PDA

View Full Version : Performance Court (150 Elgin) | 90.5m | 21 fl | Completed


Pages : [1] 2 3 4 5 6

waterloowarrior
Oct 27, 2007, 4:35 AM
150 Elgin St. - Leasing
27 storey mixed use tower and 900-seat concert hall
Developer: Morguard
Location: 150 Elgin St.
Web: http://www.150elgin.com/
http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=33550
Rendering:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/Reersmeer/150E.jpg

from the developer's website
27–storey, high-rise, multi-use complex includes high quality residential apartments, an office tower, retail areas, Concert Hall and an impressive Winter Garden;

Jamaican-Phoenix
Oct 27, 2007, 4:36 AM
I have a gut feeling that this is never going to get built. :(

waterloowarrior
Oct 27, 2007, 4:40 AM
Centretown News Online - October 12 Edition

Elgin Street concert hall still in limbo
By Claire Biddiscombe

A development at 150 Elgin St. that includes a 925-seat concert hall is no closer to being built now than when Ottawa city council first approved the project in October 2004. Before construction can begin, the developer and the major community group supporting the project must secure adequate funding from the federal government and from the private sector – something they have yet to accomplish.

“Without major sponsorship, the project is no longer viable,” said John Frecker, executive director of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society.

The society, which has an interest in the concert hall, was to raise $8.5 million towards the costs of the development.

The society is currently in discussion with several private companies over naming rights for the facility, Frecker said. He declined to name any participants in the talks.

“We’re hopeful that the discussions will be fruitful,” Frecker said.

He added that the federal government is “not committing” any funds towards the project until arrangements with the private sector are more settled.

“We’re hoping for something by the end of the year,” he said, when asked to put a timeline on the completion of the process.

The application for funding is on file with the federal government, said Charles Drouin, a spokesperson for the Department of Heritage.

However, he added, the request for $10 million in funds to help with the project cannot be considered until the society provides the government with more details about the status of their private fundraising.

“The department is certainly waiting for some missing information before it makes a decision on [the file],” Drouin said.

“It is important for the department to know that the society is well-positioned to carry on this project successfully,” he added.

Drouin added that this update was current as of the end of July, but at least one thing has not changed since then – a decision still has not been reached.

If the balance of the funding is not secured by Nov. 30, $5.5 million in municipal funding for the development will expire and will have to be renewed before the project can continue, Frecker said.

The funds were originally allotted to the development as part of the 20/20 initiative for Arts and Heritage in Ottawa.

In addition to the concert hall, the development is also slated to provide retail and office space and affordable housing units to the area.

But it’s not only the Chamber Music Society that needs to generate more private interest in the project.

Morguard, the developer overseeing the site, has placed a sign at the location to attract potential occupants.

Michael Grupp, Morguard’s director of development, said that this is necessary to secure sufficient bank financing for the project.

“We have to achieve a certain preleasing commitment before we can go ahead,” Grupp said.

Nonetheless, Grupp said that, with time he expects progress to continue on the development.

“It’s an excellent site and we’re very confident,” he said.

Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes, was unavailable for comment.

Even if the funding issues are resolved by the end of this year, it will still be some time before the city can reap the benefits of the facility.

According to Alain Desmarais, a broker for Cushman & Wakefield Lepage, the company responsible for preleasing the site, the construction will take an estimated 20 months.

Jamaican-Phoenix
Oct 27, 2007, 4:50 AM
:previous: Like I said, I have a feeling it won't be built. Sadly. :(

sgera
Oct 27, 2007, 5:44 PM
i tend to agree that this will never get built. Its been 3 years already...initially the City of Ottawa (when they awarded Morguard the winner of the property) put a clause in that construction would have to begin by May, 2006.....that didn't pan out and they obviously haven't leased any of the office space yet.. I really wish this would happen, but I thiink we would have been better of with Teron's cylindrical buildings/plan

Jamaican-Phoenix
Oct 28, 2007, 6:55 PM
God, this is so stupid. The city or someone should convince a firm of some kind to invest in this development. It looks sweet adn will help inject some more life into downtown.

ajldub
Oct 29, 2007, 4:59 PM
It's too bad this building hasn't been built already(and it's really too bad the city didn't go with Teron's proposal to fully fund a concert centre himself, back when they sold it). But this lot is too prime for it not to be built on now that it is in private hands. For those that want to see 40+ story buildings on the skyline, I think this would be a great place to put one.

Biff
Oct 31, 2007, 6:43 PM
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/Reersmeer/150E.jpg

I believe this building has already been built in Tampa, only taller.

http://www.emporis.com/images/6/2002/05/149650.jpg
http://www.emporis.com/images/6/2004/10/309130.jpg

AmSouth Building - Height (struct.) 176 m 579 ft, 42 Fl

I'm not bashing here, i just find it uncanny the resemblence sometimes between buildings.

AuxTown
Nov 7, 2007, 4:22 AM
Maybe SSP: Local Ottawa should lease out some of the office space and help keep this project alive. I remember when the design first came out, it was one of very few projects in Ottawa that we could all agree was pretty nice. Could be a bit taller though.

Jamaican-Phoenix
Nov 8, 2007, 3:09 PM
Well, this project is even closer to being dead now.

