Once again, the former Anglican Church manse house on High Street in Southampton (ON) appears to be for sale.
The property, that includes the former Southampton Anglican Church manse house, was formerly proposed to be a complement to the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre and to become a proposed Nuclear Innovation Institute of learning that would have brought international recognition to Southampton, is again for sale.
A new listing says that the property is ‘Waterfront’, although Fairy Lake (Little Lake) is not what most Southamptonites consider ‘waterfront’. For long-time residents, ‘waterfront’ refers to Lake Huron.
The slogan on the listing also says “The Krug House – Historic Charm meets Modern Opportunity in Southampton”. According to many who were in favour of the formerly proposed NII, the ‘Modern Opportunity’ would have been the acceptance of the NII.
The property has been a contentious issue since it was proposed to become a new nuclear innovation institute (NII) of learning working in conjunction with the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre Archives to add to a cultural hub within the Southampton (Saugeen Shores) downtown core and overlooking Fairy Lake, similar on a smalle scale to that of the world-famous Perimeter Institute in Waterloo (ON).
When the project was launched, it was announced that as a complement to the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre in Southampton, it was the preferred location, in order to take advantage of the expansion of the Museum Archives, tying history into new world concepts.
The proposed NII however, drew the ire of a few of Southampton residents who wanted to maintain the house on the property, citing it a heritage building. On the other side, were those who looked forward to the possibility of having a world-class learning institution in Southampton.
After a prolonged court case that involved the County of Bruce, the Town of Saugeen Shores, Bruce Power and those against the proposed development of a new nuclear educational and innovation facility, the proposed development for an NII education facility in Southampton fizzled away.
The result was that the new NII facility was re-designed and created using the former Saugeen Shores Police building in Port Elgin (Saugeen Shores). Gone was the connection with Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre. Gone was the connection with G. C. Huston school and First Nations. Gone was the opportunity for Southampton to create a world-class institution.
The property today, according to real estate, is being offered at $1,599,000.
