Crews appear to have started demolishing the abandoned Bloomfield School in the north end of Halifax two months after a fire broke out in the building.
The demolition permit for the Agricola Street property was approved on March 11, according to the Halifax Regional Municipality’s permit tracking system. The permit description says the work will involve the “demolition and removal of abandoned school.”
“It is a little bit of an eyesore. There’s a lot of graffiti that covers the whole building. It’s also a big talking point. So, a lot of people come in thinking that it’s a waste of space,” said Anna McKenzie-Sasges, the guest concierge for Sincerely Skin, a skin care clinic that sits across the street from the Bloomfield School.
“We’re just hoping that it kind of speeds up the development, makes things a little bit nicer out here and a nice experience for everyone coming in. Hopefully it doesn’t increase the traffic either, because I know that could be a little bit of an issue.”
The Bloomfield School, which has been abandoned since 2014, caught fire around 1:35 a.m. on Feb. 16. One building on the lot was lost before crews got the fire under control.
Later that month unstable walls at the site were torn down.
The developer BANC purchased the property from the municipality for nearly $22 million in 2020.
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