Saskatoon Construction III

[circle33]

Originally Posted by phone

That being said, I have no doubt that either of the other Broadway projects I mentioned will be completed.

For what it is worth the signage indicating the Baydo property a parking lot has been removed, as has the payment machine.

[phone]

Originally Posted by circle33

For what it is worth the signage indicating the Baydo property a parking lot has been removed, as has the payment machine.

Good news --- and thanks, I'm not in Saskatoon and appreciate the update.

[WoodlandCritter]

Anyone have any photos of the renovations happening at the Smith Block Building on Broadway? (The building Calories is located in) I have been seeing some photos on Instagram but not a lot. Looks like they are restoring it to the original brick and stone façade/storefront.

[SaskE30]

Originally Posted by WoodlandCritter

Anyone have any photos of the renovations happening at the Smith Block Building on Broadway? (The building Calories is located in) I have been seeing some photos on Instagram but not a lot. Looks like they are restoring it to the original brick and stone façade/storefront.

The new Facade should be going up soon. They are still preparing the backup wall so there isn't anything exciting to see yet.

On that note, they will not be restoring it to the original brick and stone facade since those materials are long gone. They will be using adhered brick slices and carved stone to recreate the general "look" of the original instead. I believe the beautiful original wood front door to Calories will remain though.

[WoodlandCritter]

Originally Posted by SaskE30

The new Facade should be going up soon. They are still preparing the backup wall so there isn't anything exciting to see yet.

On that note, they will not be restoring it to the original brick and stone facade since those materials are long gone. They will be using adhered brick slices and carved stone to recreate the general "look" of the original instead. I believe the beautiful original wood front door to Calories will remain though.

Gotchya, I knew the stone was being recreated but just assumed most of the original brick had been stuccoed over. Thanks!

[Echoes]

Demolition underway at 2nd and Queen for the Monarch:


http://www.collierscanada.com/24910#.W09Snq2Wy70

This is a great little project.

[Ziggy4Prez]

My first time posting an image. Not sure if this will work.

[danylo66]

Sutherland Hotel to close Oct. 30, re-emerge as office and retail space

The Sutherland Hotel has been acquired by Rayner Agencies Ltd., which plans to transform the 100-plus-year-old Central Avenue building

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/loca...d-retail-space

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saska...fice-1.4752654

[prairieguy]

I am sure I am one among 10s of thousands of U of S grads that have some very fond memories of the Sutherland Hotel. Was often our launch pad for a weekend of too much fun!

Can't say I ever go now, but still sad to see an iconic place bite the dust. Hope the repurpose of building will be a restoration of sorts, to acknowledge its history.

[EpicPonyTime]

Office space on Central Ave? I don't know how successful they think that's going to be, but all the power to them. Shame it has to come at the loss of a notable piece of this city's cultural history.

[jrochest]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

That is great they are looking forward like this....perhaps could be a bit more ambitious...maybe a riverfront restaurant open year round with a cool ice sculpture garden in the winter....amenities for the x-country skiers who use the trails across the street...just a few ideas...just like to see this think a bit "bigger", but good idea!

Sorry to re-write this -- for some reason I managed to post a garbled message when I replied!

They're raising funds for a poured concrete foundation (for the tent) and a more permanent and solid set of outbuildings -- dressing rooms, bar and food sales, storage, things like that. There's also (hopefully) going to be a drop-off loop and a new set of restrooms (partnered with the city).

The idea is that the space will be usable for longer, though it's still going to be a summer site, and they hope that the trail will run through it. No major structures (no theatre, no restaurant) -- you can either be a theatre company or a property management company, and they're going to keep the focus on the plays.

[Echoes]

Video: Brent Suer talks about redevelopment of Saskatoon's old police station

[Echoes]

Old police station redeveloper outlines plans in tough Saskatoon market
'We're just trying to make this building as special as it can be,' says Duchuck Holdings president Brent Suer of the old Saskatoon police station

Alex MacPherson, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Updated: July 23, 2018

Brent Suer knows he is taking a very big risk.

Vacancy rates in Saskatoon are up; rental rates are down. There’s new competition down the street and he doesn’t have a single tenant lined up to occupy the building into which he’s pouring millions of dollars.

“It’s not for the faint of heart. You gotta be all in,” the Saskatoon-based developer said while paging through a sheaf of renderings and glossy photos of what the old downtown police station may look like in a few months.

“We knew going into this project that it was going to be a long-term job, that it was going to be tough to attract tenants, so thus we’re just trying to make this building as special as it can be.”

Suer’s company, Duchuck Holdings Ltd., bought the Fourth Avenue building — which has been vacant since 2014 — and adjoining parking lot from the City of Saskatoon for $10.7 million nearly two years ago.

An artist’s rendering of the proposed River Quarry on 4th, which is being developed from the old Saskatoon Police Service station which was bought by Duchuck Holdings Ltd. for $10.7 million in late 2016. Photos courtesy of ICR Commercial Real Estate. ICR Commercial Real Estate / Saskatoon
​
Crews began tearing up the building’s interior about 18 months ago; more recently, work has begun on the facade, which Suer hopes to transform from a concrete massif to a shimmering steel and glass curtain.