City Council is recommending to pull its funding for this Downtown Concert Hall part unless the Chamber Music Society contributes more than its $6M share by the end of the month...

AuxTown
Nov 8, 2007, 5:11 PM
Well, let's get some new designs for a 40-storey + tower in the same location. Something that can compete with the massiveness of Place Bell Canada. I think it's a great location to start our battle with Ottawa's height restrictions. How about something like this?

http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/Global/3/38386DA3-D00D-4AAF-9801-D85013023736/0/chp_skyscraper.jpg

Jamaican-Phoenix
Nov 8, 2007, 5:46 PM
:previous: I definately wouldn't mind something like that, but I'd like 150 Elgin to get developed first with the Concert Hall. I can't believe city hall is serious about cutting out culture from a prime site in Ottawa!

movebyleap
Nov 9, 2007, 3:50 AM
Ottawa deserves a gorgeous, free standing concert hall and not a low key nook top heavy with condos and retail in a narrow side street. YES! to this project dying! Build something spectacular and world class in Lebreton Flats, Rockliffe Base, Landsdowne, wherever! Please, NOT another GCTC squished under an ugly apartment tower!!

waterloowarrior
Nov 14, 2007, 5:48 PM
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee recommend Council:

1. Withdraw its endorsement of municipal and provincial funding for the community concert hall, since the Ottawa Chamber Music Society has not met the funding requirements by the Council approved deadline of November 30, 2007, resulting in the termination of the community concert hall project at 150 Elgin Street;

2. Direct staff to advise Morguard that the City will not exercise its first option to lease or purchase the concert hall space for another municipal cultural facility project and that the City and Morguard will now negotiate and enter into a new agreement for the redesign and construction of the concert hall space for alternative public benefit uses in accordance with the provisions of the Development Agreement between Morguard and the City dated 21 December 2005; and

3. Direct staff to recover any unexpended portion of the $500,000 advanced to the Ottawa Chamber Music Society in 2006.



from
http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/csedc/2007/11-20/ACS2007-CPS-CSF-0013-150%20Elgin%20Community%20Concert%20Hall%20Report%20-%20Nov%209%20ver2%20(final).htm




Since the Ottawa Chamber Music Society did not meet its commitments to Morguard Elgin by February 2007, Morguard Elgin has been in a position since that time to advise the City that it will proceed with its project without the inclusion of the community concert hall. Notwithstanding this, Morguard Elgin has been cooperative with both the OCMS and the City in making every reasonable effort to include the concert hall in its project and, therefore, has not yet triggered the provisions in the Development Agreement to allow it to proceed without including the concert hall.

Although Morguard Elgin has been continuously supportive of the OCMS and the community concert hall project, they recently advised that they are considering other options for the space in the event that the community concert hall project does not come to fruition by February 28, 2008 and the City does not execute its option to use the space for City purposes.

As stated above, the Development Agreement gives the City the option to exercise its right to lease or purchase all or a portion of the space, or to enter into an agreement with Morguard Elgin to provide another alternative cultural facility on the site. However, there are no alternative cultural facilities that are presently funded and ready for development and construction on this site. Any other option, such as a proposed 38,500 square feet home for The Ottawa Art Gallery (included in the Council approved Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan), would be starting at the feasibility stage and its layout, collections storage and environmental requirements are not compatible with the Morguard Development Plan for a multiple use high rise building. There is no funding currently in place, and like the OCMS project, it would take at least three years to reach construction readiness and get confirmed funding from all levels of government and the private sector. This would cause major delays to start-up of construction of the entire site.

The City Archives building program is another critical cultural infrastructure priority in the City's Arts and Heritage Plan, however its requirements and layout (48,000 sq ft) are not necessarily compatible with Morguard Elgin’s proposed development at 150 Elgin and the Archives' long term expansion requirements would, in any event, not fit within the Morguard Elgin project. A multiple use high-rise building also presents unacceptable risks for the Archives holdings (e.g. water damage from above, fire, security). The archival vault should be at ground level with nothing above it or underneath it. The majority of the floor space for Archive uses is assigned to storage and staff use and these uses are not necessarily suited to, or compatible with other uses in, a high profile downtown complex such as the one proposed for 150 Elgin. A report on relocating the Archives to another site was carried by the Community and Protective Services Committee on November 1st 2007.

In the event the Ottawa Chamber Music Society does not raise the funding for its project by November 30, 2007, the City has, for the reasons set above, no clearly identified alternative civic use nor funding for the Concert Hall Space at this time and would not be exercising its first option to lease or purchase all or a portion of the space.

ajldub
Nov 15, 2007, 9:50 PM
Here's a thought: if the Concert Hall has fallen through at that location, could the city put together a proposal for the National Portrait Gallery at that location instead?

AuxTown
Nov 16, 2007, 3:27 AM
If they didn't want to spend 40 million on a renovation project for the portrait gallery then there is no way they will shell out the cash for a whole new building. They wouldn't be able to skimp on the construction as people are expecting (and rightly so) something nice for this often-debated portrait gallery.

Mille Sabords
Nov 16, 2007, 1:26 PM
If they didn't want to spend 40 million on a renovation project for the portrait gallery then there is no way they will shell out the cash for a whole new building. They wouldn't be able to skimp on the construction as people are expecting (and rightly so) something nice for this often-debated portrait gallery.

