Greenhouse or poop house? City unearths concrete building in hills of Quidi Vidi Village

When excavators began digging away at the hills of Quidi Vidi Village, they began to dust off the remnants of a large concrete wall, supported by a tangle of rebar.

Tourists and locals alike were puzzled what is this hunk of concreteoverlooking the historic harbour, and why was it buried in the earth?

According toarcheologistGerry Penney, it's the remains of what locals called "the greenhouse," built byAmerican forces during or after the Second World War.

"It's American big," he laughed, looking at the structure. "A nice little wall."

But whetherit was actually used as a greenhouse is a topic of some debate. According to the City of St. John's, it was built as a sewage pumping station for nearby Fort Pepperrell.

There was a concrete structurebuilt into the cliffside, with a glass structure in front shaped like a greenhouse.

The word "greenhouse" could have just been a term of endearment given to the sewage station because of its glass roof and shape.

"Our engineers indicatethat the glass roof would have been a way to use the sun to 'draw out'sludge as part of the treatment process," said a spokesperson for the city.

That's man's nature. To bury over it and move on.- Gerry Penney

Before the building was constructed, the area existed for decades as Scott's Plantation a large fish flake owned by a family that lived in the village.

When the war broke out, however, the land was expropriated andlocals weren't allowed to cross the brook behind what is now the Plantation Centre.

According to an archeological assessment done by Penney and given to the city, the areawas home to a cod liver oil factory after the war.

Whatever its intended use, the greenhouse was partially demolished and eventually buried into the hillside.

"That's man's inherent nature," Penney said. "Tobury it over and move on."

That's exactly what the city plans to do with the concrete wall. It will be demolished to make way for the cul-de-sac, which should offer some relief to thecramped Quidi VidiVillage as it grows.