Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

In what a local historian has called 'unfortunate and frustrating', Mast House is ingloriously demolished Thursday afternoon. Plans to restore it were never fulfilled.

Another piece of Whitehorse history abruptly destroyed

A century-old home originally owned by the superintendent of Whitehorse's first hospital was unceremoniously demolished Thursday afternoon at its final location on Wood Street.

By AP on February 22, 2008

A century-old home originally owned by the superintendent of Whitehorse's first hospital was unceremoniously demolished Thursday afternoon at its final location on Wood Street.

Mast House, as it was called, was transported from its former location at 209 Elliott St. almost 10 years ago to its new location on Wood Street.

The Ryders, a pioneer Yukon family, stepped in to save the house after the City of Whitehorse declined to intervene in its fate. Had it not been moved to Wood Street, it would have been demolished in 1998.

City manager Dennis Shewfelt said in an interview Thursday the Ryder family of Whitehorse owned the building and had intended to renovate it.

The renovations were never completed, said Shewfelt, and the building has remained vacant for the better part of a decade.

Despite the building's age, it did not make the A list status of heritage homes during a heritage inventory review about five years ago, said Shewfelt.

Because the building was not a designated heritage site, it was not protected from demolition.

"We're disappointed," Brent Slobodin, former president of the Yukon Historical and Museums Association, said in an interview Thursday.

"It's just another case of a heritage home being lost. The city of Whitehorse does not have a good record of preserving heritage.

"It's frustrating. It's unfortunate. I understand our need for living space (but) there's just not a lot of aesthetics of those (condominium) buildings in the downtown core."

Mast House was built in 1901-2 and was originally owned by Dr. F.J. Nicholson, the superintendent of Whitehorse's first hospital.

Several other area doctors owned the home before the Mast family purchased it in 1961.

The Ryder family could not be reached for comment Thursday or this morning.

Comments (2)

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Wendy Stewart on Feb 25, 2008 at 11:01 am

It is with sadness that I see this home demolished. It was piece of Whitehorse's wonderful heritage and history. In addition, my grandfather, Dr. Reginald Wride, made this house his home when he was a young Whitehorse doctor. When I lived in Whitehorse, I would pass the Mast House and fondly think of my grandparents and mother as a young girl in the home. Sadly, the building is gone but the memories and photos will always remind us of our family and the community's history.

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Jeanne Harbottle on Feb 24, 2008 at 5:14 pm

As a former Yukoner, I'm disappointed and disgusted with the way Whitehorse City Hall conducts itself these days.

Nothing but contempt for the residents of Whitehorse.

Where is the leadership from City Council? Or is this it?

Whitehorsians better wise up with the next municipal election. You have a real mess to clean up as the Mast house was an unfortunate bystander.

Wake up people...

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