I think ajldub is making another point, which is an excellent one. The NCC or Public Works are probably not under any instruction to bid on behalf of Ottawa-Gatineau, it is up the the City to make its case as one of 9 invited cities. In that regard, the site at 150 Elgin is a perfect location for the City of Ottawa to mount a bid for the Gallery in terms of a Public-Private Partnership that will spread costs between public and private sector, timing, location (next to Confederation Boulevard), and a brilliant illustration of mixed-use development.

The only think I would say is that the Concert Hall need not fall through for the Portrait Gallery to locate in this building. The office space is relatively small compared to otehr downtown towers that are on the books, and Morguard is not exactly seeing a stampede of potential lessors. With a street entrance and an escalator, there is no reason why the Portrait Gallery could not enjoy a location on the second and third storeys, for example, featuring a full-windowed café overlooking Nepean Street.

I'm all in favour of your idea, ajldub.

Jamaican-Phoenix
Nov 16, 2007, 3:43 PM
Guys, do you really think the city, in it's current financial state and financial mission, going to bid for the Portrait Gallery?

I hate to say it, but Ottawa can kiss the Portrait Gallery of Canada goodbye.

ajldub
Nov 16, 2007, 7:48 PM
Why have we lost it? Our credit rating is still A. If O'Brien wants to walk the walk he could borrow for the cash to put this together; the federal funding for years to come plus added tourist revenues and a nice destination to kick start a little development on that somewhat boring corner of downtown would pay it all back in time.
The portrait gallery should be ours as the national capital, and if we want to get aggressive over it I really believe this city could put together a very competitive proposal. It will be interesting to see how badly O'Brien wants it. Then again, the competition may well be nothing more than a political plum for a constituency on the fence in the federal election on the distant horizon. I think they have their eyes on giving it to either Quebec City or the GTA, but maybe I'm being pessimistic.

Mille Sabords
Nov 16, 2007, 8:57 PM
Why have we lost it? Our credit rating is still A. If O'Brien wants to walk the walk he could borrow for the cash to put this together; the federal funding for years to come plus added tourist revenues and a nice destination to kick start a little development on that somewhat boring corner of downtown would pay it all back in time.
The portrait gallery should be ours as the national capital, and if we want to get aggressive over it I really believe this city could put together a very competitive proposal. It will be interesting to see how badly O'Brien wants it. Then again, the competition may well be nothing more than a political plum for a constituency on the fence in the federal election on the distant horizon. I think they have their eyes on giving it to either Quebec City or the GTA, but maybe I'm being pessimistic.

I wouldn't underestimate our clout. After all, 10 out of 14 ridings in the Greater Ottawa area voted Conservative. My guess is they are probably not expecting anything articulate from the City of Ottawa but if we blow them away with a hungry and professional bid they would be very hard pressed to turn us down.

We have
-A location on Confederation Boulevard
-The parent staff at Library and Archives Canada just down the street
-A signature building project at 150 Elgin where the City's contribution is... the land! We did our part! There is a building plan, all it's looking for is tenants. The Gallery would be a tenant.
-The ability for Public Works to service the lease thanks to its proximity.
-A cluster of related cultural institutions that are complementary with the Portrait Galler, such as the National Archives, the National Gallery and the Museum of Photography.

waterloowarrior
Nov 16, 2007, 10:14 PM
As far as I can tell, the proposed National Portrait Gallery is for developers, not municipalities (ie not city vs city, but developer vs developer - and only developers in the 9 cities can compete)

Unless the "developer" is defined as the city? Maybe I am missing something


from MERX

Property Development

Trade Agreement: NONE
Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid
Attachment: YES (MERX) Electronic
Competitive Procurement Strategy: Best Overall Proposal
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Nature of Requirements:
New Public Exhibition and Programming Facility for the PORTRAIT
Gallery of Canada

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the
Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada
("PWGSC"), on behalf of Library and Archives Canada ("LAC") is
inviting prospective developers to submit a proposal to develop
a new public exhibition and public programming facility (the
"Project") for the PORTRAIT Gallery of Canada ("PGC"). This
request for proposals is unique in that developers are expected
to seek out private sector and community resources in support of
their proposal.

The completed and commissioned Project will be leased on a
long-term basis or, alternatively, purchased by the Government
of Canada ("GoC"), and the developer who is selected (the
"Developer") pursuant to this Request for Proposals ("RFP"),
will manage the completed Project under the terms of a Property
Management Agreement. The Project will be developed on a site
owned or controlled by the Developer ("Project Site") in any one
of 9 cities identified as potential hosts for the Project.

The Project is to reflect a high standard of achievement. The
Project is intended to become a must see destination site, for
all Canadians and visitors from around the world. It must
respond to the high expectation of the public when visiting a
site such as a national gallery and must sustain the excitement
of Canadians for generations to come. The spaces in the Project
will include five primary groupings: visitor services,
exhibitions, education and public programming, collections
management and administration/operations.

Developers are responsible for mobilizing community and private
sector resources and support for their proposal. More
specifically, proposals are expected to include:

· Demonstration of private sector and community support and
engagement, including
capital and ongoing support for the PGC and Project;
· A prominent, accessible and suitable location within one of
the 9 cities; and,
· Financial terms, a demonstrated expertise and the required
financial capability.

