ALBERTON – A piece of Alberton’s history will be demolished this week.
It was at “The Cross” – what is now the corner of Church and Main streets – that James Reid built a general store in 1862. Reid had emigrated to Newfoundland from Ireland before moving to The Cross in the early 1850s.
The building is such a landmark, looming in front of vehicles travelling east up the hill on Church Street, that it was used to prominently display two of the town’s large murals. They’ve been taken down for safekeeping.
The building and land has been owned since 1960 by Hardy Brothers, initially by brothers Perley and Wesley Hardy and more recently by Perley and his son Alan.
“It’s in great shape, but we couldn’t heat it,” said Perley. “Everything was going great until the oil took that jump.”
Upon purchasing the property, Hardy Brothers converted the building into six apartments. An attached building that, for many years, continued to serve as a barbershop, was later converted into an apartment, too.
The building has been empty since last fall when the owners closed the apartments due to increased heating costs. Doors, radiators and fixtures were recently salvaged from inside the apartments and last week siding and roofing was removed to prepare for demolition.
The original owner, James Reid, died four years after building the store, and his sons took over its operation, later selling out to Steve Burke.
In its 147 years it has had lives as a clothing store, jewelry and watch repair business, grocery store, restaurant, offices, motor vehicle branch and an upstairs pool hall.
Perley said they have no immediate plans for the property.
“I’m hoping somebody, some day, comes along,” he said, acknowledging the property on the corner has lots of potential.