Historic Saint Andrews dormitory demolished, with news of new apartments to come

It was the end of an era in Saint Andrews, N.B., with the demolition of O'Brien House, a building that has stood behind the Algonquin Hotel for more than a century and once housed hotel employees.

"There's a lot of people that came through that building over the years that have a lot of good memories of, you know, summers in Saint Andrews, meeting friends, sometimes, you know husbands, wives," said Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson.

"There's a lot of history tied into that, and when you look at the building kind of being demolished, it does bring back memories."

According to the Canada's Historic Places website, O'Brien House was built in 1917 by Canadian Pacific Railway, the then-owners of the Algonquin Hotel.

The building was one of the Tudor Revival dormitories used over the years by the seaside resort.

The building, which began as male-only,had a common room with 32 bedrooms upstairs, housingtwo men each, the website says.

In 1929, Matthews House was built and had units for women, as well as housing the powerhouse and recreation centre.

Henderson said O'Brien House was cordoned off more than a decade ago, and it just wasn't financially possible to repair it.

"It literally got to the point where there was nothing left to save," he said.

In place of the building, Henderson said, the plan is for a new apartment building with 20 units, designated specifically for Algonquin workers and their families.

InnVest Hotels, the Toronto-basedcompany that bought the Algonquin last year, will foot the bill, he said.

Henderson said if all the approvals are given without a hitch, construction could begin this fall, with the goal of having staff move in next summer.

"When the Algonquin Resort invests in staffing, it helps the entire community," he said.

"Having 20 new apartments for their staff, that's 20 new units that people aren't looking for in the community."

Henderson said there have been mixed reactions to the demolition of O'Brien House.

Some people are excited about the new apartment building, andothers wonder why a building with history would be torn down.

While it's sad to see the building go, Henderson said, the news is positive,given a new building willprovide needed housing to families.