Advocates hold out hope as U of Sask. Seminary Crescent buildings face demolition

Aishwarya Dudha · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 7:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Advocates are renewing calls to sphere the historical Lutheran Theological Seminary buildings connected the University of Saskatchewan campus. 

The assemblage decided to demolish the buildings astatine 113 and 114 Seminary Cres. astatine a gathering connected April 14, citing the deteriorating information of the infrastructure and the deficiency of a financially viable purpose. 

Constructed successful 1968 and vacant for the past 5 years, the buildings person been deemed unsafe owed to a collapsed roof, electrical failures and different information hazards. 

"The costs of bringing these properties to operational modular is important and not wrong the assemblage budget. An autarkic adept has estimated the outgo to renew astatine $55 to $60 million," the assemblage said successful a connection Monday. 

But those advocating to prevention the buildings accidental those numbers don't lucifer the estimates they recovered done professionals. 

"When the assemblage archetypal announced their volition to demolish these buildings, they identified $26 cardinal arsenic their estimated outgo to repurpose the buildings," Susan Shantz, 1 of the advocates, said astatine an online quality league Monday. 

She said that proposals submitted by organizations funny successful the restoration were good wrong that $26 cardinal mark. 

"We are not definite wherever the $50 to $60 cardinal estimation came from that was precocious announced by the university," she said. 

The buildings, designed by renowned designer John Holliday-Scott, are listed connected the university's interior practice registry and considered a important illustration of late-modern Canadian architecture.

Shantz besides said that the proposals submitted aligned with the institution's strategical goals, including Indigenization and assemblage engagement.

"We're truly baffled by what that remark is referring to. Indigenization has been a apical precedence of the assemblage for the past while, and supporting Indigenous students and retaining Indigenous students has been a priority," she said. 

Advocates said they person repeatedly tried to prosecute with the university's committee of governors, but their requests for meetings person mostly gone unanswered.

"We person worked for months since past autumn to effort and get a gathering with the committee of governors and ... person been unsuccessful doing that," Monica Kreuger, different section advocator said. 

"We're inactive looking for that speech and that collaboration and treatment astir what's possible, versus jumping to a demolition," she said. 

At the extremity of the quality conference, their connection was simple: a petition for the assemblage to reconsider its determination and prosecute successful a speech with the advocates astir the aboriginal of the seminary. 

In the connection sent by the university, Keith Martell, seat of the committee of governors said, "I privation to admit the important efforts made by Friends of 114 Seminary Crescent to find alternate options, and the enactment progressive for organizations who submitted Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the erstwhile Lutheran Theological Seminary.

"This includes a compelling submission from the Saskatoon Tribal Council to make a centre for lodging and programming for Indigenous students." 

The connection said that USask is funny successful discussing the imaginable for a lodging installation for Indigenous students successful an country of field wherever the assemblage has already dedicated supports for residences to guarantee the champion imaginable acquisition for students. 

"This was a analyzable and hard decision, and we recognize it is simply a situation for galore successful the assemblage to accept," the connection said.