[Halifax] Elmwood Hotel (5189 South) | 28 M | 9 fl | U/C

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by kzt79

Forgive me for what will likely seem a silly question to many of you, but how much is the "original" Elmwood hotel versus restored with new materials (ignoring the entirely new building behind). Would this be a "taken back to the studs" type job, or more? Or less?

It's a little up in the air how much will be original vs. new. The development proposal quoted the city's best practices for heritage conservation, including this bit: "Repair rather than replace character-defining elements. Where characterdefining elements are too severely deteriorated to repair, and where sufficient physical evidence exists, replace them with new elements that match the forms, materials and detailing of sound versions of the same elements. Where there is insufficient physical evidence, make the form, material and detailing of the new elements compatible with the character of the historic place."

Most of the character-defining elements have been stripped off the facade (presumably to allow for restoration and the installation of insulation, building wrap, etc). I'm not really sure how much will be original and how much will be new when it comes back. As long as it LOOKS original, it's fine by me.

[kzt79]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

It's a little up in the air how much will be original vs. new. The development proposal quoted the city's best practices for heritage conservation, including this bit: "Repair rather than replace character-defining elements. Where characterdefining elements are too severely deteriorated to repair, and where sufficient physical evidence exists, replace them with new elements that match the forms, materials and detailing of sound versions of the same elements. Where there is insufficient physical evidence, make the form, material and detailing of the new elements compatible with the character of the historic place."

Most of the character-defining elements have been stripped off the facade (presumably to allow for restoration and the installation of insulation, building wrap, etc). I'm not really sure how much will be original and how much will be new when it comes back. As long as it LOOKS original, it's fine by me.

And what about the actual internal structure itself? Is anything left of the original or is it all newly built? I'm just curious and haven't physically been by the site in some time. Thank you!

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by kzt79

And what about the actual internal structure itself? Is anything left of the original or is it all newly built? I'm just curious and haven't physically been by the site in some time. Thank you!

No idea. My guess is that it may well be a total gut, or mostly. I have friends who lived in the building about ten years ago, and there were definitely some cool features, like a huge cast-iron wash basin, and some other Victorian throwback elements. But they were probably pretty archaic for modern renters/buyers, so I doubt they'd be repurposed.

I would hope that things like historical doors, architectural adornments and window trim would be restored, as on the outside. No insight as to whether this is the plan, though.

[Keith P.]

Well, they picked up the entire structure and moved it rearwards to a new foundation, so I presume most of that would be retained. Not so sure about finishes and systems.

[JET]

The bones are still there, and finishes will be restored or replicated, hard to do better than that.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by JET

The bones are still there, and finishes will be restored or replicated, hard to do better than that.

There are different goals in heritage preservation and I think part of the disconnect is that people often have different ideas of what's important.

Some people care about maintaining urban character, some care about history per se (capturing important historic periods or buildings related to people, or just preserving very old things), and for some there is a nostalgia factor. Then there is another group I don't agree with so much who use heritage as a fake front of other values like preventing development.

I feel like, while various aspects are important, the urban character part is underappreciated. Yet for urban character, it's often OK if elements are rebuilt, and isn't always about keeping physical material around just because it is old. I don't think every wooden box needs to stay, but it would be a big loss if the overall historic character of wooden Victorian homes is lost from neighbourhoods like this one.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Whether it be cars, buildings, whatever, I think the hierarchy of goals in any restoration goes something like this:

1. Preserve or refinish anything that is in very good to excellent condition.

2. Restore or rebuild anything that is salvageable.

3. Replace or recreate anything that is deteriorated beyond repair or missing.

All of the above are dependent upon intent and budget. If your goal is to bring it back to how it appeared when new, you would proceed in a different way than if you wanted to modify it or adapt it to a modern use or different configuration. If you only have a small budget, you will make whatever compromises are necessary to achieve your goal within your budget.

I don’t know any specifics about this building, but if I were to pontificate as an uneducated armchair architect, I would suggest that it’s possible to do most of the exterior at #1 or 2 level (other than cladding and roofing). The interior is anybody’s guess, as plaster walls don’t tend to hold up to the shocks and twisting of moving the building’s location. Also it’s unknown as to whether the interior trim and fixtures will be retained. At least we can see from the pics that the “bones” have been retained and appear to be solid, so it’s not going to be a proverbial George Washington’s axe.

For me, my standards for this building are relatively easy to attain. I think it serves the community best by maintaining a relatively original exterior appearance, with complimentary new architecture built around it. Most of us will never see the interior, so that would only be important (or not) for whomever occupies the space in the future.

Given that not long ago we were looking at the most probable outcome as being demolition, I think this is a very good result.

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

Agree 100%. It's not necessary to restore the knob and tube wiring for it to be an excellent restoration.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Arrdeeharharharbour

Agree 100%. It's not necessary to restore the knob and tube wiring for it to be an excellent restoration.

For 20 years we had knob and tube in our 1905, and no Insulation. Gradually we could afford some upgrades.

[ArchAficionado]

Where it is taken down to structure I imagine it will have to be brought up to current NBCC standards including modern plumbing, electrical, fire protection, etc. Not sure about elevator - maybe they'd add one to the new midrise massing adjacent on South St. and tie the corridors in?

Otherwise, we can only hope that some level of faithful / interesting reconstruction is done for the interiors e.g. milled moulding, solid wood 3 or 5-panel doors, wainscoting in the halls, etc. Although it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being a fairly bland multifamily-spec interior when it's all said and done. It'll largely depend on if it's targeting the "luxury" market or not, and what is required as part of the heritage development agreement.