LETHBRIDGE-Precision Power Sports used to tell its customers to stop by the “business next to the little green elevator”. Now, they’ll need to find a new landmark as a construction company tears down the building.
At first glance the structure looked much like a grain elevator, but it was actually used to store fertilizer.
Belinda Crowson with the Galt Museum and Archives says there is a way to tell the two apart.
“If you look at a lot of the fertilizer ones, the lines of it go up and down, where a true wood grain elevator goes horizontal.”
Crowson says the elevator was put in that specific spot because of its close proximity to the train tracks and the highway.
“After 1950, the area between 30th and 43rd street became sort of an agricultural mecca. In 1950 the stockyard there expanded, in 1955 we saw Alberta Wheat Pool elevators being built there, in the early 60’s we see some of the meat packing plants build, and then in 1965 Bowns Agriculture decided to build a fertilizer elevator there.”
In 1984 the stock yards went down and the area died off. The fertilizer elevator closed down, and has sat empty for years. Now A & J Construction has the task of tearing it down.
Construction supervisor Shawn Marcinek says it’s no easy feat.
“It’s all built out of fir, so it’s really tough, really strong. Nails hold really well into fir material so old structures like that are a little bit harder to take down.”
Precision Power Sports looked into all of their options before deciding to tear the structure down. They talked to museum and looked into grants. They even tried to give it away but, unfortunately, it was too expensive to move. Now, the company plans to expand its business on the new space.
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