City council voted Monday not to place a heritage designation after all on the former United Canadian Malt Building on Park Street - the vacant factory is already under demolition.

"It is simply too late - this building is coming down," said Coun. Lesley Parnell.

At a committee meeting on Dec. 2, councillors gave preliminary approval to the heritage designation in an 8-3 vote; the idea was to halt the property owners' plans to completely raze the building.

But for that to happen, councillors would have had to vote a final time in favour on Monday.

It didn't work out that way: the vote was 5-5 with one councillor absent (Coun. Kim Zippel), constituting a loss.

For the designation to carry with one councillor missing, said city clerk John Kennedy, it needed six votes in favour.

Voting against a heritage designation were Coun. Parnell along with Coun. Stephen Wright, Coun. Andrew Beamer, Coun. Don Vassiliadis and Coun. Kemi Akapo.

The votes in favour of a heritage designation came from Mayor Diane Therrien, Coun. Henry Clarke, Coun. Gary Baldwin, Coun. Keith Riel and Coun. Dean Pappas.

The Malt building is located at the intersection of Park and Lansdowne streets, across from Home Depot. It was built in 1931 in the Art Deco style, states a new city staff report.

It is sometimes referred to as the Ovaltine building, since the milk flavouring made from malt extract used to be manufactured there.

Brothers David and J.R. McGee bought the Malt building three years ago after malt operations ceased; the new owners soon announced plans to convert it into high-end apartments.

Yet the McGees, who are both car dealers and developers, have had a valid demolition permit in hand for months.

They started tearing down the building on Nov. 30, neighbours said - which was two days before council first debated whether to place a heritage designation on the building.

David McGee was registered to speak to council prior to the vote on Monday, but he didn't come to City Hall after all.

Coun. Henry Clarke spoke in favour of trying to preserve at least the "shell" of the Malt building.

"This designation will protect the shell," he said. "It's our heritage, and it's up to us to protect it."

Coun. Keith Riel agreed, saying that people travel to Europe to see the old European architecture.

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"Well, this is our architecture," he said.

But Coun. Andrew Beamer called it "foul play" and "unfair" for council to place a heritage designation on the building months after the McGees had taken out a demolition permit.

Coun. Don Vassiliadis said he doesn't see any beauty in the building.

Coun. Stephen Wright said that although he's a "strong proponent" of maintaining heritage buildings, the city is too late to save this one.

City staff recommended a heritage designation after consulting with the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC) which discussed it at a meeting under new business on Nov. 7.

Prior to the vote, council heard from PACAC chairman Stewart Hamilton, who said the building ought to be saved.

"We don't have any other Art Deco buildings in this city - certainly not on this scale," he said, adding that demolition means a piece of history goes straight into the landfill.

joelle.kovach

@peterboroughdaily.com