Regina city council votes in favour of Cook Residence heritage status

The Cook Residence will remain after Regina city council decided it should be a heritage property during their Monday meeting.

The owners of the property, Carmen Lien and Adriana Gourgais, wanted to demolish the 90-year-old home at the corner of Albert Street and Hill Avenue after buying it in November 2018.

The Cook Residence was on the city’s heritage holding list, and asked the province to weigh in on whether it met the criteria of being a heritage property.

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“The provincial regulator said in their opinion it is, and council agreed. We voted and said it’s a heritage property,” Mayor Michael Fougere said.

Fougere added they will look at a bylaw during their October council meeting to officially give the Cook Residence heritage designation.

The bylaw discussion will also include looking at what structural issues may exist with the property and how much it would cost to bring it up to code.

The decision for a third party review came following conflicting reports on how much it would cost to repair the home.

A report commissioned by Lien and Gourgais pegged to price tag around $3 million. Another report from Heritage Regina said it would cost closer to $300,000 to restore the Cook Residence.

Council’s next regular meeting is set for Monday, Oct. 28.

—With files from Taylor Braat