This RFP does not include the submission of a design or an
architectural/engineering design team.

In order to encourage innovative and creative designs,
prospective Developers will be given considerable flexibility in
structuring their proposals. Proposals can include existing
facilities, or new buildings to be constructed on prominently
located sites.

Prospective Developers can choose to structure their proposal in
the form of a 25 year lease-purchase arrangement with the GoC.
Alternatively, the Developer may complete a develop-purchase
transaction where the GoC will purchase the Project, upon its
completion. In both transaction approaches, the Developer will
manage the Project pursuant to the terms of a Property
Management Agreement.

All compliant proposals will be evaluated against selection
criteria outlined in the RFP, including the extent of community
and private sector engagement and support. The evaluation will
be carried out by a selection committee, which will include
representatives from the public and private sector as well as
established cultural institutions.
The following contractual agreements, as appropriate, are to be
entered into between the Developer and GoC for the development
and ownership of the Project:

a) Development Agreement;

b) Lease or, alternatively;

c) Agreement of Purchase and Sale; and

d) Property Management Agreement or Leased Premises Management
Agreement

AuxTown
Nov 17, 2007, 2:44 PM
It's actually not sounding as bad as I originally thought, but I still think the portrait gallery should be in a free-standing building and a herritage one if possible. If we have to, 150 wouldn't be a bad choice. Now let's add another 15 stories of condos to the top of that tower.

sgera
Nov 17, 2007, 5:23 PM
There was an article in the Citizen today around the concert hall. In a Q&A interview with one of the key drivers for the concert hall, the Citizen asked when the building would be built....and she said that they are still looking for a major tenant which they hope to have by the spring, with construction starting in the summer (which is in line with the timing that the concert hall needs). She said construction won't start until they find a major tenant.

Cre47
Nov 21, 2007, 3:46 AM
Citizen article on the concert hall and that John Baird (again!) would be blamed (according to the city) for the failure of having a new concert hall.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=22736a53-33d7-48b8-a2b6-904754a75c1e&k=44049

Getting things done according to their slogan. Pufffff! more like getting thing UNDONE for Ottawa although the Congress Centre was more different then the feds did since 2006 although Jim Durrell was a former Conservative so that might have helped for the Congress Centre.

Cre47
Nov 22, 2007, 3:41 PM
Here is Randall's view on the concert hall issue

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=628a5872-1daa-402f-ae8d-7e7df27da2ce

eemy
Nov 22, 2007, 4:16 PM
Wow, I expected it to be good when I clicked on it, and once again Randall Denley seems to get it. What a turn around.

Ottawa really needs a philanthropist like Mike Lazaridis who is willing to pour money into his community. I think Ottawa tends to get overlooked when it comes to philanthropy.

Jamaican-Phoenix
Nov 22, 2007, 4:29 PM
Holy crap, did Denley just wake up one morning enlightened or soemthing?! The man is making A LOT of sense these days...

Cre47
Nov 23, 2007, 3:39 AM
The mayor will ask the feds for $10 million for the concert hall
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/11/22/ot-concert-071122.html

If this screws, we know who to blame, Very Scary Stephen and his troops, especially John.

Mille Sabords
Nov 28, 2007, 4:09 PM
The feds just sent Royal Galipeau to speak to Council at the start of this morning's meeting, with an offer of $8 million and an extension of their own deadline, conditional on the private sponsorship for naming rights. Finally, some good news. I have a good gut feeling about this project. We now have to wait for Council to extend their own deadline... at today's meeting.

agrigentum
Nov 28, 2007, 6:57 PM
Deadline was extended....now let's hope they can secure a private partner!

AuxTown
Nov 28, 2007, 11:30 PM
More good news details

Concert Hall Lifeline
Daniel Proussalidis with Dan Pihlainen
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The proposed $38-million downtown concert hall has a pulse.

The federal government made a surprise announcement Wednesday morning.

Ottawa-Orleans MP Royal Galipeau showed up at Ottawa City Hall to offer $8-million worth of funding to the project.

That's just short of the $10-million the Ottawa Chamber Music Society had requested.

The Society will have to meet some condtions in order to access the taxpayer cash.

It has to file a new business plan, line up a corporate sponsor, and raise millions in private funds.

The funding announcement comes just one day after Mayor Larry O'Brien went public with his criticism of the federal government's lack of funding for the project.

Ottawa City Council has given the Chamber Music Society until February to get its fundraising in place.

The capital is offering $5.5-million toward the 925-seat facility that would be built on Elgin Street.

Ontario's government has also offered $6.5-million for the project.

harls
Nov 29, 2007, 3:30 PM
I found this rendering.. hadn't seen it before..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2412/2074014962_09289b5b43_o.jpg

Aylmer
Nov 29, 2007, 3:41 PM
I think they should drop the concert hall and build it besid the War Museum.
They don't have any plans for te area and I think they should just go up with another, taller, condo or office beside 180 Elgin...

Jamaican-Phoenix
Nov 29, 2007, 3:44 PM
I think they should drop the concert hall and build it besid the War Museum.
They don't have any plans for te area...

