St. John’s City Council recently drew a line in the sand on heritage preservation, rejecting a controversial renovation at the 145-year-old Devon House.
The proposal, which would have seen a historic dormer window removed for a new deck, prompted a sharp rebuke from Deputy Mayor Ron Ellsworth, who accused the owners of putting profit before heritage.
But when the final vote was cast, one councillor stood apart. Sandy Hickman was the only member who did not vote to reject the application, stating he wanted more information first.
Hickman doubts that the modifications or the grant would have any profound impact on the value of the building, but would instead just bring the one floor in question in line with the other two floors. He says changes were made to some parts of the building decades ago under existing standards of the day.
“The changes were allowed 30 or 40 years ago, and this was just matching the one floor with the other two,” says Hickman.
“I don’t think it will have any impact on any other building.”
