Removal of some columns and windows in the historic Mc & Mc Building on Columbia Street created quite a stir in the community.

Plaza 88 Developments is currently working on its multi-use development near the New Westminster SkyTrain station. The project, which includes residential and commercial components, includes the Mc & Mc Building that formerly housed the Salvation Army.

As part of the development, Plaza 88 Developments agreed to protect the façade of the building at 811 Columbia St. In 2008, the developer indicated that the interior columns with their capitals would be removed.

Coun. Betty McIntosh said the developer attended a meeting of the city's community heritage commission in the spring and stated that the columns could be retained by lowering the building. She said the columns were removed from the building's interior without notification, which prompted an outcry.

Julie Schueck, the city's heritage planner, said the heritage protection is for the building's façade, not its interior. She said some confusion came about after the developer indicated he would be able to save the Art Deco columns with capitals on top.

"I think the developer would have loved to have been able to retain them," she said.

The developer's intention to retain the columns and capitals by lowering the building was included in a revised heritage conservation plan that was done in March 2010. By May, further investigation indicated that it wouldn't be feasible to lower the building.

The city learned that the columns couldn't be retained around the same time that city hall received calls from concerned citizens inquiring why all the windows had been removed from the Mc & Mc Building.

According to Schueck, city hall fielded many calls from people who were in a panic about the removal of the windows. She said the work shouldn't have taken place without informing the city.

"The committee was quite concerned," McIntosh said. "All of a sudden the windows disappeared."

On May 18, the site received a stop work order when the city discovered work was being carried out on the façade contrary to the heritage conservation plan, and without a heritage alteration permit or a building permit. When all of the city's conditions were met, the order was removed.

"It is very concerning, it is very concerning for me as the heritage planner," Schueck said. "You want to believe everybody has the best of intentions. I think in that they do have the best of intentions I think perhaps they didn't understand the process."

A recent staff report to council stated that city officials talked to the project architect, who assured the city that the wood-frame windows had been removed for repair and that the corners of the building would be repaired to match the original design and material.

Schueck is confident the restoration of the windows will be done in an appropriate manner. She said the developer has hired excellent companies to restore the windows and make any repairs that may be necessary.

"Those windows are safe and sound," she said. "They have done everything right. They just missed that step of letting us know."