“I saw an opportunity,” Suer said of his decision to buy the building and renovate it on spec, an uncommon move in the competitive world of commercial real estate. He won’t reveal the cost of the project.

Suer was born in Middle Lake, north of Humboldt, and came to Saskatoon in 1980. After working as a plumber and pipe fitter, he started a company that has since grown to the point where he could support property development.

Asked why he decided to take on the old police station, now renamed River Quarry on 4th, in the face of difficult market conditions, he laughed and said, “You gotta have a passion for it. Or you gotta be crazy.”

Saskatoon’s downtown office market has been through the wringer during the last several years, as collapsing resource prices curbed new construction almost entirely and drove vacancy rates well above 15 per cent.

Commercial real estate companies are reporting that vacancy rates are fluctuating; it’s clear the city’s central business district is not nearly as competitive as it was when only about two per cent of offices were empty.

Suer said he knows this, which is why Duchuck Holdings is sparing few expenses as it completes River Quarry, and the 22-storey office tower envisioned on the adjacent parking lot some years down the road.

[....]

[saskatoonborn]

With luck they get some intrest and a few tenants lined up soon . I hope that all this development really starts to attract offices from internationals and expansion offices into Saskatchewan. To think we haven't had much for office development for 35 years. A couple of lowrise and warehouse redevelopments but Riverlanding is the first substantial new development. Hopefully this developer feels confident enough to do the 22 story office sooner rather than later.

Edited* Misread article thought it did have a tenant lined up.

[mitchellk12]

Originally Posted by saskatoonborn

With luck they get some intrest and a few tenants lined up soon . I hope that all this development really starts to attract offices from internationals and expansion offices into Saskatchewan. To think we haven't had much for office development for 35 years. A couple of lowrise and warehouse redevelopments but Riverlanding is the first substantial new development. Hopefully this developer feels confident enough to do the 22 story office sooner rather than later.

Edited* Misread article thought it did have a tenant lined up.

To even have plans to build up to 22 storeys aside from Parcel Y is huge. Im interested to see how this plays out.

[Echoes]

I'm sure they are very, very loose plans at this point.

[roryn1]

After spending some time at Ag In Motion that brought in a record 30,000 people this year, sounds like hotels were maxed out. Although we’ve had quite a few hotels in the outlying areas built in the past few years, Alt and Holiday Inn are pretty much the only downtown ones in like ten years? Wonder if that’s going to be the next boom here in the downtown with all of these open lots.

[mitchellk12]

Originally Posted by roryn1

After spending some time at Ag In Motion that brought in a record 30,000 people this year, sounds like hotels were maxed out. Although we’ve had quite a few hotels in the outlying areas built in the past few years, Alt and Holiday Inn are pretty much the only downtown ones in like ten years? Wonder if that’s going to be the next boom here in the downtown with all of these open lots.

Ive noticed a few of the north downtown lots sold. Some smaller ones along 1st ave. Then theres the old PAT lot, think it had a sold sign on there too.

[Echoes]

Iconic neon Ming's sign rescued in Saskatoon
Now there's a bright idea to create a neon museum

Danny Kerslake · CBC News · Posted: Jul 24, 2018 1:24 PM CT | Last Updated: an hour ago

Neon signs evoke a time and place, but there's a concern they will go dark forever.

"We used to have a glorious culture of neon signs," Henry van Seters, who has been photographing and painting Saskatoon's neon signs since the late 1970s, said in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

He and friend Dave Denny recently took down the iconic Ming's Kitchen sign after it served some 43 years, lighting the way to steaming plates of noodles, sticky rice and crispy ginger beef.

"It was a timely rescue, I think," said van Seters

Ming's on the move

The old Ming's location is being torn down. Denny said old stuff like the Ming's sign isn't honoured enough in the city.

"This is a chance to save a sort of touch stone so that people can tell their stories and remember what it is to have had a childhood in Saskatoon," Denny said.

The Ming's sign was not an easy save, according to van Seters. The owners were happy to hand it over, but it took several attempts, he said.

Denny and van Seters are not easily dissuaded. They were the driving force behind saving Saskatoon's historic Perehudoff murals from the wrecking ball.

Neon museum

Denny and van Seters are unsure what to do with the Ming's sign next, but said there could be a bright future for it and some of the other great examples of neon that once graced the city streets.

"It's art. They are art. It's public art," stated van Seters.

They said they have a firm belief that public art should be free to all and are now in the preliminary stages of exploring a neon museum, much like one that exists in Edmonton. While the final form of this effort remains fluid, there is a solid commitment to keep these signs and the moments they represent alive.

"That's what is important to me is helping tell our stories and connect to the past," said Denny.

[....]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskat...toon-1.4759774

This is something I would love to see come to fruition in Saskatoon. Edmonton's neon sign museum is super cool and I have no qualms about us stealing and copying a great idea.

[circle33]

A glowing travel piece I stumbled upon:

Why is everybody raving about Saskatoon? (And where on earth is Saskatoon?)