Bell Media has put its Francis Rattenbury-designed heritage building up for sale after announcing that it’s moving its broadcasting operations to Esquimalt.
CFAX 1070 AM, 107.3 Virgin Radio and CTV News Vancouver Island are relocating to Esquimalt Town Square from the Brackman-Ker Milling Company building at 1420 Broad St.
No asking price has been made public for the brick building, listed by Cushman and Wakefield. It is assessed at $10.76 million.
The building, painted a pale yellow, was once a part of Victoria’s burgeoning industrial enclave in what is now called Old Town.
Zoning allows for a range of uses, including brew pub, care facility, food and beverage services, hotel, office, residential and retail trade. The building is across the street from Victoria City Hall and Centennial Square.
Bell Media’s Greater Victoria operations will be consolidated into its new one-level space in a move expected to be complete by January.
Stuart Adamson, operations manager and news director, said in a recent statement that he hopes the move will open up valuable real estate in the city centre, suggesting the building may work for housing.
A Bell Media spokesman said Thursday the company had no additional comment.
The building, circa 1907, is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places website. It is “notable for its elegant and understated Edwardian-era design, including its sand-lime brick cladding and segmental-arched windows,” the website says.
The building, which had a line of truck bays opening to its south and east sides, is a reminder of industrial uses that were at one time common in Old Town, such as warehousing and manufacturing.
The Brackman-Ker company was established in 1877 as a rolled-oats manufacturer in North Saanich. It was founded by Henry Brackman, who made his fortune in the Cariboo gold rush, and by James Milne, a Scottish miller and stone cutter.
In 1879, the company dissolved but it was revived two years later when Brackman partnered with David Russell Ker.
After Brackman died in 1903, Ker led the company on a successful expansion plan in Western Canada. It was sold to Maple Leaf Mills in 1965, the website said.
The building went through a major renovation in 2000 and “has contributed to the revitalization of the north end of downtown Victoria,” according to the City of Victoria website.
The site was the original location of the Pandora Avenue Wesleyan Methodist Church, a Gothic structure built in 1859 with a 120-foot tower, one of the first large churches in Victoria. That building was taken down to make way for the milling company.
Along with the Brackman-Ker building, architect Rattenbury’s Greater Victoria work includes the B.C. legislature and the centre block of the Empress hotel.
