The Olympia Club | ? | 4fl | Complete
 

Core Urban's next project, news via Steve Kulakowsky's Instagram.

Credit to forum user King&James for finding this! Can't wait to see it redeveloped.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/36...g=w946-h610-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WF...2WHVlg=s759-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/15...ByZuOA=s759-no

Awesome. Hope they kick out that cash money store.

Awesome. This is right next to the new Liuna towers correct?

^^ This! Presumably tenants in both buildings have been, or will be, given notice.

From the instagram post: "permit is in". Does that mean it's been granted, or applied for?

Yes. https://goo.gl/maps/vfx3SHPohQm

Yes yes yes! This building is going to be an excellent addition to the Gore.

Thanks for helping find post HamiltonForward and posting!

Oh thank god.

THANK. GOD.

I am so glad to see this building finally getting the restoration it so sorely needed - it woulda looked so weird and dated next to the new towers otherwise.

And rip that stupid veneer and cash money sign off the building beside it and as they said "bring some class back to the gore" - that's exactly what the gore should be all about - old architectural class mixed in with the new.

I am wondering how much of the original facade is left under the horribly dated veneer. Honestly, from what this building used to look like to what they turned it into was an atrocity imo. I kept looking at it PRAYING that someone would restore it. This will tie in really nicely with the right house architecture as well and frame the modern towers very well in between!

And it's so nice to see CORNICES go back up! Cornices on an old building are like the dentures in a classy old lady. - aside from false shutters it's one of the only things one can put on an old building to really dress it up :)

THANK YOU Core Urban, as well as LIUNA, for consistently providing high quality projects to this city! *BOWS*

Looks like the glass on the first floor will be higher than it originally is right now too - which means they will be lifting it up a bit higher into the facade... I am VERY interested to see this develop! Ooooh it's so EXCITING to see old style buildings get a new facelift and design while still maintaining that heritage look and feel to them :)

And the bannister railing at the top - you just don't SEE that LEFT on any of the old buildings anymore - that's the royal treatment right there! I SO hope the Right Houses' is restored someday..

The downtown is gonna look so SEXY once everything is done - what with the heritage features across the street now being preserved :)

Also that's a HUGE overhang on that cornice next door to it - almost like a marquee.. I am surprised they got permission to put it on..

From this.... https://i.imgur.com/yPO62cbh.jpg


to this....https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/15...ByZuOA=s759-no

This is super Disneyland but I will allow it.

The cartoon rendering is looks plasticy but overall it looks good.

Do you have a picture of it’s original / non derelict look?

I don't like it. It doesn't respect the existing neighbourhood character. ;)

Actually this is fantastic. Those buildings are long overdue for some love, especially the larger one.

Materials will make a big difference in how it turns out, but given the reputation of the redeveloper I'm optimistic.

Well that depends, how far back in time would you like to go? :P

This is what it looked like in 1900 as R. McKay & Co., and was then replaced in 1950 by the arliss shoes building.

https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...0a&oe=5CB8B139

https://i.imgur.com/sR7aePr.jpg

Also it's hard to see, but you can see the building in this pic as well - it's right under the "g" in "buildings":

https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thu...?cb=1410181111

Here is a slightly better version coloured:

http://bayobserver.ca/wp-content/upl...e-1024x593.png

This would have been before arliss shoes went in - as that looked like this:

http://i.imgur.com/8Yxjwyy.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/445/32...e40cdfef_b.jpg

Bizarrely enough the building to the right of it appears to have been reduced by a floor since.. odd..

also that may be the ONLY night time coloured image of kresges and the buildings beside it in existence.. great example of the original neon night strip though.. you can see the old entrances to the gore park bathrooms in that pic too..

-----

aand what it looks like now.. blegh how it ever aged..

https://i.imgur.com/yPO62cbh.jpg

But as you can see, the proposed design is actually quite similar to the ORIGINAL post 1900s design that that building had.. (middle images) so I am quite pleased.

https://i.imgur.com/ngajDbb.jpg

I kinda miss the awnings though - yes some of them got gross looking but they were great to protect shoppers from the elements - rain, snow, sun.. we have nothing like that now..

https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.n...d1&oe=5CE8FEEC

from Core Urban's facebook

It would be really cool if it were a bowling alley again. Downtown is sorely lacking a bowling alley. Thunder alley exists, but they are tucked away into City Centre and have ridiculous hours. Splitsville in Burlington is packed until 2am Friday and Saturday nights.

There is also a splitsville up on stonechurch across from the hotel. That's where I bowl every week. But yeah this would be cool if it was made a bowling alley again.

And thanks for that great picture! As you can see they're pretty much trying to restore it as much as possible while still adhering to modern code requirements.

So let's compare the old to the proposed shall we:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/15...ByZuOA=s759-no

Wow, there used to be so much neon...

There was, until they passed the law banning neon from downtown to prevent it from turning into hookers seedyville (or looking like it was turning into that).