CAMBRIDGE — The view of a beautiful red brick building along the Grand River isn’t the same for Joe Lethbridge anymore.

The building’s owner covered up the brickwork — which was full of character, Lethbridge says — with metal siding on the building’s facade facing the river.

“It sticks out like a sore thumb,” the longtime downtown Galt resident says. “It’s a problem.”

The large property on Water Street South shares a riverbank with historic sites like the former post office, an old fire hall and the former Woollens Factory textile mill.

In its former glory, the red brick building housed Merchant’s Bank and some shops.

It’s not a designated heritage property, but Lethbridge worries the structure’s sad fate is an example of what can happen to old, beautiful and unprotected buildings.

“There is really no guidepost as to what can be done. I can’t even fault the landlord because there is nothing preventing him from doing that,” he says.

He noticed the metal siding go up sometime in November.

Even though the building sits on the banks of a heritage river and next to a heritage building, there was nothing the city could do to stop it.

“There are no mechanisms that the city can control that type of construction,” says deputy city manager Hardy Bromberg.

He says a permit isn’t required for this type of addition, but even in the cases where the building code would call for one, the city couldn’t have stopped the installation of the siding.

“The code doesn’t regulate taste,” he says.

Because the building owner did not need city approvals to do the work, the city did not know about it. Nor does it know exactly why the work was done.

An H & R Block branch, Money Mart, bar, temp agency and tattoo shop are in the building’s storefront with what appear to be apartments above.

The building is owned by Cypress Holdings Inc. The business did not respond to requests for an interview with The Record.

So how can the city try to protect odd alterations to historic buildings that are not protected?

Lethbridge and many others think Cambridge should designate all three downtown cores (Galt, Hespeler and Preston) as heritage conservation districts.

A heritage district can protect an entire area as well as the structures within it. The designation can also curb certain types of new development from occurring in the area.

It’s one way to protect the integrity of historic architecture, Lethbridge says.

Coun. Jan Liggett, the area councillor for downtown Galt, agrees.

“I think the city should have long ago designated the downtown cores. They become victims of development.”

Liggett says she has had lots of calls and emails about the ugly metal siding now hiding the deep red bricks of the former Merchant’s Bank building.

“We’re saddened when we see things like that,” she says.

At the moment, only portions of the downtown are protected. The Main Street strip between Water and Ainslie streets is a heritage conservation district.

So is Dickson Hill — a set of parks, cemeteries and other city-owned spaces on the other side of the river.

Church spires and charming old brick buildings dot Galt’s downtown core. It’s no wonder Lethbridge hears people say it is reminiscent of old England.

“I go out all the time and I see tourists taking pictures of the riverfront with the heritage buildings in the background. They are blown away by the architecture.”

Lethbridge and Liggett both want to see better tools in place to stop another incident like this from happening to a building with historic significance.

Bromberg says a heritage designation is too late for this particular building, but it’s one way to protect others from a similar fate.

“It’s one of the reasons why the city has designated heritage buildings. I think our record is quite strong,” he says, noting the former post office project as an example.

Bromberg says the city is exploring the possibility of a heritage conservation district designation for Galt’s downtown core.

Another option to consider, he says, is designating all buildings that back onto the river.

The city hopes to look at all the possibilities for heritage designation and present a case to council later this year.

Liggett has been rallying for heritage protections since before she was elected to council.

She was on the committee to designate Blair Village, the city’s third heritage district.

The first-time councillor says she has seen unprotected historic buildings undergo similar transformations all over the city.

“I think this one stood out because it’s on the river bank,” she adds.

Liggett says she understands that the costs that can come with restoring and maintaining old buildings can be high.

It can be a tough decision to decide what material to use when doing building maintenance based on cost.

“Anybody who buys a building with a history to it, you have to keep it up to that standard. You have to be a steward of the building,” she says.

For Liggett, a heritage conservation district designation is the way to go for the city’s downtown cores.

She says it is the only area-focused designation that provides opportunities for grants from the city to help property owners pay for sometimes costly restoration.

“Nothing else is going to work.”