Actually, they do have plans for the area. I believe it is either the Aboriginal Museum or some obscure national institution that's going there. Let's also not forget the LeBreton Flats development...

Aylmer
Nov 29, 2007, 3:45 PM
Really?
Never knew...
I know that there is no housing development planned for there.
Still, a concert hall right beside the NAC which is getting an expantion!

Jamaican-Phoenix
Nov 29, 2007, 3:48 PM
Wait, are you talking about the new War Museum or the old one? :sly:


If you are talking about the old one, it is going to become part of the Aga Khan's Institute of something-or-other.

Aylmer
Nov 29, 2007, 3:52 PM
New. to the east of it there is an empty lot.

harls
Nov 29, 2007, 3:57 PM
There's a sign on that empty lot that says "site of a future cultural institution".

Aylmer
Nov 29, 2007, 4:00 PM
Really!
Oh and I am changing my name...
how do I change my account? or Delete It?

harls
Nov 29, 2007, 4:25 PM
Make a request in "forum issues".. create a thread asking to change your name and someone will do it.

m0nkyman
Nov 29, 2007, 4:51 PM
I found this rendering.. hadn't seen it before..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2412/2074014962_09289b5b43_o.jpg

They've got that rendering on the signs around the lot.

harls
Nov 29, 2007, 5:08 PM
Yeah, I mean I hadn't seen it online before.. sorry.

Cre47
Feb 15, 2008, 11:53 PM
For those wondering what's going with the project. Hum... right now it does not look very good for now, but maybe it will speed up ... if more of the private sector support this project.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=1be50db9-5792-47c0-b469-3215fc3238a1&k=32903

Rico Rommheim
Feb 15, 2008, 11:55 PM
This project is great! I hope Ottawa does everything possible to see it happen!

Ottawade
Feb 16, 2008, 1:52 AM
That rendering is so deceptive. That building would end up so tremendously hidden behind the large Bell building.

movebyleap
Feb 17, 2008, 4:23 AM
I agree with Ottawade! The positioning of this building is awful! And I still maintain that not only should a national capital's concert hall be in a prominent location but it ought to be a stand-alone structure of significant architectural/aesthetic beauty rather than a nondescript "something" tucked under condos and shops. This plan is shameful and seriously flawed! Don't get me wrong - I'm ALL for a concert hall, but an AWESOME one!!

ajldub
Feb 17, 2008, 4:41 PM
If they picked up TGI Friday's, put it on a flatbed truck and moved it someplace more fitting they could build this building flush with Elgin; that would make it fit in much more nicely with the street and the eastern skyline. It wouldn't be cheap but it would be feasible.

ajldub
Feb 17, 2008, 4:46 PM
Anybody have the renderings of the proposals that competed for this site? I remember Bill Teron had a great building of two circular glass condos proposed, and he would have thrown in the concert hall himself. The city went with Morguard because he didn't have his proposal finalised in time. Now all we have is a parking lot with a rendering on a billboard, and a dying attempt at getting funding for the concert hall. Oh Ottawa...

Cre47
Feb 26, 2008, 5:32 PM
Thumbs down to the private sector for not sponsoring (at least one of the private companies) the concert hall project

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=a3a8a0af-f5e6-481c-a258-df6c2f4a7b08&k=6627

harls
Feb 26, 2008, 5:53 PM
The Citizen should use the pic posted here instead of the one they have in the article. Looks like someone went out and took a pic of the sign and cropped it.

Ottawade
Feb 26, 2008, 6:30 PM
Well we could have had this (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=150elgin-ottawa-canada624) with a free concert hall. Bummer.

ajldub
Feb 26, 2008, 7:08 PM
:previous:
Such a pity. I hope Teron doesn't take the snub to heart, and still decides to build a legacy project somewhere else downtown...

Mille Sabords
Feb 26, 2008, 7:30 PM
Very disappointing. I thought they were close to nailing a big sponsor back when they got the federal commitment and the time extension. Unless they're planning a surprise to jolt people into noticing.

Alterna Bank (old CS-Coop), the only one with headquarters in Ottawa, should be all over this one. :doh:

keninhalifax
Feb 26, 2008, 7:38 PM
Regarding the Friday's Roast Beef House building comment:

I don't think the presence of the heritage house is an impediment to the success of the project. Much the opposite, in fact, I tend to believe that such buildings, which were designed with small-scale aesthetics in mind, can act as wonderful 'gateways' to larger and more imposing modern buildings. The design of the current proposal echoes some of the architectural elements of the house (such as the mansard roof) and the Lisgar St. facade blends nicely with the existing building envelope.

Not so much an impediment as a doorstep, as far as I'm concerned.

ajldub
Feb 26, 2008, 11:22 PM
:previous:
While I agree with you it looks good where it is, from a real estate point of view if you were to move it elsewhere the footprint for the building could be a lot larger and therefore more profitable, making it more appealing to build...

kwoldtimer
Feb 27, 2008, 2:36 AM
Two days to go so one can always hope, but this is looking like yet another failure of "municipal Ottawa". Disappointing when you consider what much smaller cities have been able to achieve in terms of cultural facilities. Oh well, there's always the Little Theatre:rolleyes:

AuxTown
Feb 27, 2008, 3:44 AM
Well we could have had this (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=150elgin-ottawa-canada624) with a free concert hall. Bummer.

