Discussions

By the looks of the proposed Daly Overpass development, we are likely facing the demolition of the old International Harvester Building, which frustrates me for several reasons.  
 
As time progresses it has become increasingly apparent to me that this city doesn't seem to take much pride or care in its historic buildings. Namely in the selling of properties to developers who fail to do any actual developing. Take the case of the McKenzie Seeds building, which has been purchased by property developers to make housing but simply has been sitting untouched. These companies don't really want to save the buildings, they want them to deteriorate so they can demolish them and then build much cheaper alternatives. They do not care about our heritage, they want to make money off of us.  
 
Of course progress is progress and time passes and things deteriorate. That's life. But the way I see it, demolishing and erasing history for money and convenience is nasty behaviour that I will never support. As people we are so caught up in worrying about ourselves that the people who will be here long after we are gone will simply have nothing to inherit.  
 
An understanding of and appreciation for history is the only way that we can ever truly move forward.

What I don’t understand is why do we need to save a building like that ? It’s an eyesore and can be potentially dangerous if one day it gives out? Why are people so attached to an old building that doesn’t hold historical value? Just because it’s old it needs to be preserved? At what cost and who will pay for the upkeep? IMO I don’t see an issue with this . It seems like the best option to eliminate the traffic congestion and possibly reduced the amount of accidents that it could cause . Brandon needs to change as the world changes around it . But that’s my opinion on this .

I suppose I wasn't very clear in my initial post. I'm not saying that we need to save that specific building in particular. That intersection is cramped and ultimately in order to grow we need to build a new bridge. Whatever blah blah it wasn't really the point I was trying to make anyways.  
 
What I am saying is that there's a larger problem at hand. Perhaps it stems from consumerism or capitalism, a desire to accumulate wealth, who knows. Tearing down old buildings because it's "easier" and "cheaper" seems like a cop out to me (and incredibly wasteful) when if they are taken care of, they're perfectly usable and have plenty of character. You say "Who's going to pay for upkeep?" but who pays for the upkeep of new buildings? Guess what, it's also us!  
 
But anyways it's a bold assumption saying that it doesn't hold historical value. Everything holds historical value and all history is valuable. And when it comes to place like Brandon it can offer people a sense of place, identity, pride, and belonging.

which historical building in Brandon do you want to purchase and save?

a good discussion to have 40 years ago. The migration of consumers to the suburbs made many of these buildings downtown virtually worthless, and so they were maintained appropriately. Remember the Brown block and the Strand - both historical buildings that were neglected until they were unsound. Not saying that about the Kullberg building or McKenzie Seeds, but in the bigger picture many old buildings hit the end of their lifespan, lifespan being determined by the original construction and how it was maintained.

I don’t necessarily agree with this  
 
Doors open Brandon happens every year this year there were over 20 historic places you could your. This promotes our history and our heritage.  
 
Also I work in an older heritage building( it was on the tour list) and once your building is deemed a heritage building you have to do every thing you can to keep it up to heritage standards. Not modernize it.  
 
So in saying that there is lots of history and heritage around town. You just have to look for it.

it handicaps the owner of a historic building and likely makes it more expensive. Especially if it has outdated HVAC, plumbing and electrical.  
 
Having historical buildings are nice but require a lot more to maintain them. Don't think the International Harvester building is on the historical list either. There is really nothing special about it, it's just a big brick building. While it would be sad to see such an iconic landmark disappear, it sadly needs to be done. If we kept every old building, there would be no progress.

I’m more sad to see the home of the Brandon wheat king sign go then I am the actual building.

Find it disappointing to see another historic building lost too. I would think that a four lane bridge could be a cheaper alternative and wouldn't take up as much land as two separate spans. Yeah, I know, they want to build one span and use it while they build the other one.  
 
Over the years, I've seen quite a few significant old buildings from the days when they thought Brandon may grow into a large city, knocked down only to be replaced by a single story little building that would be right at home on the main street in a town of five hundred people.  
 
Edited by Triplethreat, 2019-11-03 22:46:43