The Town of Smithers announced on July 13 that they have purchased 1089 Main Street from Edmison Mehr Chartered Accountants.
The closed building, which sits at the corner of Main Street and Broadway Avenue, has been vacant for many years. Most recently it provided the backing to hang up community murals that were painted by participants in the Youth Empowerment Program.
The town explained that the purchase is to spur further downtown revitalization.
There are no immediate specific plans for the lot but the town said they will start with demolishing the building.
Over the course of the year, the building will be torn down and the site will be cleaned up.
The consideration, they said, is to develop a public, open space for the interim, possibly for long-term use.
"The Town of Smithers has purchased the site with a view to redeveloping the site and creating a public space that reflects the uniqueness of Smithers," said Mayor Cress Farrow. "We appreciate that Edmison Mehr provided the town with the opportunity to acquire the site and will be working over the next year to determine how best to utlize the site to continue to develop the downtown of Smithers as a predestrian-oriented shopping area."
Brian Edmison said that the purchase is a great opportunity for the town to "contribute to the vitality and energy of our downtown area."
He explained that in the 1930s the building was the site of Irish's Cafe and Moran's pool room. The pool room burned down in the early 40s, and in 1947 William Bovill installed Esso gas pumps. In 1954 the Bovill Motors Chrysler dealership held their grand opening. In future years, the building was a fish and chip restaurant, the Smithers Sub Parlour, the Little Onion and Rainbow Alley.
"It will be exciting to witness the next chapter for this location," said Edmison.
The Town said that by purchasing the site they have the ability to apply for provincial grants for site clean-up and will consult with the community to determine the best use of the land.