The Great Canadian Heritage Restoration Thread

[thomax]

HAMILTON | The Centennial


source


Centennial Apartments Renovations by Joe, on Flickr


Centennial Apartments Renovations by Joe, on Flickr

[someone123]

This one's pretty subtle but I thought it was interesting since it looks so much nicer with a bit of upkeep. This is the Canada Permanent Building in Halifax, built 1961-1962.



Pre-facelift



Source

There are a lot of buildings like this around that could either look dumpy or nice with a bit of maintenance. And sometimes their owners argue that they should be demolished when they are left to rot on purpose so people don't see their potential.

[someone123]

I thought this post about "dumbing down" heritage was interesting too:

https://halifaxbloggers.ca/noticedin...-dumb-me-down/

He talks about this site, Admiralty House. This was built in the 1810's and was the official residence of the admiral commanding the British Navy in North America.


Source

He took this picture in the 70's, back when the gate was crumbling but still maybe original:


The gate was in a poor state of repair. Unfortunately, they rebuilt the masonry with simpler posts. At some point somebody also planted trees that obscure the building. There's a balance to be struck with greenery; more isn't always better. They didn't rebuild the lantern.

They did rebuild a similar carriage lantern at Province House. Hopefully Admiralty House will one day have its lantern restored too.


Source

[itom 987]

That masonry work is a disgrace to the original, it's not hard to carve out a replica. Why can't the fab shops get it right????

[le calmar]

Nearly all the original masonry is gone. They even poured concrete into the wall to replace a stone because they were missing extras or just got lazy. I don’t get why they could not just restore the original stones then put them back in.

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by someone123

This one's pretty subtle but I thought it was interesting since it looks so much nicer with a bit of upkeep. This is the Canada Permanent Building in Halifax, built 1961-1962.



Pre-facelift



Source

There are a lot of buildings like this around that could either look dumpy or nice with a bit of maintenance. And sometimes their owners argue that they should be demolished when they are left to rot on purpose so people don't see their potential.

I liked it better with the gold accents.

[TorontoDrew]

1933 symes road destructor / 2019
the office of the city architect designed the symes road destructor in a collaboration between chief architect j. j. woolnough, his assistant and successor k. s. gillies, and their chief designer, architect stanley j. t.fryer. during the early 1930s, this team produced an impressive series of civic buildings that were characterized and distinguished by art deco styling and included the symes road destructor.

Now a brewery in Toronto's Junction hood.

1933 symes road destructor / 2012 by foto orange, on Flickr

1933 symes road destructor / 2019 by foto orange, on Flickr

[Renn]

183 Dovercourt Rd, Ideal Bread Company, http://urbantoronto.ca/sites/default...4253-12768.jpg



183 Dovercorut Rd, Argyle Lofts, https://strata.ca/slate-image/proper...erior-2000.jpg

[Renn]

Another Heritage building turned loft



736 Dundas St E, https://nickandhilary.com/tannery-lofts



736 Dundas St E, Tannery Lofts, https://www.emporis.com/images/show/...king-north.jpg

looks like they added an addition on top when they converted it.

[TorontoDrew]

Yes they did.

source: https://www.acotoronto.ca

[Renn]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Yes they did.

source: https://www.acotoronto.ca

It's too bad that it's not a complete match. Just looks slightly "off".

[J.OT13]

If you're going to try and replicate and fail, might as well go modern on the addition.

[TorontoDrew]

I don't mind it at all. In fact, I always thought it was an addition done many many years ago.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Pavlov

I liked it better with the gold accents.

Same here.

[Wpg_Guy]

the Galpern Candy Company became synonymous with this building, with many people knowing it only as the Gaplern Building. When the Galpern Candy Company folded in 1973, Willson's office furnishings department moved in and used the building as a supply depot. Willson's eventually left the building, leaving the top five storeys of the building empty since 1975. The building's final occupant, a nightclub, left the main floor and basement in 2004 resulting in the entire building being vacant.

Porter House
Location: 165 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
Developers: ALSTON PROPERTIES LTD.
Architect(s):
Status: Completed 2018
Media: From Housewares to Home - The Porter Building
Description: A six story warehouse built in 1906 comprising of 34 new purpose built modern loft style apartments accented with century old features in the heart of Winnipeg’s vibrant East Exchange District



The Porter Building in 1907. Source: Archives of Manitoba.


An advertisement for James Porter and Company crockery shines through a later Milady Chocolates advertisement on the west facade of the Porter Building. Source: Canada's Historic Places.