Somebody call Teron, maybe he still wants to build something there, or maybe he has an idea for a better/taller tower. Either way, this lot can't stay vacant forever, it's too prime a piece of land. I think it is about 3rd or 4th in terms of the order of surface lots to be developed downtown.

ajldub
Feb 27, 2008, 9:07 AM
I think if the concert hall doesn't get built there that Morguard will just go ahead and build their apartment building...

YOWflier
Feb 27, 2008, 2:56 PM
The community has spoken (with deafening silence) about this concert hall. It's time to pull the city funding, put that money to use elsewhere, and either go back to the drawing board on this project (in terms of finding an anchor tenant) or proceed with just the mixed use commercial/residential components.

Mille Sabords
Feb 27, 2008, 5:54 PM
Two days to go so one can always hope, but this is looking like yet another failure of "municipal Ottawa". Disappointing when you consider what much smaller cities have been able to achieve in terms of cultural facilities. Oh well, there's always the Little Theatre.

The community has spoken (with deafening silence) about this concert hall. It's time to pull the city funding, put that money to use elsewhere, and either go back to the drawing board on this project (in terms of finding an anchor tenant) or proceed with just the mixed use commercial/residential components.

It may have been a failure by "municipal Ottawa" to be more proactive in helping the Chamber Music Society find a large corporate sponsor (although I don't know that for sure). It certainly isn't a failure by the community. The deafening silence claim is not true. I personally know of several people that have pledged $1,000 and $2,000 toward this. I sent a pledge myself. My wife and I have attended chamber concerts packed with people and there has ALWAYS been an organized presentation by someone from the Concert Hall team to canvass for donations, urge people to write to councillors, give updates, etc.

The bottom line here is that unfortunately it looks as though the corporate sponsorship hasn't been secured. I wonder if they were close to, as we heard last fall, and just ran out of time to navigate corporate red tape, or if they were still "fishing" - which, this late in the game, and with the feds showing enough faith in the project to chip in their bit, I think they were further along.

YOWflier
Feb 27, 2008, 7:26 PM
To be clear, by "community" I'm pointing at the Arts community who are the champions of this concert hall.

Last I read the shortfall was around 5-7 million. Of course the logical place to look for this money is in a corporate sponsor, but failing that it is the responsibility of those who want this thing to band together and raise the funds to cover the shortfall.

I understand that this isn't pocket change, but we're talking about a community much of which is (surely) quite wealthy, so covering the shortfall should be an attainable goal.

They didn't do that (what I referred to as deafening silence), so it's time to free up that cash and apply it elsewhere. I hate it when money and projects get tied up in this town for long periods of time. We saw it here, and we have seen it with the Congress and Rideau Centre expansions.

Move on, and resurrect this idea when/if the funding is ever secured.

Kitchissippi
Feb 27, 2008, 9:18 PM
I'm surprised that with the money Moreguard makes in Ottawa, the company doesn't just cough up the money. Heck they can call it the Moreguard Concert Hall if they like. I'm sure there's already profit in them building the space, so why don't they just forgo some of it?

sgera
Feb 28, 2008, 10:08 PM
morguard hasn't secured a tenant....if they had someone signed for the office part i would bet they would consider it. It the concert hall gets funded...i think they are obligated to start construction fairly shortly which may be costly without having at least 50% of the office space pre-leased

waterloowarrior
Feb 28, 2008, 10:57 PM
deadline has passed
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=068fbf88-5a83-4954-9b83-bd45bf305d76&k=95172

Aylmer
Feb 28, 2008, 11:06 PM
So what WILL they build there now? a second tower?
Relocate the central librairy (That would be cool!)?

:(

cityguy
Feb 29, 2008, 3:00 AM
That would be a good spot for the new libary.

ajldub
Feb 29, 2008, 9:54 AM
Morguard should rejig the proposal with a portrait gallery bid thrown in instead...

Aylmer
Feb 29, 2008, 12:11 PM
No: There already planing two towers to accomodate it!

:)

sgera
Mar 9, 2008, 3:48 AM
talked to the parking attendant that works at the site that will eventually be ground zero for this project...he said its at least a year away...and that the parking lot will continue to run until then.

ajldub
Mar 9, 2008, 7:56 AM
:previous:
:previous:
Offering more than one bid never hurt a city's chances of landing a portrait gallery...

ajldub
Mar 13, 2008, 9:54 AM
Interesting op-ed by Randall Denley in the Citizen... Milles can you make some phone calls buddy?

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=f6d24a05-445a-4fc6-99ba-85d990f3ad8f

Mille Sabords
Mar 13, 2008, 12:46 PM
Interesting op-ed by Randall Denley in the Citizen... Milles can you make some phone calls buddy?

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=f6d24a05-445a-4fc6-99ba-85d990f3ad8f

I saw that. For starters we should all send a short e-mail to Mr Denley to thank him for saying what he said. I just did.

Luker
Jun 4, 2008, 7:13 PM
!!! Finally it looks like one of the best projects and towers will come to life in Ottawa. This as well should ad a substantial amount of new/young $$$ wealth to the Elgin st area.


