Barron Building - Provincial Historic Resource

[Amsterdamned]

I just came across an article indicating the Barron Building is to be designated a Provincial Historic Resource per the following link: http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/gazette/2014/pdf/06_Mar31_Part1.pdf Refer specifically to pages 4 & 5.

This is easily my favorite building in the City and I know its slated for redevelopment. A significant renovation/addition anyhow.

I'm curious whether anyone knows anything further. Although it may be designated a Historic Resource, I believe it can still be renovated and modified. Can anyone confirm this??

[Govertical]

I'm so glad that this is being preserved! Hopefully they'll get the theatre back

[Amsterdamned]

I'm so glad that this is being preserved! Hopefully they'll get the theatre back

I'd be ecstatic if they could bring the theatre back but I know they stripped a lot of it out. The building has been significantly under maintained over the years.

[Amsterdamned]

http://www.altusinsite.com/index.php?page=searchengine&building_name=barron&locationc&searchbyabldgbtn=Find+Buildings

[Spring2008]

Retail only on second floor? That's a fail for that location. Lots of new restaurants etc opening west of the tree sculptures.

[Chadillaccc]

Wow this render looks great! But wow, if there is retail only on the 2nd floor, what a freaking waste of an opportunity to bring some activity back to the street level!!!



http://www.altusinsite.com/files/filelib/spaces/741318/photo/1.jpg

[Full Mountain]

Wow this render looks great! But wow, if there is retail only on the 2nd floor, what a freaking waste of an opportunity to bring some activity back to the street level!!!


Agreed, no main floor retail and the lose of the marquee are both big drawbacks to this proposal. It's not like Strategic has a great track record of getting projects done either.... :rolleyes: :runaway:

[O-tacular]

Wow this render looks great! But wow, if there is retail only on the 2nd floor, what a freaking waste of an opportunity to bring some activity back to the street level!!!



http://www.altusinsite.com/files/filelib/spaces/741318/photo/1.jpg

No kidding. Wtf is that big empty glass room on the side then? Probably just an elevator lobby to the parkade? And totally sealed off from the outside world.

[MasterG]

No kidding. Wtf is that big empty glass room on the side then? Probably just an elevator lobby to the parkade? And totally sealed off from the outside world.

That corner has walk-by traffic numbers in the tens of thousands per day . You'd think that the occasional one would want to walk in and buy a coffee enough that ground floor retail would be warranted.

[RyLucky]

That would be a good corner for a newspaper kiosk. I wonder why Calgary doesn't have any...

Coffee, food, or retail would be great too.

Anything but lobby, really.

[Fuzz]

Agreed, no main floor retail and the lose of the marquee are both big drawbacks to this proposal. It's not like Strategic has a great track record of getting projects done either.... :rolleyes: :runaway:

Strategic manages our building, and I don't have much faith they can do anything but butcher a project. They have done terrible things to ours...And don't get me started on their heating/cooling program...

[H.E.Pennypacker]

Wow no retail on the main floor?? Biiig fail .. Major dislike for this project now

[Full Mountain]

That would be a good corner for a newspaper kiosk. I wonder why Calgary doesn't have any...

Coffee, food, or retail would be great too.

Anything but lobby, really.

This would be an interesting idea, wonder if this would be allowed...

[Full Mountain]

Strategic manages our building, and I don't have much faith they can do anything but butcher a project. They have done terrible things to ours...And don't get me started on their heating/cooling program...

After the debacle on 4th, and the fits and starts that the replacement <50% of the windows in this building has occurred in. I have no faith that they can even figure out how to put a crew together to get something done, let alone properly restore one of Calgary's more prominent historical properties.

[Full Mountain]

That corner has walk-by traffic numbers in the tens of thousands per day . You'd think that the occasional one would want to walk in and buy a coffee enough that ground floor retail would be warranted.

Wow no retail on the main floor?? Biiig fail .. Major dislike for this project now

It will be nice to have a slightly more open corner to wait on and more space for the bus stop, but really other than that....:frog:

[Fuzz]

After the debacle on 4th, and the fits and starts that the replacement <50% of the windows in this building has occurred in. I have no faith that they can even figure out how to put a crew together to get something done, let alone properly restore one of Calgary's more prominent historical properties.

Well they've shown they know how to erect ugly scaffolding over the sidewalk and do nothing with it for a good year, so that's a start! The city should force them to remove it until they actually start doing work.

[Spring2008]

After the debacle on 4th, and the fits and starts that the replacement <50% of the windows in this building has occurred in. I have no faith that they can even figure out how to put a crew together to get something done, let alone properly restore one of Calgary's more prominent historical properties.

Looks like the debacle lives on, have they even leased out any of the 20/20 building? Meanwhile Maxwell Bates looks to be fully leased, including all retail bays....

[Full Mountain]

Well they've shown they know how to erect ugly scaffolding over the sidewalk and do nothing with it for a good year, so that's a start! The city should force them to remove it until they actually start doing work.

I think that scaffolding is there to support the marquee as they don't have permission to remove it but it isn't stable enough to support it's self due to lack of maintenance

Looks like the debacle lives on, have they even leased out any of the 20/20 building? Meanwhile Maxwell Bates looks to be fully leased, including all retail bays....

Kinda sad really, a bustling retail corridor and they can't find tenants

[Jimby]

There was a DP approved a few weeks ago for a restaurant in 20/20, but I don't know if any of the office space has been leased yet.

