Loss of Sutherland Hotel to fire ‘very sad’

For over a 140 years, the Sutherland Hotel was a fixture on Winnipeg’s Main Street, but now all that remains is rubble after the hotel became the most recent building in the city’s north end to be consumed by fire.

After being ravaged by fire on Wednesday, the Sutherland Hotel, which was opened in 1882, was demolished overnight, leaving yet another patch of scorched earth along this stretch of Main Street in the Point Douglas neighbourhood.

“It was a done deal, waiting for possession date, then this happens. So yeah, it’s not good,” said Brad Gross, the building’s listing agent.

He confirmed Thursday that a deal for the hotel was finalized in January, with the new owner expected to take possession in June. Now, like the building, those plans have gone up in smoke.

“To lose it is very sad,” said Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg. “These heritage buildings represent the soul and history of our city and who we are and how we started.”

In Tugwell’s eyes, she says whether they’re historic or not, more needs to be done to protect and redevelop vacant buildings in Winnipeg, especially given the cities crucial need for affordable housing.

“Many were hotels or single room occupancy buildings,” she said. “So they can be easily retrofitted or rehabilitated, and they are much more affordable for developers, but you can’t just wait until the bones or the structural integrity is compromised.”

VO:  As for what sparked the blaze, the investigation remains on-going.