Elgin Street concert hall campaign revived
Steven Mazey, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, June 04, 2008
OTTAWA - Supporters of a concert hall on Elgin Street have revived plans for the project and expect to announce details soon of a community fundraising campaign backed by arts groups from across the city, politicians and some high-profile members of the community.

Organizers say they're still working out some crucial details, but they are tentatively planning an announcement June 16 that will include details of the fundraising campaign and will let supporters of the project know how they can get involved as donors or volunteers.

Referred to as the Friends of the Concert Hall, the new committee is taking over from the Ottawa Chamber Music Society, which spearheaded the fundraising and planning for more than four years but pulled out in February.

The proposed 925-seat concert hall, at Elgin and Gloucester streets, would present a wide range of music, including jazz, blues, folk, classical performances and youth ensembles. The hall could also be used for readings, film screenings, meetings and music recordings. It would be part of an office and residential complex to be built by Morguard Developments, which still supports the project, organizers say.

The Chamber Society also still supports the hall, but withdrew as campaign leader when it announced it had been unable to meet city council's deadline to find a title sponsor.

Under the original plans, a title sponsor was to contribute in the range of $6 million to have its name on the hall. Chamber Society officials said some corporations had expressed potential interest, but were unable to commit by the end of February. It had only been since November, when the federal government announced its support, that organizers were able to approach sponsors with the backing of three levels of government.

Once it had found a title sponsor, the Chamber Society also planned an $8-million community fundraising campaign. Chamber Society officials said professional fundraising consultants had always advised the organization to turn to the community only after the other major pieces were solid.

The hall has a budget of about $33 million. When the Chamber Society pulled out, the project had about $25.4 million in place, including $20.6 million in government pledges, $1 million in private pledges and a $3.8-million contribution in construction costs from Morguard.

After the Chamber Society withdrew and city councillors agreed to keep the funds set aside for a cultural facility, supporters, including representatives from some of the more than 30 Ottawa arts groups that say they would present performances in the hall, have been planning strategy.

Ottawa cellist Julian Armour, who initially planned the project when he was artistic director of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society, has rejoined the campaign.

See hall on page F4Julian Armour quit the Chamber Society early last year over differences with the board, and had not been involved with the concert hall project since then. Organizers asked him to get involved again after the Chamber Society withdrew.

Armour says the main goal of the June 16 press conference "is to announce that it's back in business, the door is open, and to let people know how they can get involved as donors, committee members or volunteers. We will have people there who have been wanting to make it happen before and people who are newly involved. The campaign really is representative of the whole community."

Arts groups and city staff have long said an acoustically pristine medium-sized hall is an urgent priority for area arts groups. The National Arts Centre's 2,000-seat Southam Hall is larger than most Ottawa groups need, it is rarely available and the cost of renting it is beyond the reach of most Ottawa organizations.

The Ottawa Jazz Festival has said it has missed out on presenting some star musicians because there was no suitable venue available. City churches are heavily booked for concerts.

When the Chamber Society pulled out, some city councillors said it was time to give up on the project. But major cultural projects of this kind usually take several attempts.

It took more than a decade for the Great Canadian Theatre Co. to move out of its former cramped quarters to its new building on Wellington Street, and it took more than 10 years of lobbying by Toronto conductor Richard Bradshaw before the Canadian Opera Company had a new home. The new opera house opened to rave reviews and sold-out houses. The GCTC has also played to capacity houses since opening its new home last fall.




© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

MarkyM74
Jun 4, 2008, 9:56 PM
The Signs at the site were removed about 2 weeks ago now. So something is definitely happening. The 150Elgin.com website is still up and with the latest news posted by Luker it may be good news for the buiding. I work near there and that parking lot is definitely an eyesore. I for one would be very happy to see that building go up.

cityguy
Jun 5, 2008, 11:46 AM
Hopefully they can get a big corporate donation.

Mille Sabords
Jun 5, 2008, 1:29 PM
They wouldn't be making such a big announcement if something serious wasn't already in the works. This project will happen, mark my words. It's wanted by lots of influential people.

Ryersonian
Jun 5, 2008, 3:50 PM
They wouldn't be making such a big announcement if something serious wasn't already in the works. This project will happen, mark my words. It's wanted by lots of influential people.

The _________ Concert Hall...Any guesses?

clynnog
Jun 5, 2008, 3:56 PM
The _________ Concert Hall...Any guesses?

The Diana Holmes Concert Hall...complete with staggered height limits.

Mille Sabords
Jun 5, 2008, 4:50 PM
The Diana Holmes Concert Hall...complete with staggered height limits.

:lmao: We need a few cold pints on a patio for more of these.

clynnog
Jun 5, 2008, 5:28 PM
The _________ Concert Hall...Any guesses?

The Alex Cullen counter motion with a recorded vote Concert Hall

citizen j
Jun 5, 2008, 7:23 PM
^ You kill me! Little bits of lunch are now scattered across my keyboard.

Aylmer
Jun 6, 2008, 10:52 AM
The Diana Holmes Concert Hall...complete with staggered height limits.

