Update, 2pm: Andy FIlmore, who until recently was the city’s director in charge of HRM By Design and is now the director of the Dal department of Planning, leaves the following comment on my Facebook page:
There’s no story here. It being repainted exactly as it was, for future generations to enjoy.
I’m waiting for more information on this.
Original article:
The Twitterverse began announcing yesterday that the iconic Morse’s Teas sign on the historic building at the entryway into downtown was being painted over. I went today to investigate, and found a single worker on a giant cherry picker definitely paining over the sign. It did not appear to be some sort of preservative, but rather simply white paint, obscuring the Morse’s Teas lettering forever.
I attempted to interview the painter, yelling up at him, but he would not respond, ignoring me.
Later, I called the Baton Rouge restaurant, a relatively new addition to the building’s ground floor, identified myself as a reporter and asked for comment. The person answering the phone directed my inquiries to the owner of the building, Starfish Properties. I kept her on the phone as long as I could, but she said she had no knowledge of what was going on with the sign. Judging from her voice, I sensed some frustration or fear; I’m not sure I believe her denials of knowledge.
Starfish Properties is not answering the phone.
A reader directs me to the minutes of the June 6, 2007 meeting of the Heritage Advisory Committee. The committee members discussed some renovations and alterations to the building, and seemed to agree to them, but specifically said they wanted the sign at the top of the building maintained. They passed the following motion:
MOVED by Mark Pothier, seconded by Clarence Butler, that the Heritage Advisory Committee approve the alterations as outlined in the May 11, 2007 staff report, and recommend that the Morse’s Teas sign band be maintained as a distinctive feature of the building. MOTION PUT AND PASSED.
The Heritage Advisory Committee is, well, advisory. It has no force of law. I’ve been unable to find any subsequent discussion of the building or the sign by any other city committee, but I might be missing it.
From the outcry on social media, it’s obvious that the Morse’s Tea sign is (was?) loved by Halogonians.
I still have some small hope that this is somehow a restoration project, but, really, that seems unlikely. I observed the sign band being painted over completely, and the fact that this was done on the weekend with no previous public mention, makes me think Starfish knew exactly what the outcry would be and simply didn’t care.
I’ll update this post as soon as I have new information, probably Monday.
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2012.
This is downright awful. A tiny portion of our city’s character has been effaced.
Well that changes this evening’s dinner plans
TERRIBLE!! I will be sure to avoid any and all businesses in this building. What a completely unnecessary loss of history and culture.
Utterly stupid.
Why? The building looked great as it was! This isn’t one of those moments when people can blame some crazy historical society for demanding things stay the same at all costs. That banner added a little bit of character to an otherwise characterless, mostly bland and utterly average chain restaurant.
“I attempted to interview the painter, yelling up at him, but he would not respond, ignoring me.”
Boo hoo Tim, boohoo.
It’s a sign. Get over it people. There are a thousand other heritage pieces in this city you probably have never even noticed.
kinda depends on what they are going to paint in the space…if it’s a Red Bull ad…I’m out!
Wow! This is BIG NEWS! Between that “Tree with the Tire on it in Bedford” getting cut down and this, I don’t know how much more of this world I can take! Get Pacey on this, STAT!
Baton Rouge just lost a potential customer
Really? A ‘potential’ customer? Fuck.
As a rule I don’t respond to the media (not that the opportunity presents itself very often) and I would *probably* be ‘frustrated’ as well if some doorknob reporter kept pestering me for a juicy soundbite. Nice non-story there, with regards to the person you kept on the phone as long as possible.
It looked pretty funky and vintage before – now it just looks like a stupid, pointless white rectangle. Way to go!
There is no winning; either the historical building preservation people go apeshit over removing a derelict, ugly, brutalist monstrosity for progressive change or some crap restaurant chain takes historical preservation into their own hands with some whitewash and a paint brush, changing one of the nicer pieces of Halifax history.
Fuck-ed-up.
why would you interview the painter? what is he going to tell you? i got paid by my boss to paid the sign so i’m painting the sign lol
I wonder how people are going to react to mike savage as mayor, his whole thing was revitalize the downtown core but anytime anything is changed people freak out. Its gonna be interesting
“There’s no story here. It being repainted exactly as it was, for future generations to enjoy.”
This was my first assumption when I first started hearing reports of the sign being painted over–so why is this “reporter” making a story where there isn’t one. Reading this, the only thing I learned is he likes to yell at random people who would naturally have no idea of what’s happening in the first place. The most likely entry level position girl answering the phone at Baton Rouge has no more idea of what’s happening to the Moore’s Tea building, than I know when my landlord is going to change the light out in the hallway. Calm down.
“I sensed some frustration or fear; I’m not sure I believe her denials of knowledge.”
How very film noire of you–that’s some damn good reporting.
This has absolutely nothing to do with view planes or Phil Pacey. This is about an old sign that brings a lot of character to one of the key entrances to downtown.
Like many people out there, I think the view planes bylaw needs to be revised bigtime to encourage development. One can be both pro-development and a supporter of our built heritage. The “with us or against us” attitude some people show will get us no where as a city.
I don’t think it is fair to blame Tim for creating a story out of nothing. I know there are lots of people who were seriously interested and concerned that this sign was being painted, and to have someone who is willing to go out on the weekend and seek out an answer is really great.
I am questioning the legitimacy of this sign needing to be restored, and how whitewashing the whole thing is a step in the restoration process.
The sign didn’t need “restoring”. It was perfectly clear. One has to wonder why they thought it needed repainting.
To be fair, it is true that people were interested in this story. Thing is, I don’t think
– a painter who won’t respond
– a hostess/reservation taker who won’t respond
deserve any more mention in the story than a ‘no comment’, at the most.
It’s not even paint, it’s freaking brick. All they need to do to restore it is take a pressure washer to it.
Thanks for raising the issue
Clarence R. Butler
This just in. In his first official act as Mayor, Mike Savage has used discretionary “concert” funds to hire an artist to restore the Morse’s Tea sign:
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/233_9r4ol_8/0.jpg
What’s the latest?