St. Mary's Pulp and Paper Mill

St. Mary’s Pulp and Paper Mill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is on the 2018 Top 10 Endangered Places List.

Created by the National Trust for Canada

 — Posted May 23, 2018
St. Mary's Pulp and Paper Mill, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Location

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Why it matters

The robust and striking Pulp Tower and Board Mill buildings are key components of the former St. Mary’s Paper Mill complex – a collection of five industrial sandstone buildings designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style unrivalled in Canada. The waterfront complex, central to Sault Ste. Marie’s industrial past and a key civic employer, has the potential to be a new culture and enterprise hub.

Why it’s endangered

While the other buildings in the complex (Office, Machine Shop, and Yard Locker) have been creatively transformed, the large Pulp Tower and Board Mill buildings’ future is in doubt without a clear vision or a strategy to find the investments needed to prevent their further deterioration.  Multiple arson incidents in the Pulp Tower in 2017, water damage in the basements, and weathering foreground the dangers to these irreplaceable structures.

Every year, the National Trust publishes its Top 10 Endangered Places List as part of its mission to raise awareness of the value that historic places bring to quality of life, local identity and cultural vitality.

First published in 2005, the Top 10 Endangered Places List has become a powerful tool in the fight to make landmarks, not landfill. The National Trust believes that historic places are cornerstones of identity, community and sense of place, yet every year, more are lost due to neglect, lack of funding, inappropriate development and weak legislation. By shining a spotlight on places at risk, the Top 10 Endangered Places List raises awareness about their plight and bolsters the efforts of local advocates working to save them.

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