Interesting and very positive article from Calgary re: Saskatoon. A little overstated perhaps, and based on potential more than existing reality, but it is good to see such positive perceptions from an outsider, especially one with architectural credentials.
'Saskaboom' up on downtown
By Richard White, Calgary HeraldJanuary 17, 2009Comments (7)
While it may be all doom and gloom in Calgary these days, such is not the case in Saskatoon or, as the locals now call it, "Saskaboom."
I recently had a chance to visit there for the first time and I was impressed with what I saw, as well as learned, about the future urban development plans in the city some call the "Paris on the Prairies."
Saskatoon's downtown is a hidden gem. Arriving from the airport along Idylwyld Dr. (Highway 16), as they approach the city centre, visitors come upon a huge parking lot and the backside of the Midtown Plaza mall, as well as a big boxToysRUs store and the garish blue Galaxy Cinema.
Calgary has much the same problem as visitors enter downtown on the 4th Avenue flyover and immediately see the run-down area of the Drop In Centre (itself a beautiful building), the Cecil Hotel and the tired YWCA building.
Neither entrance to Saskatoon or Calgary's downtowns gives the greatest first impression.
However, when you turn off the highway into Saskatoon and head to the river, you come upon a wonderful downtown with about 10 blocks of shops, galleries and restaurants.
What was most impressive was the number and type of independent retailers on the street. There seemed as many upscale men's stores selling Hugo Boss as there are in Calgary.
Saskatoon's contemporary Rouge Gallery on 3rd Avenue, and the Art Placement Inc. gallery in the alley off of 3rd Avenue, could easily be in Vancouver or New York City.
Even chain stores like Lululemon and American Apparel are located on the street in character buildings, not in the downtown mall.
Speaking of the mall, from the other side, the Midtown Plaza has an interesting "railway station" architecture that nicely anchors the downtown's west side.
It has more than 120 shops, including The Bay and Sears.
Having two downtown department stores is something neither Calgary, Edmonton or Winnipeg can boast.
I was nicely surprised to learn that the mall is open three evenings a week, compared to Calgary's two. This is a healthy sign of urban vitality.
Saskatoon's Downtown Partnership, which speaks for downtown businesses, released a survey in December indicating 89 per cent of merchants experienced sales as good or better than 2007.
They also found out 88 per cent of the public would recommend visiting downtown to friends, and 30 per cent of non-downtown residents say they would consider living downtown.
You can't get much better results than that for urban vitality.
I am not sure Calgarians would be quite as positive about their downtown these days--although areas such as the west end have been transformed by condo owners seeking the inner-city lifestyle, which allows walking or a short LRT ride to work or things like the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts.
During the past 25 years, I have come up with a number of urban vitality benchmarks--ranging from public spaces and pedestrian streets, to retail activity and festivals.
Saskatoon ranks very high on most of them.
From a public space perspective, the new Riverside Park, Kinsmen Park and Kiwanis Park create a wonderful urban recreation area along the river that's right on the edge of down-town.
There are many parallels between Calgary's riverfront developments and Saskatoon's, with Calgary's downtown offering things like Prince's Island Park and Edworthy Park.
Culturally, the Mendel Art Gallery--one of the most respected civic galleries in Canada (something Calgary can't boast)--is also located along the river, and the new Persephone Theatre anchors the development of the new River Landing district.
Like most North American cities, Saskatoon is architecturally pretty generic, but the majestic, chateau-like Bessborough Hotel that sits right on the river is certainly a landmark that could and should provide inspiration for the next generation of buildings.
From an urban living perspective, I was surprised to learn that "Saskaboom" is about to have a boom in urban living.
In chatting with Mayor Don Atchison, he shared his goal to have 10,000 people living downtown, (up from the current 3,000 people) within the next 10 years.
This is an ambitious goal, but it is already happening.
The most ambitious project in Saskatoon's downtown is River Landing project, which in many ways resembles Calgary's East Village development.
Phase One has already begun with the new riverfront park, a new children's water play feature, and the Persephone Theatre.
Phase One will also include the urban village site, where Calgary-based developer Lake Placid plans to construct an upscale 21-story condo, a 12-story hotel and a four-story office/retail development (
www.lpdi.ca).
To be called River Landing Village, the project is to offer condos starting at $299,000,with live/work townhouses starting at $879,900 and going up to $1.195 million.
Yes, there are million-dollar condos in Saskaboom. Designed by Calgary's S2 Architecture, the three clean, curved and contemporary glass buildings promise to set a new benchmark for architecture in Saskatoon and could easily fit into our East Village.
Phase Two of the River Landing development includes an expanded riverfront park, more public space, and private housing developments including the new Rivergreen Eco Village development next to the Farmer's Market (yes, "Saskaboom"has a downtown farmer's market, which will make the area a much more attractive place to live).
Rivergreen will link the old and tired community of Riversdale with the river and downtown. The project is being developed by Prairie Ecovillage Development Corp.,a community-based, non-profit corporation whose vision for the project is to create one of Canada's most environmentally-friendly places to live and work. Another healthy sign of urban vitality is the conversion of old warehouse space into condos.
The Rumley Warehouse building was originally designed by Hill and Woltersdorf Architects of Chicago and constructed at the height of Saskatoon's 1912 boom.
Originally a showroom and warehouse for farm machinery, it has been converted into seven-story luxury modern lofts with 12-to 16-foot ceilings.
The condo conversion project by Obasa Group sold out quickly and other conversion projects in the city centre are in various stages of construction and planning.
Fortunately, there are several other ware-house buildings in the downtown that would be excellent candidates for loft conversion.
In addition to the downtown and River Landing developments, plans for other major urban projects including the 3rd Avenue Streetscape Enhancement project and the development of the old railway lands at 25th Street into a mixed-use urban village.
The 3rd Avenue Enhancement will create a true main street for Saskatoon, which is currently missing from the city.
The same is true for Calgary, as none of our downtown avenues have the grandeur and pageantry to make them a truly memorable main street.
The 25th Street project could create an entirely new Railtown community for Saskatoon, as well as a wonderful urban gateway entrance to the downtown from the airport.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention Saskaboom's hip strip on the east side of the river. At the top of the river escarpment along Broadway Avenue is a charming collection of boutiques, restaurants, cafes and galleries.
It is also home to Meridian Development's new funky seven-story condominium project called Luxe (
www.meridiandevelopment.ca).
Like Kensington Village in Calgary, Broad-way Village is a short walk from downtown across the bridge.
It is here that you understand why Saskaboom is sometimes called the "Paris of Prairies"--when you stand on the bridge. you get a wonderful panoramic view of the Down-town, the river and the four bridges.
Atchison's plan to make Saskatoon Canada's next urban playground may not be as far fetched as some think.
Richard White Is A Calgary-based writer who has written on art, architecture and urban culture for more than 20 years.he is also an associate at riddell kurczaba architecture and can be reached at
[email protected].
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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Glad to hear this gem is still on course to grace our skyline!!
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