Diana Homes

:)

Ryersonian
Jun 6, 2008, 12:49 PM
The Diana Holmes Concert Hall...complete with staggered height limits.

hilarious...i love it!

c_speed3108
Jun 16, 2008, 7:45 PM
Man who conceived Ottawa concert hall dream renews it

Last Updated: Monday, June 16, 2008 | 1:41 PM ET
CBC News

The man who first dreamed up a recent plan to build a community concert hall in downtown Ottawa has launched a new version to replace the one that failed earlier this spring.

Julian Armour, who resigned abruptly as artistic director of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society last year, is leading a group called The Friends of the Concert Hall, which released its new plan Monday.

The group includes many people involved in the previous plan. The new proposal again calls for the concert hall to be built as part of a residential and commercial development at 150 Elgin St., and the group said it has been in talks with the site's developer, Morguard.

The original project was started and led by Armour until he left the society he founded in March 2007, and was backed by funding commitments from all three levels of government.

However, organizers were unable to raise enough private money by a deadline imposed by the City of Ottawa after several earlier deadline extensions. That prompted the city to cancel its funding for the project.

The new plan includes a fundraising drive that will kick off in September.

Armour's group, which includes representatives from the Ottawa Choral Society and the Ottawa Jazz Festival, is promoting the concert hall as a venue for all kinds of music, not just classical..

sgera
Jan 3, 2009, 3:21 AM
is this dead? what are the chances of this being constructed?

Davis137
Feb 15, 2009, 6:17 PM
Emporis still lists this project as approved...

cityguy
Feb 17, 2009, 10:18 AM
Don't believe everything you read.

drawarc
Jul 9, 2009, 9:24 PM
Latest renderings from DCYSA's website. They appeared to have widened the tower quite a bit, looks as massive as Place Bell.

http://www.dcysa.ca/images/5bureaux/4602_150elgin_streetview.jpg


http://www.dcysa.ca/images/5bureaux/4602_150elgin_birdview.jpg

http://www.dcysa.ca/4-bureaux-offices/4602-150-Elgin/

rocketphish
Jul 9, 2009, 10:42 PM
Latest renderings from DCYSA's website. They appeared to have widened the tower quite a bit, looks as massive as Place Bell.

http://www.dcysa.ca/images/5bureaux/4602_150elgin_streetview.jpg


http://www.dcysa.ca/images/5bureaux/4602_150elgin_birdview.jpg

http://www.dcysa.ca/4-bureaux-offices/4602-150-Elgin/

What an uninspiring piece of architecture! They must have been given a minimal budget to work with, and assigned this job to one of their junior designers.

And wow, has it ever been bulked-up in size since the early renderings. It has now clearly been redesigned to take up every last square inch of the site (in footprint and in height) with little regard to aesthetics. It has that look of having been added-onto several times over the years, like some old farmhouses, resulting in a real lack of cohesion.

The latest inclusion of green rooves is a nice touch, although they will only benefit the building owners, and the residents/offices above them. If only this would start a trend in downtown Ottawa.

The inclusion of the faux gothic arches along the top two sides, and the "copper" roof never looked liked they belonged in the first place, and they still don't. Why do so many buildings in Ottawa feel that they have to pay homage to the parliament buildings? Do something different, people! Be bold!

drawarc
Jul 9, 2009, 11:21 PM
I admit I'm also not sure about the new design, I wish they kept the slender tower and were able to add more floors...or make it two towers, like Bill Teron's original vision from a few years ago.

adam-machiavelli
Jul 9, 2009, 11:27 PM
Regardless of the design, I doubt that this will be built anytime soon.

AuxTown
Jul 10, 2009, 12:44 AM
What a piece of crap. It was already borderline with the 1990's style architecture, but why turn it into such a beast? I would much rather have them build two taller towers. The first a slightly taller version of the original design and the other a 30-storey sleder glass box of the design that they so brutally tacked on to the side of it in this rendering. The current rendering reminds me too much of the casino in Niagara Falls NY:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3648/3603211017_5902cdec6a.jpg

cityguy
Jul 10, 2009, 1:13 AM
That looks just awful,I can't imagine and design firm looking at that and saying they did a great job of this one.

Davis137
Jul 10, 2009, 11:39 AM
Yeah, it doesn't look that great...looks like a building designed back in the early-mid 90's. The least they could do is attempt to get an approval for 30 storeys as everything else around there is close to 30 anyways, so any planes of view to the peace tower are inconciquncial...

Zach6668
Jul 11, 2009, 12:59 PM
eh, I don't mind the looks, but I'm not trained in any way in any form of historical architecture.

Aylmer
Jul 11, 2009, 1:46 PM
If this goes through looking like that, it's going to go on my "Buildings to smite" list.

:)

Jamaican-Phoenix
Jul 11, 2009, 2:48 PM
A resounding "ehh". Neither inspiring nor entirely bland. Typical Ottawa. :P

bikegypsy
Jul 11, 2009, 3:23 PM
A good exemple of post-parlementhillism... cringe

m0nkyman
Jul 11, 2009, 5:29 PM
It looks like it might be decent at street level, in which case I will like it. And how it looks depends on the execution. No matter how good or bad the render, build quality is what makes a building.

ty7er
Jul 12, 2009, 5:50 AM
I found this link today.

www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=208628

According to these guys this project has been approved. But like someone else mentioned earlier in this thread, 'don't believe everything you read.' Has anyone else heard about this? Has it really been approved?