[H.E.Pennypacker]

I know the office space has at least 1 tenant, not sure how much square footage they're occupying though

[Jimby]

I can't think of any other brand new never occupied office space in the downtown area that is available right now so I'm sure they will find tenants. (20/20)

[Wigs]

I'd be ecstatic if they could bring the theatre back but I know they stripped a lot of it out. The building has been significantly under maintained over the years.

when I first moved to Calgary I was impressed that there were 3 historic movie theatres still in operation. I wish they could bring The Uptown back. That said I wish the 2 still existing ones: The Globe and The Plaza were both completely rehabbed into true movie palaces. one can dream, right.

As for The Barron building itself, it's quite important in the history of Calgary.
a good, short read http://www.getdown.ca/2012/07/30/the-barron-building-anchor-of-the-oil-industry-in-calgary/

[Amsterdamned]

I don't see where there is no retail on the main floor. Looks like a decent amount of space for a few tenants on the main if not a couple restaurants or larger scaled tenants. http://www.altusinsite.com/files/filelib/spaces/741318/plan/1.jpg

Strategic does not have a great history of well maintained buildings or well designed building IMO. Although I'm happy the building is being saved and although I would love to have seen it restored to its full glamour I also realize that the existing floor plates and size do not lend themselves favorably to leasing. The expansion looks good. At least in concept. The proof will be in the detail work. I think its a good blend between new and old.

Royop is another developer that has completed some fairly good amalgamations of new and old buildings. Again IMO. Their head office on 11th ave and 7 street SW and recently the Biscuit building in the warehouse district. Like them or not, at least they weren't torn down.

[Spring2008]

Doesn't make it totally clear, but looks like level 1 is office, 2 is retail, with remaining floors office based on below:

http://www.altusinsite.com/index.php?page=searchengine&building_name=barron&locationc&searchbyabldgbtn=Find+Buildings

[Amsterdamned]

Doesn't make it totally clear, but looks like level 1 is office, 2 is retail, with remaining floors office based on below:

My mistake. I didn't read the floor listing on the side though I have a hard time believing they wouldn't have retail on the podium level. Time will tell I suppose.

[H.E.Pennypacker]

My mistake. I didn't read the floor listing on the side though I have a hard time believing they wouldn't have retail on the podium level. Time will tell I suppose.

I'm not sure the City would approve the redevelopment if there is no retail on the main floor .. Should be interesting to see how this one plays out

[Spring2008]

Maybe this one just passed by before the new Commercial Residential District (CR20-C20/R20) zoning for the CBD comes into effect in June because having all office/lobby on main floor would not pass anywhere in the CBD, especially not along the Stephen Ave Retail area once this new zoning comes into effect.

http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Documents/Publications/downtown-district-draft-p13d2-districts-2012-12.pdf?noredirect=1

From Page 7-10, restrictions of 50% of main floor for office use, certain streets office not allowed, including where this property is located.

35% max lobby area on main floor for the main streets listed, 70% in remaining areas.

[Trans Canada]

Can't say I see too much value in the marquee. I think the centre column of the building is way more architecturally stimulating than the marquee, which is just, well, a black box sticking out. In fact I think the marquee detracts from the cohesiveness of floors 1 and 2.

Existing floor plans here if anyone's interested: http://www.strategicgroup.ca/Real-Estate-Portfolio/Barron-Building.aspx

[93JC]

Although I'm happy the building is being saved and although I would love to have seen it restored to its full glamour I also realize that the existing floor plates and size do not lend themselves favorably to leasing.

Where did this BS come from? It's not the first time I've read that "because of the floorplates" the building is not "leasable". :koko:

[Spring2008]

Where did this BS come from? It's not the first time I've read that "because of the floorplates" the building is not "leasable". :koko:

From Strategic I believe. Might have to do with building an expansion with higher total sq. footage to recapture the costs associated with the existing building reno's etc.

[jsbertram]

I don't see where there is no retail on the main floor. Looks like a decent amount of space for a few tenants on the main if not a couple restaurants or larger scaled tenants. http://www.altusinsite.com/files/filelib/spaces/741318/plan/1.jpg

Strategic does not have a great history of well maintained buildings or well designed building IMO. Although I'm happy the building is being saved and although I would love to have seen it restored to its full glamour I also realize that the existing floor plates and size do not lend themselves favorably to leasing. The expansion looks good. At least in concept. The proof will be in the detail work. I think its a good blend between new and old.

Royop is another developer that has completed some fairly good amalgamations of new and old buildings. Again IMO. Their head office on 11th ave and 7 street SW and recently the Biscuit building in the warehouse district. Like them or not, at least they weren't torn down.

Just going by the JPG, it would appear to me that the Uptown Theatre portion of the building will have to be demolished to build the new back-alley expansion and 5th St expansion (the former CIBC bank on the corner).

To my eye, there's no easy way to build the loading dock and parking ramp without demolishing the shorter northern half of the old Barron building - the space occupied by the now closed movie house.

[93JC]

From Strategic I believe.



Figures. :/

[Amsterdamned]

Where did this BS come from? It's not the first time I've read that "because of the floorplates" the building is not "leasable". :koko:

I didn't say it wasn't leasable. It's a challenge due to the amount of space available, lease rates and the tenants they are aimed at. Right now, the building is a piece of shit. Hard to lease a piece of shit for market rates.

[jsbertram]

Just going by the JPG, it would appear to me that the Uptown Theatre portion of the building will have to be demolished to build the new back-alley expansion and 5th St expansion (the former CIBC bank on the corner).

To my eye, there's no easy way to build the loading dock and parking ramp without demolishing the shorter northern half of the old Barron building - the space occupied by the now closed movie house.

And it just struck me why the renders don't show the theatre marquee.

No movie house after the new construction; no need for the marquee either.

back to hockey

[JBR YYC]

The marquee is down and it looks like a sales centre will open soon. Something seems to be happening.

There will be a Beakerhead function in the building in a few weeks.