Advertisment for the Galpern Candy Company on the back of the Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties

[IMG][/IMG]
The Porter Building with its last tenant in 2004. Source: Virtual Heritage Winnipeg.

In 2015, Alston Properties, a family owned development firm based in Victoria, took over the Porter Building with the intention of converting it into residential units. The interior of the building was gutted, the front entrance was moved to the west side of the McDermot Avenue facade, 50 new windows and several new entrances were added to the Rorie Street facade. The top five floors of the building were converted into 30 one bedroom apartments, at approximately 500 square feet each. The ground floor and basement were converted into four two storey townhouses with individual entrances, each being 1,100 to 1,200 square feet in size. The history of the building was highlighted by exposed brick and wooden beams. Topping of the renovations was a rooftop deck with views of the Exchange District. Renovations were completed in 2018, with the building rebranded as the "Porter House".


The interior of Porter Building under construction. Source: Alston Properties.


The interior of Porter Building under construction. Source: Alston Properties.


New windows added to the Rorie Street facade of the Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties.


The interior of the newly renovated Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties.








Rooftop


The exterior of the newly renovated Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties.

[Renn]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

the Galpern Candy Company became synonymous with this building, with many people knowing it only as the Gaplern Building. When the Galpern Candy Company folded in 1973, Willson's office furnishings department moved in and used the building as a supply depot. Willson's eventually left the building, leaving the top five storeys of the building empty since 1975. The building's final occupant, a nightclub, left the main floor and basement in 2004 resulting in the entire building being vacant.

Porter House
Location: 165 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
Developers: ALSTON PROPERTIES LTD.
Architect(s):
Status: Completed 2018
Media: From Housewares to Home - The Porter Building
Description: A six story warehouse built in 1906 comprising of 34 new purpose built modern loft style apartments accented with century old features in the heart of Winnipeg’s vibrant East Exchange District



The Porter Building in 1907. Source: Archives of Manitoba.


An advertisement for James Porter and Company crockery shines through a later Milady Chocolates advertisement on the west facade of the Porter Building. Source: Canada's Historic Places.


Advertisment for the Galpern Candy Company on the back of the Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties

[IMG][/IMG]
The Porter Building with its last tenant in 2004. Source: Virtual Heritage Winnipeg.

In 2015, Alston Properties, a family owned development firm based in Victoria, took over the Porter Building with the intention of converting it into residential units. The interior of the building was gutted, the front entrance was moved to the west side of the McDermot Avenue facade, 50 new windows and several new entrances were added to the Rorie Street facade. The top five floors of the building were converted into 30 one bedroom apartments, at approximately 500 square feet each. The ground floor and basement were converted into four two storey townhouses with individual entrances, each being 1,100 to 1,200 square feet in size. The history of the building was highlighted by exposed brick and wooden beams. Topping of the renovations was a rooftop deck with views of the Exchange District. Renovations were completed in 2018, with the building rebranded as the "Porter House".


The interior of Porter Building under construction. Source: Alston Properties.


The interior of Porter Building under construction. Source: Alston Properties.


New windows added to the Rorie Street facade of the Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties.


The interior of the newly renovated Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties.








Rooftop


The exterior of the newly renovated Porter Building. Source: Alston Properties.

They did an awesome job on this one. I love anything that's brick and beam, especially that sandblasted brick look in the unit.

[Wpg_Guy]

A look at the phase 1 restoration of the 1906 James Avenue Pumping Station in The Exchange District. It had received heritage designation on November 15th, 1982 and operated until 1986 when the City of Winnipeg closed the station. It has sat abandoned and unused ever since. Today it's the HQ for ThinkShift, a marketing firm, there will soon be a restaurant/retail space open on the main level along Waterfront Drive. Phase two & three will see residential buildings developed on the east and west sides of the pump house.

James Ave Pumping Station Redevelopment
Location: 109 James Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
Developers: ALSTON PROPERTIES LTD.
Architect(s) : 5468796 Architecture Inc
Status: Phase 1 Completed
Project Thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=223833
Phase 1: 18,600 SF of office/retail space in the James Ave Pumping Station Building. 100% leased. Spring 2018 occupancy.

