Edmonton Construction 9 (2008-08)

[wco]

^ Said tunnel. Pic by me.

[Kevin_foster]

^ awesomeness....

@ColdRsx - Good luck!

[Coldrsx]

Just returned with some good news... RE: Kelly Ramsey Building

Had the pleasure to meet and speak alongside 'Britthal' (great meeting you) and Jim Taylor. We conveyed the importance of these buildings to the city/downtown and need to act quickly to enclose/secure them.

After some discussion and a private review, Mayor Mandel noted that the City will be asking the Province for Historical 'A' designation for both.

Additionally, a buyer has put forth an offer to purchase who has 'significant experience' and 'precedent' both downtown and the southside. One can only assume this might be John Day. If so we could not ask for a better purchaser IMO.

With that said, the City should IMO have a back up offer to secure rights to the building.

[wco]

Pics by me. Looks very different depending on how the light hits it, or it's just my cr*ppy camera...

[240glt]

Offer made for Edmonton's Kelly-Ramsey block

EDMONTON — A white knight could be riding to the rescue of Edmonton’s historic Kelly-Ramsey Building downtown.

The Rice Howard Way structure has been unused since it was heavily damaged by fire last spring, creating concerns snow and rain could damage it further until it must be demolished, as happened with the old Arlington Apartments.

Creditors have put the building up for judicial sale for $3 million after no one bid at the price of $10 million.

Jim Taylor, the Downtown Business Association’s executive director, told council’s executive committee Wednesday someone he wouldn’t name made an offer last week.

The developer has helped revive downtown and Old Strathcona, and has a reputation “every member of council knows and applauds,” Taylor said

...

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Offer+made+Edmonton+Kelly+Ramsey+block/2237549/story.html

[bulliver]

^ Nice wco...the angle of that last pic is perfect!

Here's some more from yesterday.

Icon



Quest



Epcor



Telus Toll


AGA




Plenty more construction goodness on the flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44609493@N07/

[CMD UW]

^Thanks

Re: Kelly-Ramsay - awesome!!! If it's the person we assume it is, awesome.

[Inspector77]

^x3The Alberta Art Gallery has arms now

[wco]

Love the AGA pics Bulliver!

[240glt]

Wow $ 192,094,700 worth of permits issued last week!!

Notable:

70294257-003
12-Nov-2009
15204 - 23 AVENUE NW
SW-2-52-25-4
To construct an Indoor Participant
Recreation Service Building -
Southwest Community Recreation
Centre.
JOHN RULE - SHB ARCHITECTS
Value: $ 72,000,000

91588290-001
12-Nov-2009
1 - SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL
SQUARE NW
Plan 4390NY Blk C
To erect 6 temporary tents 4 -
20'x40', 1 - 20'x20', 1 - 20'x 30' for
a single day event, November
14th, 2009, "Christmas on the
Square Holiday, Light Up
Downtown". Sir Winston Churchill
Square.
CITY OF EDMONTON - CIVIC EVENTS
OFFICE, SHANLYN FINLEY
Value: $ 8,400


Plus $63,000,000 for five new schools as well. Unfortunately all of them are on the outskirts.

[Kevin_foster]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Plus $63,000,000 for five new schools as well. Unfortunately all of them are on the outskirts.

thats ok, keep the local engineers and contractors busy

[Keats82]

The AGA looks absolutely stunning.

Re: Bullivers' Epcor pics - Wowza! That building is immensely wide! The presence it will have on that corner of downtown is going to be epic!

[ue]

Originally Posted by Keats82

The AGA looks absolutely stunning.

Re: Bullivers' Epcor pics - Wowza! That building is immensely wide! The presence it will have on that corner of downtown is going to be epic!

Or it'll just look immensely chubby...

[Keats82]

Haha! Yes, or that, depending on ones mood.

Depending on the vantage point, I was thinking Epcor will provide a very nice contrast to Manulife - it will remove the "pyramid effect", the tallest/largest tower in the center of the core, from our skyline.

[bigcitydude]

Originally Posted by Keats82

The AGA looks absolutely stunning.

Re: Bullivers' Epcor pics - Wowza! That building is immensely wide! The presence it will have on that corner of downtown is going to be epic!

great pics Bulliver! i noticed you had pics of our infamous Icon towers. so what's your official take on them?

[TR_Tower]

Gawd, love the photos guys!

mmmm, back side of the Icon Towers aren't looking quite so bad to me now ... though, they do remind me of huge cigarette lighters and also rather like pez candy dispensers ... please don't get too ticked at me guys, I really needed a laugh today

[kcantor]

Originally Posted by wco

Pics by me. Looks very different depending on how the light hits it, or it's just my cr*ppy camera...

can't comment on your camera but the glazing and the spandrel colours where chosen to purposely look different depending on how the light hits them. the intent behind that - as well as behind the variations in cap depth and the spacing between vertical caps achieved by the use of seamless joints without caps in some locations - along with the edge articulation and corners that the curtainwall accentuates should all maximize the building's visual interest regardless of viewing angle/time of day/quality of daylight/nightlight etc.

Originally Posted by Keats82

The AGA looks absolutely stunning.

Re: Bullivers' Epcor pics - Wowza! That building is immensely wide! The presence it will have on that corner of downtown is going to be epic!

i agree with you on the aga. epcor is wide but as noted above it should read much differently visually than the avord arms etc. (much as canada place's articulation and use of colour does a decent job of giving it's mass visual interest with even more width and much less height).

Originally Posted by edmontonenthusiast

Or it'll just look immensely chubby...

based on the above, hopefully not. and for scale, don't forget that the current construction is as wide/long as it gets but it's only just over a third of the way up...

[kcantor]

Originally Posted by bulliver

^ Nice wco...the angle of that last pic is perfect!

Here's some more from yesterday.


Plenty more construction goodness on the flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44609493@N07/

taken from the 15th or 16th floor of sutton place?

[bulliver]

Originally Posted by bigcitydude

great pics Bulliver! i noticed you had pics of our infamous Icon towers. so what's your official take on them?

Thanks man! I think I am a lot more moderate that some folks here. I think they look quite nice actually from Jasper/104 looking towards Sobey's et al. From the NW however, the finish does leave a lot to be desired. The plain white stucco or whatever it is seems better suited for a 4-5 level apartment in the 'burbs.

I would never go as far as to call them 'monsterous' or a few other choice adjectives I've seen. I try and think positive, and focus on the vitality they will bring (and are bringing) to downtown. I also hope that there may be some more tall towers that will block the view of them from the NW in the future

So in summary..if it was up to me they would be a lot nicer, but they are what they are so let's get on with it....

Originally Posted by cdnklc

taken from the 15th or 16th floor of sutton place?

Ha ha! Nope, that's from my 'secret' spot. Top of the parkade just north of City Centre West beside the YMCA. It is 11 levels high, and affords a great vantage point for birds-eye construction updates of Epcor, the AGA, and Telus Toll.

[kcantor]

Originally Posted by bulliver

...that's from my 'secret' spot. Top of the parkade just north of City Centre West beside the YMCA. It is 11 levels high, and affords a great vantage point for birds-eye construction updates of Epcor, the AGA, and Telus Toll.

shoulda figured that to be oxford and not bell on the left (although my next question would have been what lens did you you use to get bell and avord in the same frame ).

keep up the good work... it's pretty neat having someone out there providing a different perspective on something you're doing and looking at every day.