Image credit: Friends of 114 Seminary CrescentThe University of Saskatchewan is proceeding with the demolition of 114 Seminary Crescent (Lutheran Seminary) and 113 Seminary Crescent (Ogle Hall).The Seminary Building is a recognized Class A Heritage Structure, designed by architect John Holliday-Scott and built of reinforced concrete and hand-placed stone. Experts including engineers, planners, and conservationists have confirmed its structural integrity and adaptive reuse potential.The decision to demolish the building has sparked concerns from local advocates, who have rallied under the group Friends of 114 Seminary Crescent. The volunteer coalition includes professionals, heritage advocates, alumni, and community members, who have expressed deep disappointment in the universitys plans to demolish the buildings.Image credit: Friends of 114 Seminary CrescentA spokesperson from the University of Saskatchewan said that while they understand the dismay of those who had hoped to see the former Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) building saved, safety issues that have been growing over the last few years have become an urgent consideration.This was highlighted on April 23, 2025, when USask Protective Services found a person who had illegally entered the building and was overdosing. That life was saved, but the difficulty of securing the facility and ensuring no one died because of a health emergency, a fire, or structural failures in the building, became a priority for the board, the spokesperson told Canadian Architect. In 2024 alone, protective services dealt with at least 160 incidents, including fires and vandalism at the abandoned LTS site. Maintaining 24-hour security has been costly.The spokesperson also said that the City of Saskatoon has expressed serious concerns about the buildings compliance with municipal bylaws, along with the Saskatoon Fire Department who is concerned over the building safety, and added that addressing those concerns would require extraordinarily costly renovations.Image credit: Local History Room, Saskatoon Public Library, via Friends of 114 Seminary CrescentIn December of 2024, in response to community concerns, the University of Saskatchewan Board paused its call for proposals for demolition in order to formally seek Expressions of Interest (EOI) to fund the restoration of the buildings for future uses aligned with the universitys teaching and research mission.The biggest misconception is that there were financially viable options proposed, aligned with the universitys mission, for saving the 60-year-old building designed by Saskatoon architect John Holliday-Scott, said the spokesperson, adding that an early internal cost estimate was that a minimum of $26 million would be required to restore the building. Later, an independent, expert firm, Brook McIlroywhich has deep knowledge of the universitys buildings and recent experience on a similar heritage projectcited $55 million to $60 million, given that there are major issues to be addressed including hazardous material abatement, a new roof, entirely new mechanical infrastructure, and new water, sewer and electrical infrastructure leading up to and inside the building.Of the proposals received, none demonstrated capacity to fund even the early minimum restoration figure. In fact, none came forward with more than $2 million firmly secured for their proposed project.In an opinion piece published in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Friends of 114 Seminary Crescent wrote: We understand the boards concerns around safety. However, the cited incidents reflect broader societal challenges, including housing insecurity and mental health. They note that one of the proposals was an Indigenous-led project for student housing, onsite childcare, classroom and research space, Elder supports and culturally rooted services, all designed to help students from rural and northern communities transition to campus life.Image credit: Local History Room, Saskatoon Public Library, via Friends of 114 Seminary CrescentThis project, says the Friends, is the one that brought $2-million in grant funding to the table. Proponents were explicitly told general financial estimates and plansnot firm commitmentswere sufficient at this stage, as detailed figures would come in a second phase (which never occurred). Most significantly, the university did not share the updated $55 to $60 million Brook McIlroy estimate during or after the process, they write. These figures appear exceptionally high relative to local standards, according to Saskatchewan-based engineers, architects and planners with direct knowledge of the building.Friends of 114 Seminary Crescent recently issued a final appeal to the Board of Governors and to the Universitys outgoing president, urging University leadership to pause demolition and allow a fresh assessment under the next administration. A new president was just announced at the university and we will be contacting them directly to see if there is any chance in saving at least the main structure as it would be at a stage that someone could customize and complete, said Monica Kreuger, co-founder of Friends of 114 Seminary Crescent.This has been a very disheartening processdemolishing perfectly good buildings that were meant for a much longer life, says Kreuger.The post University of Saskatchewan proceeds with demolition of buildings at 114 and 113 Seminary Crescent appeared first on Canadian Architect.