[Halifax] St. Joseph's Square (5450 Kaye) | 32 m | 9 fl | Completed
 

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/44...600x600Q85.jpg
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http://www.ekistics.net/images/portfolioEP/ENV6-2.jpg
Source: Ekistics

Name: St. Joseph's Square
Height: 27m
Floors: 9 Floors
Status: Approved
Location: Gottingen Street & Kaye Street
District: 11 (Halifax North-End)
Year:
Developer(s): Empire Company Ltd
Architect(s): Kassner/Goodspeed
Uses:
Former Use(s): St. Joseph's Church

"Bedford_DJ":

St. Joseph’s historic church reduced to dust
North-end chapel was rebuilt after Explosion
By Our Staff
Sat. May 9 - 5:17 AM

A church raised from the ashes after it was levelled by the Halifax Explosion is now gone for good.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Halifax’s north end was knocked down by machines Friday, almost two years after the Halifax diocese decided to shut it down.

About 700 people attended the historic church’s last mass in June 2006. While it was standing-room only on that day, the church had been crippled by declining membership and faced a repair bill of about $665,000.

Church officials combined the parish of the Russell Street church with that of St. Stephen’s Church after the 2004 report on the reorganization of the Halifax diocese.

Later engineering studies showed that St. Stephen’s needed less expensive and less immediate work, so services moved to the Normandy Drive church in the city’s far north end.

The congregation continues to worship there under the name of the Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish.

The former St. Joseph’s site is a short walk to the historic Hydrostone area and a neighbouring Russell Street condominium development called Hydrostone Place.

According to the parish’s website, the St. Joseph’s property was sold in March 2008 to ECL Developments, which requested the development be called St. Joseph’s Square.

While many of the pieces from within the church — the chalices, statues and church records — were brought to the new parish, several items were given away. The stained glass windows dedicated in 1987 to victims of the Halifax Explosion were given to ECL "on the stipulation that they only be used in the development on the (church) property," the parish website states.

The church, which celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2005, was destroyed in the Dec. 6, 1917, blast in Halifax Harbour that devastated the city. Members worshipped in the church’s basement until the new church was completed in 1961.

Just to give an exact location of this it is one block over from 5552 Kaye Street. Also I'll try to remember to get a shot when I'm visting 5552 Kaye today.

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"Keith P.":

I grew up in that area and attended that church as a kid. As students at the adjacent school we would occasionally be herded into the basement for some sort of service. I always found it strange that it seemed to be 2 churches in one -- the newer, glitztier upstairs, and the older, workmanlike one in the basement.

I think it's unfortunate that the developer couldn't find a way to incorporate the structure into the development.

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"Bedford_DJ":

Here are some photos from today about the St. Joseph's Church (all taken by me);

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3390/...bb3058ef_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/...93787d27_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3387/...c21a190e_b.jpg

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"someone123":

It does seem like a waste to be tearing down buildings like that. Hopefully the replacement will be nice.

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"DigitalNinja":

Whats going up in it's place?

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"gm_scott":

Condos apparently

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"hfx_chris":

I have to admit, I always hate seeing churches torn down...

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"planarchy":

From Ekistics website

http://www.ekistics.net/images/portfolioEP/ENV6-2.jpg
http://www.ekistics.net/images/portfolioEP/ENV6-1.jpg

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"DigitalNinja":

Looks nice will go nicely with the one going up on kay street and the hydro stone.

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"Bedford_DJ":

Ah WoW! :omg:

I was not expecting anything that impressive!

If this goes through Gottigen will look a lot different! :cool:

They should have waited to see if it went threw before tearing down the chuch.

Also looks to me its 11 floors there is one on the top of the townhouse places that you missed that is also in the tower.

I saw a story on the news a couple of days ago. They said the church had to come down because they couldn't afford the repairs to make it usable.

I count 12 stories on this development actually.

I like it. Not my favourite style but it's well-suited to the area, and I think it is nicer than a lot of similar developments outside of the downtown.

That part of the city is doing quite well and should become a lot busier in the future. As I've said before, there's tons of room for new buildings along Gottingen (both sides of North), Agricola, and Young Street.

Yeah, its going to add alot to the visual down the street with the Falkland development almost complete and that newer tower development at North.

Not a bad building at all. I did not expect something of that size down there. I really like the appearance of house like units on the street with the tower set back. And that corner is a perfect place for some nice public art. Maybe something to represent the church that was lost.

So... not to derail from this project in particular (hey man, looks good compratively), given projects like these how far would one say we are from say, returning Gottigen street to what it was in the 50s? Or maybe not quite THAT good, but y'know, something that's got a bit of a better reputation?

The Staples being where it is has done a little bit in terms of the immediate area of the Cogswell intersection, but I've been hoping for, someday, something a bit broader that goes all the way down the street.

I'm all for affordable housing but... look I mean if the viewplanes are so untouchable, Downtown's gotta grow in one direction or another, right? And it can't grow up into the Citadel and commons... and there's only so much to the south (and there's more of those bloody viewplanes THERE too).

I figure if we needed major extensions to the downtown, it would have to go north.

Awesome. Approximately a million times nicer than the crap new building across the street from it. As a local resident (I live about a block from the site)... I'm very happy! Looks great! Ok... I may not be 100% crazy about the faux mansard roof on the tower element... but overall... the massing... the articulation... the townhouses... the big open corner... nice.

The faux Mansard roof could work as long as they don't use that ugly green metal that has been way overdone around town! (Waterfront Place, Letson Court, Renassiance etc). If they're doing the mansard, they should spend the bucks and put something of quality in there. The mansard on the Waterford for example looks fine. On the whole, from the limited info available, this looks like a decent development.

I think this has the potential to turn out great if properly done. :)

It's the third large development within a three block area and well it would greatly add to the livability and business around the Hydrostone.

I personally love the area and think that the area just south of the Hydrostone could become a very neat sub-downtown for the peninsula.

After looking at it a bit more I am slightly concerned with the two smaller sides of the tower. They appear to have lots of blank wall.

You need somewhere to put furniture :)

There's something new going up on North or are you refering to those new towers on Gladstone?

I like it, and it will contribute nicely to the urban feel of that commercial square there that the Hydrostones front onto. Too bad the other new apartment building there is so gosh darn ugly.

St Josephs
 

Looks like a really nice project. This area is really coming along

I drove by this site this afternoon. They have removed most of the old remains. The old foundation still stands about a foot or so and thats about it.

I passed by the site today too. I don't like the design much but I think the scale is great for the area.

Seems like everything from Cogswell to the "far north" is improving a lot.

This building looks like it has a great place for another public art installation.