The pump house was built in 1906 for fire suppression, prompted by a great conflagration two years earlier. The 1904 fire razed several downtown Winnipeg buildings including the Bullman block, the Rialto block and Great Northern Telegraph, and the J. H. Ashdown Hardware Company at Bannatyne Avenue and Main Street. The Woodbine Hotel and the Dufferin block were badly damaged. There was no means to fight fires that were six stories in height.
So hardware mogul James Ashdown campaigned for construction of the pump house to provide pressurized water to fight future fires. His efforts carried him all the way into the mayor’s chair.

The pump house was state-of-the-art engineering and an example of what the fledgeling city could accomplish when it pulled together. The building has a classy look, made of sandstone brick with many large windows. The glasswork lets in natural light and offers views of the Red River but also lets people see inside. It was a statement to the community that the coal-fired pumps made Winnipeg safer.

from its location along Waterfront Driver and James Ave., it drew water from the Red River and pumped it vertically to the upper reaches of downtown buildings and horizontally all the way to McPhillips Street. The pipe that drew water from the river is still in place but is now capped.

Through an underground network of pipes, the pumping station connected to 110 fire hydrants in the city. Firefighters could go to nearest hydrant and tap it for pressurized water.
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bu...508666742.html

Slated for demolition after 17 attempts to revive the historic structure over the last 14 years, the James Avenue Pumping Station was successfully preserved through the development of a financial / building pro forma that would make it financially feasible. While the existing building’s foundation was not capable of supporting the construction of additional floors on top of the Pumphouse, a gantry crane capacity allowed for a new floor within the existing building. Incorporated as tenancy, this left the pumps on the main floor free and clear of complicated programming as proposed in previous revitalization attempts, and instead distinguished its adaptive reuse as one that celebrates the existing while creating a viable future life.

The development resulted in 10,500 sqft of elevated main floor commercial space and 3,000 sqft of ground level commercial space facing Waterfront Drive. On either side of the historic pumphouse three new 6 storey residential buildings will be constructed. They will be located 20 ft away from the existing building creating new ’streets’ that respect the original pumphouse and expand the ground floor store frontages. This multi-faceted, mixed-use development is the first proposal on the site that has gained the support of the community at large, the neighbouring condominium complexes and the historic buildings committee at the City of Winnipeg.

In keeping with the utilitarian nature of the original design, the new builds book-end the existing structure and subtly support its aesthetic through deliberately simple, modular forms. With views directed to the historical centre of the site, its storied past is highlighted and the human scale of a new perspectives can be seen in the approach to the site, the neighbouring exterior walkways, and the intimate alleyways formed between the old and new facades.

Originally Posted by 1ajs

striping the roof has begun


interesting learned the roof is made of concrete panels that are in really good shape the grain exchange has similar panels in its roof
i guess a test section for the skylight cut outs

Construction phase 2017

Originally Posted by 1ajs

https://www.instagram.com/p/BY98OyOgu1R/


After a dozen attempts to develop the heritage building, James Avenue Pumping Station, someone has finally succeeded. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)


Construction phase 2017

Construction phase 2017

https://www.instagram.com/p/BerCAtEBvfH/


The office space is built in the rafters, held up by the building’s steel girders. No one would erect a building today with almost the entire 15,000 square feet main floor space dedicated to derelict pumps and flywheels that don’t function anymore. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)





The office space is built in the rafters, held up by the building’s steel girders

The grand opening of Think Shift’s office in Winnipeg’s historic Pumphouse building. The ground floor of the building is under construction for a restaurant. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)








https://twitter.com/Mayor_Bowman/sta...28690987671552


https://www.instagram.com/p/BwVNCqzA_IW/



https://www.instagram.com/p/BwUsQvEgo4O/


Future restaurant space

[ericmacm]

Sandwich Fire Station (1921) -> John C. Muir Public Library (2019)

New restoration of an old fire hall in Windsor's historic Sandwich neighbourhood. They had their opening today, but they'll be fully open near the end of September. It's a quaint little library and it's just been beautifully done. There are still some more works to be done, including some landscaping and the addition of a glass observation deck at the top of the building. The renovations cost around $2.5M.

Old:





New:

[Martin Mtl]

Rodier building (1875) (Griffintown)

Pictures by ArchiMtl on MtlUrb.com


https://www.instagram.com/p/B12gY4fHpRt/


https://www.instagram.com/p/B12gq1ZnlRn/


https://www.instagram.com/p/B12gq1ZnlRn/


https://www.instagram.com/p/B12gq1ZnlRn/


https://www.instagram.com/p/B12gq1ZnlRn/

[franktko]

Worth looking at a "before" shot, with its bricked-out ground floor and small windows...

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4971...7i13312!8i6656