The owner of the St. Charles Hotel in Winnipeg's Exchange District is trying one more time to obtain permission to demolish a historic building next door to the hotel to make way for an expansion project.

Last year, city officials denied Ken Zaifman permission to demolish the building known as the Albert Street Business Block, at 38 to 44 Albert St. Zaifman wanted to replace the building, which he also owns, with a surface parking lot and a patio for the St. Charles Hotel, which he is renovating.

Part of the Albert Street Business Block was built in 1878. A storefront was added in the mid-1920s.
(CBC)

Part of the Business Block, located near the corner of Albert Street and Notre Dame Avenue, was constructed in 1877 and is considered one of the oldest residential buildings in the city. An adjacent storefront was added in the mid-1920s.

City councillors opted against the plan to put another surface parking lot in the area, and gave the building heritage status, which means it cannot be razed without the approval of the city and heritage property officials.

Zaifman has modified his proposed design and hopes it will satisfy the city.

"We've expanded the restaurant, so we've tried to give them a bit of streetscape, but we still want to demolish the Business Block," he told CBC News on Wednesday morning.

"We want to add a little interpretive centre, though, to sort of commemorate what the house looked like, and [include] a little sort of area where people could sit and contemplate the history of the area."

Zaifman is meeting with the Exchange District Business Improvement Zone and other interested parties in the next few weeks.

"This is an important part of what we want to do. I can't predict what people are going to do, but this is sort of the last go I'm going to have at it," he said.

"If it works, it works. And if it doesn't, we'll bring back mud wrestling to the St. Charles Hotel."
 
Zaifman will take his revamped proposal to the city's property and development committee in February.