dal’s application to the city to demolish the property.
Dalhousie’s response
Our newsroom reached out to Dalhousie in May to request an interview.
The university offered a written statement saying, “[1245 Edward] is not in livable condition, with significant water damage, mould, and holes in the ceilings and floors.”
“As such, the university has applied for a demolition permit through HRM. The property is not a designated heritage property. During the demolition, if safe and feasible, efforts will be made to salvage fixtures of characteristic quality.”
At that time, the demolition permit was still awaiting approval.
Acadia News contacted the University for additional comment, but had not heard back at the time of publication.
“I feel sad,” Walt said. “I can’t help but feel sad.”
“It certainly doesn’t make us have warm and fuzzy feelings about the university as neighbours.”
