It wasn't until a prominent Prince George do-gooder and realtor brought it up this week that anyone seemed to give a second thought to the PG Hotel's future fate as a pile of rubble.
But it seems Kirk Gable has been struck with the notion the historic building needs to be renovated and preserved as a part of the city's heritage rather than unceremoniously decimated and buried, along with all the memories it contained.
And if not save it, at least consider the idea and put it to the people, he argues.
Granted, since the city announced its decision to demolish the building on the corner of George St. and Fourth Ave. after purchasing it in April 2010, it seems P.G.'s only reaction was a collective sigh of relief.
And although arguing for or against the demolition of the building is best left to those with the strongest cases to make, the city has opened itself up to criticism by going headlong into the tearing down of municipal real estate without putting out feelers.
It's hard to blame anyone for wanting to erase that part of P.G.
The sad fact is well before its operation was shutdown, the prominent hotel and bar had been overrun by a bad sort (to put it mildly), which flowed out into the streets of the downtown.
And it's telling that with its closure, George Street seemed to clean itself up overnight. That's not quite true of course - along with the hotel's closure, considerable effort on the part of police and community groups over time created the change in that corner of the downtown.
It's a strong instinct to want to physically sweep that upsetting past away without so much as a second thought - especially before it can rear its ugly head again.
However while some carry emotional baggage due to the ugly state of the downtown in the last days of the PG Hotel, others have an emotional connection to the hotel's heyday in the years after it was first built.
The business was launched in the new structure in 1914, a year before the city was even incorporated, and books could be written over the events that transpired within its walls throughout the years - complete with royalty, bootlegging, and wheeling and dealing locals bringing prosperity to a fledgling Prince George.
History buffs view the past as part of who we are, good or bad. And obliterating tangible links to the past takes pieces away from our identity.
It would be wise to approach the demolishing of a site with such notable history with sensitivity - unfortunately the city didn't seem to consider this.
Granted, if there's one thing on which everyone agrees, it's that the hotel can't stand in its present state.
But the city had every opportunity to ask residents what they wanted to do with their own building through the Official Community Plan consultation process, which travelled from neighbourhood to neighbourhood for well over a year.
There's also the need to ask residents opting for demolition what they'd like to see in its place - a performance arts centre? A wood innovation centre? A parking lot?
As it stands, there's no way to know.
-- Prince George Citizen
