In an effort to stimulate local economies and provide employment for some of the thousands of unemployed during "The Depression", the Government embarked on a Canada wide building program, much like the WPA and PWA programs of the US. This building is the program's contribution to the Amherst economy, replacing an 1886 post office, which still stands and was becoming overcrowded. It was completed and opened for business in 1936.
When a still newer post office was erected a few decades later, the building eventually became the home of Tantramar Theatre, a local production company. The post office was moved to its present site on Havelock and Prince Arthur Streets in 1976 while Tantramar Theatre first occupied the building in about 2000. In 2010 the Town of Amherst purchased the building, and in October of 2012 moved into the building, displacing Tantramar Theatre. The town had spent $250,000 on renovations in 2011 and expected to spend another $500,000 to turn the building into a usable town hall.
This move by the town in summarily ousting Tantramar Theatre from its home of fifteen years caused no small amount of controversy in the town, as recounted by the Halifax Chronicle Herald, below, in 2012.
Amherst council
move ‘killing’ theatre society
BY AARON BESWICK TRURO BUREAU
Published May 5, 2012 - 3:54am
Last Updated May 5, 2012 - 5:40am
AMHERST — It’s one of this border town’s grand old buildings.
With its towering sandstone columns and turn-of-the-century architecture, the Dominion Building imposes a sense of historical dignity on downtown Amherst.
But a plan by the municipal government to move its offices and council chambers into the building has set off a controversy.
“We are the town’s cultural centre and they’re killing us,” Bette Douglas, Tantramar Theatre Society’s artistic director said Friday.
“They are summarily doing this without going to the people to hear what residents want.”
The theatre society has called the building home for 15 years.
Mayor Robert Small said council is making the move to preserve a core downtown building that requires expensive upkeep.
The resulting debate over what’s best for the downtown has raged through letters to the editor in the Amherst Daily News and in a cold stare-down between council and the theatre.
“It’s not just about moving bodies from our existing town hall two blocks away. It’s our belief that this will create interest in new businesses in our downtown and strengthen the existing businesses,” said Small. “It’s the traffic that this will bring to downtown.”
The building, originally constructed by the federal government to serve as a post office was purchased by Tang Dynasty Investments Ltd. more than 10 years ago.
The absentee landlord also bought two other well-known downtown buildings, but in recent years stopped paying municipal taxes after becoming insolvent.
The town purchased the Dominion Building in 2010, along with the former Bank of Montreal for $220,000 as part of its Centre First Strategy, which seeks to revitalize Amherst’s downtown.
Last year, the town spent another $250,000 upgrading the Dominion Building’s wiring and airhandling system and repairing its foundation.
This year it has budgeted $500,000 for renovations to turn the upstairs into municipal government offices and the huge foyer into a council chambers and community space.
“The ground floor will be an open concept so it can be used for other public events,” said Small. “We still want it to be used for the Fibre Arts Festival and any other events that people want to host in this unique building.”
Meanwhile, the Tantramar Theatre will be forced to move out over the coming weeks.
Douglas said council should be supporting the Tantramar Theatre as a grassroots artistic institution in the downtown.
“We bring thousands upon thousands of people downtown every year,” said Douglas. “We support local talent, bring East Coast Award nominees and winners to perform in town and are great asset to the area business community.”
The Tantramar Theatre commissions and performs locally produced theatre, regularly hosts music acts, acts as a convention centre and runs a program for at-risk youth. But the mayor is sticking to his guns. Small said council will host its first meeting in the building in September.
Douglas said Tantramar Theatre will find a new home, though she doubts it will live up to the venue they had with Dominion Building.
From Halifax Chronicle Herald