Shandel McLeod cries as she shares her memories of Saskatoon’s Lydia’s Pub.
The local artist met her husband at the Broadway Avenue bar and she was heartbroken Wednesday to see crews begin demolition on the Farnam Block building — which housed Lydia’s up until 2013.
“It’s really sad,” she said. “I have tears in my eyes.”
She spent nearly two hours outside the building talking to passersby as demolition crews began dismantling the iconic structure. She’s hoping to film a documentary about the building.
“Lydia’s is like coming home,” she said. “You could come back and go to Lydia’s and always run into old friends.”
Demolition crews fenced off the Farnam structure this week and began dismantling the building Wednesday. The building was not torn down, but most windows were removed.
A group hoping to save the building met with owners in a last-ditch effort to stop the demolition, but their effort likely failed, according to Sterling Summach, a local businessman spearheading the group.
Summach said the two sides were too far apart economically that, barring a last minute agreement, the demolition will likely continue.
“Unfortunately, as with anything that’s not technically for sale, there’s always going to be those issues. That’s the roadblock we’ve hit right now,” Summach told CTV at about 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“We have until tomorrow, sometime mid-morning, to put something together closer to what they’re looking for. At this point… I’m not sure we’re going to be able to do it.”
The building’s real estate agent said last week engineering reports showed the building has too many structural problems for renovations.
McLeod said she understands the construction issues. She’s just sad to see the building destroyed.
She and her husband have a seven-month-old son named Duncan. She was hoping Duncan would one day see where his mom and dad met.
“There’s going to be a hole on Broadway now," she said.
