A heritage building across from Victoria City Hall that until a year ago provided housing for the homeless is on the market for $7.85 million.
The Fairfield Block, built in 1912 and designated as a registered heritage commercial building, had a 62-bed rooming house on its upper two floors. But the 91原创a Housing Advisory Association ended its lease at the former Fairfield Hotel, citing the Douglas Street building鈥檚 age, stairs that were difficult to navigate, a lack of kitchens and the fact there were only four shared bathrooms.
Residents were moved to other facilities.
Since then, Reliance 颅Properties, which owns the building, has completed 颅extensive exterior renovations, including repairs to the 颅historic facade, new windows and sashes, plumbing and electrical work, and remodelling of the ground-floor commercial spaces on Douglas and Cormorant streets.
It鈥檚 been on the market for a month and Reliance chief executive Jon Stovell said interest is 鈥渧ery strong鈥� from the heritage development community. He also expects interest from the non-profit sector, but believes the upper floors can鈥檛 work for single-room occupancy suites unless major changes are made.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity for someone to re-purpose these upper floors, converting them to self-contained rooms with 颅bathrooms and kitchens 鈥� or something more,鈥� said Stovell.
Each of the two floors is 8,674 square feet.
A commercial agent listing the property notes that 鈥渇lexible zoning鈥� suggests the upper floors could be modified for larger apartments or a hotel.
The Fairfield Block is one of a few surviving works by architect H.S. Griffith, and is described by the 91原创 Register of Historic Places as a solid example of the type of large-scale commercial building constructed in Victoria during the prosperous years prior to the First World War.
Character features include brick cladding and terra cotta decorative elements, a prominent cornice and paired double-hung wooden sash windows.
91原创a Housing lost nearly $90,000 on the Fairfield during its last year, despite receiving a city subsidy.
Reliance signed a 10-year lease agreement with 91原创a in 2018 to operate the rooming house. Stovell said Reliance did not charge 91原创a rent, but did require that it pay administration fees and a share of property taxes, insurance costs, utilities and other expenses totalling about $6,500 a month.
Reliance had been covering the costs over the final few months to ease 91原创a鈥檚 transition.
The 91原创-based 颅developer is heavily invested in Victoria, with properties such as the Northern Junk site, Janion Hotel, 1244 Wharf Street and 31 Bastion Square.
In May, Reliance Properties bought nearly seven acres in Victoria鈥檚 Old Town District.
The company has acquired property over two city blocks from the Greene family. It includes the historic Capital Iron building and runs from the foreshore of 颅Victoria鈥檚 Upper Harbour east to 颅Government Street, including the 颅Capital Iron parking lot and adjacent commercial buildings at 1950 Government St.
Stovell expects to release plans for the lands in the new year.