[Halifax] Tramway Building (1598 Barrington) | ? m | 7 fl | U/C

[someone123]

This thread is about the proposed alteration and restoration of the Tramway Building on Barrington Street. Part of the plan involves adding 2 floors on top of the existing building. It also includes restoring the decorative rooftop elements.

Site plan report for the March 14 Design Review Committee meeting:

https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default...314item912.pdf

Rendering:

[someone123]

This was approved by the DRC. One stipulation they added was that the developer must install exterior lighting.

The upper turrets on the Barrington side will be restored and the outer layer of concrete (parging) will be restored. I am not sure about the storefronts. The upper floors will be converted from commercial to apartments (I thought they already were apartments but I guess not?).

[OldDartmouthMark]

Updating this thread with a photo posted by someone123 in the General Updates and News thread:



Source

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

20240927_174043_HDR by AJ Forsythe, on Flickr


I'm disappointed to see the smaller than original windows being installed. Obviously the building is not done done, but at this point I can't see this project turning out well from a visual perspective.

[Keith P.]

Didn’t the Tramway have terra cotta or some other type of tiles on the outside?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Existing Building:
The existing building was built in 1916 for the Halifax Electric Tramway
Company, which operated the Halifax tramway system from this building.
The architect was Andrew Cobb, one of the regions most well known
architects. Cobb had his office for many years in this building. The building
was characterized in the Downtown Barrington Catalogue of Buildings as
modern neo-gothic in style. It is within the Barrington Street Heritage
Conservation District but is not itself a registered heritage building.
The building structural system is constructed entirely of reinforced concrete,
the first of its type on Barrington Street. The exterior was covered with a
cement parging, which in many areas, particularly the Barrington St.
elevation, separated from the substructure and has been removed. Large
areas of parging on the Sackville elevation are also in need of removal. The
original drawings for the building show rusticated detailing on the ground
level of the façade, but this is now covered with an unsympathetic brick
masonry veneer. The tops of the exterior columns on the Barrington and
Sackville elevations originally had large and small turrets at the top of the
exterior concrete columns. These became extremely deteriorated and were
fully removed on the Barrington St. facade. Those on the Sackville facade will
also need to be removed.

https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default...314item912.pdf

[Keith P.]

Perhaps what my eye read as cladding of some sort was simply paintwork over the parging?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Not sure. Maybe you are thinking about the rectangular indentations that were fashioned into the parging? It's visible in this photo from 1957:


Source

[OldDartmouthMark]

Also, this photo from 1969 shows the bottom level being clad with what appears to be a dark ceramic tile. Later it was covered in the fake brick that I think most of us are familiar with.

In this photo, it appears that the parging must have been removed (I imagine that it was crumbling off and falling down on the sidewalk?), as you can no longer see the ornamental rectangular shapes that were visible in the 1957 photo. I suppose it's also possible that they removed it to give it a more 'modern' appearance, by cleaning up the ornamentation, as appeared to have been popular at the time with some older buildings having cornices removed, etc. Just speculation on my part, though.

It also looks like newer windows were installed with the small sliding panes at the bottom, and what appeared to be wooden sills removed.


Source

[Keith P.]

Now I’m really confused. The 1957 picture is the one that looks “correct” to me but even though I’m old, I’m not that old. I also remember the tile shown in the other picture but wasn’t thinking of that when I made my original comment. No idea.

I hope it looks better than the current pic when it’s finished. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t have brought back the original turret details.

[OldDartmouthMark]

I'm not sure what you are remembering, Keith. I recall it always looking kind of concrete-y without much detail or any cladding (besides the brick veneer).

The current photo above looks like it's in transition, with the brick veneer removed and some of the parging detail still existing underneath. The floors above still haven't had any parging work done, and in regards to the turret details, the quote below is from the document I previously linked to:

Proposed Building:
This project proposes the limited exterior restoration of the original
concrete surfaces and details including the column turrets which are
discussed further below. All upper level windows will be replaced. An
exploration of the feasibility of the removal of the ground level masonry
veneer and replacement of the original rustication will be made.

However, the
stepback of approximately 2ft, combined with reconstructed, turrets at the
top of the columns, and the clear difference in materials between the
existing building and the addition, as well as the limited height of the
addition, will clearly distinguish the existing building from the addition,
thus meeting the intent of the LUB. Note that the rear quarter of the larger turrets
will need to be trimmed in order to allow the column connection.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I hope it looks better than the current pic when it’s finished. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t have brought back the original turret details.

They're supposed to--that's part of the whole proposal that went before the city.

But the rendering of the original shows the addition on the top being glass, not the unfinished-looking panels there now. The way this is shaping up I'm afraid it won't even be accurate to call it a restoration, but it is clearly in an interim stage, so I remain hopeful.

[OldDartmouthMark]

^^^

Good point. One aspect of the upper 2 floor addition was outlined in the document:

New sixth and seventh floor addition, designed to be distinguished from and deferential to the
existing façade

The latest photo makes it appear that they are now trying to mimic the existing facade. So it wouldn't surprise me if the turrets were left off as well.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

... I'm disappointed to see the smaller than original windows being installed. Obviously the building is not done done, but at this point I can't see this project turning out well from a visual perspective.

There was a lot more glass on the added storeys in the rendering as well.