General Updates and News

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Here is a close-up view of the Grande Parade monument - http://www.flickr.com/photos/robbins_d/5943742721/in/photostream/. There are more impressive monuments in the city. However, I cannot see anything unattractive about this monument. I found information stating that this monument is dedicated to fallen peace officers (reference: http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/grand-parade-ready-to-remember/Content?oid=1378751). Maybe the monument would look better with a large statue on top - maybe a statue of a peace officer would be fitting; but I think it looks good without.

In addition to the impressive stone work of the new monument, it has some other modern features -It will be in the form of a 14-foot high arch constructed with Litracon, a translucent concrete with fiber optic cables running through it, such that different intensity lighting can be applied through it. - from the Coast article.

The thing that I didn't like about it when I saw it was the base... the arch itself was "alright", but the base just looks cheap.

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by haligonia

Awesome! I've always wanted to see a picture of Purdy's under construction.

Yeah. but if you're trying to advertise NS as a destination (even as a 3rd party), it's best not to use a photo that's 20-25 years old.

[haligonia]

I forgot to read the entire sentence. I got to "this little piece of nostalgia" and then my brain immediatley jumped to the photo.

[kph06]

Demolition of building of Hollis and South has begun on the inside (photo by me):

[someone123]

Big loss for the city.

[fenwick16]

Yes, that does seem to be a loss. I think that Halifax has been lucky not to have lost more heritage buildings to fire. Buildings just weren't built as well back 100 - 200 years ago as they are now (in terms of fire safety, that is).

[JET]

Originally Posted by someone123

Big loss for the city.

is that the whole block between barrington and Hollis that is coming down?

[someone123]

My understanding is that the brick row with Taj Mahal, Cafe Chianti (I think they moved?), etc. is all coming down, but that the yellow wooden apartments at the corner of Barrington are unrelated and will remain untouched.

I have not heard of plans to save the facade or building materials. I assume no news is bad news -- another missed opportunity!

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by kph06

Demolition of building of Hollis and South has begun on the inside (photo by me):

Regarding the picture by kph06 - Here is the front view of that apartment building in Bing Maps Bird's Eye View.

[sdm]

Originally Posted by someone123

My understanding is that the brick row with Taj Mahal, Cafe Chianti (I think they moved?), etc. is all coming down, but that the yellow wooden apartments at the corner of Barrington are unrelated and will remain untouched.

I have not heard of plans to save the facade or building materials. I assume no news is bad news -- another missed opportunity!

Taj Mahal is under seperate ownership, or at least it was a few months ago.

Nonetheless, i think keeping the street facades in place with an addition to the back with some stepped up height would be ideal.

[JET]

Originally Posted by sdm

Taj Mahal is under seperate ownership, or at least it was a few months ago.

Nonetheless, i think keeping the street facades in place with an addition to the back with some stepped up height would be ideal.

losing anything on that block is a shame, it has such a nice European feel to it, which is unique in Halifax.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by JET

losing anything on that block is a shame, it has such a nice European feel to it, which is unique in Halifax.

Agreed, slowly but surely the uniqueness of Halifax is disappearing. HRM should offer a massive tax incentive to save the facades of these buildings.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Somebody should write the Heritage Trust... this really should be their role... saving heritage, not thwarting development.

I wouldn't say its a "european" flair... these facades are more representative of north american brickwork like in Boston, etc.

Regardless, if these buildings are completely torn down the one positive might be that a new development will help address the block better... the north and east sides of the current building are pretty awkward in terms of their relation to Hollis.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Somebody should write the Heritage Trust... this really should be their role... saving heritage, not thwarting development.

I wouldn't say its a "european" flair... these facades are more representative of north american brickwork like in Boston, etc.

Regardless, if these buildings are completely torn down the one positive might be that a new development will help address the block better... the north and east sides of the current building are pretty awkward in terms of their relation to Hollis.

This is a very serious matter. These buildings should be saved. I wouldn't put any faith in developers or HRM to do the right thing here.

Look at this disaster on Barrington across from Cornwallis Park
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=HALIFAX&hl=...9f7_F5XLRHwx9TdrI3v5AA&cbp=12,300.1,,0,0

Look at this disaster on Hollis across from Cornwallis Park
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=HALIFAX&hl=...Nb1xBrIQZip2LlqdgZZ6Q&cbp=12,176.77,,0,0

Look at these two disasters on Barrington across from Cornwallis Park
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=HALIFAX&hl=...RoQq5c7L49YFPYt6NjGYg&cbp=12,241.15,,0,0

This could have been a grand Montreal style square/park but it is done Halifax style and looks like Highfield Park. When these brick buildings go and are replaced with more of the same crap our great planners will have wiped out an entire historic city block. HRMxDesign had the gall to show grand buildings where the Superstore is in their vision of this block. What kind of snow job is that....the Superstore is never leaving and what's even worse they were installing their gas bar when HRmxDesign was suggesting great buildings for the site.....how pathetic...but people sucked it up.

[someone123]

I tend to agree. The Cornwallis Park area could be a real highlight of the city and a focal point of a great neighbourhood. There's lots of history in that area, including many great old homes on the hill nearby, but it has largely been squandered. Most "news" for the square has consisted of stupid complaints about how they should get rid of the Cornwallis statue because Cornwallis was supposedly a kind of 18th century Hitler (talk about being historically tone-deaf -- some people seem to think every year is 1994, even a year in the mid-1700s).

To be fair, those lowrise apartments were built in the 1990s, which were a low point for Halifax. I believe that if they were rebuilt today they'd be significantly better buildings. Unfortunately, the damage has been done. Most councillors probably think the buildings are fine despite their simplified Disney-type styling and blank ground level facades.

Retaining the facade of those rowhouses doesn't seem unreasonable and it would be a way to save some of the city's important character. I don't even think the HRM would need to provide tax incentives to save the building -- they could do this with bonus height allowances. A slender glass tower with some brick rowhouses, new underground parking, and maybe a couple of new storefronts on Hollis Street would be a wonderful addition to the area.

[Keith P.]

Since the Heritage Trust has railed against "facadism" I doubt you will get much help from them on this score.

As for the other examples cited, I agree that those Highfield Park -style apartments are a scourge wherever they appear and I would support banning that design anywhere in HRM. That type of building is a horror wherever they appear.

But as to the others, it is important to remember that the Superstore site was a gas station and car rental agency for decades prior to the store's construction, certainly for all of my living memory. So from that point of view one could argue the store development is a step forward, and the neighborhood certainly appears to support both it and the attached liquor store. As for the older brick office building on the corner of South and Barrington, it was the former Imperial Oil Building - interestingly enough, taking over from the building on Lower Water where O'Carrolls was and where Waterside Place is supposed to be built - and I always liked the design of that building, sort of 1950s modern. I find many of the other buildings in that neighborhood, both new and old, far more objectionable.

[JustinMacD]

Originally Posted by someone123

My understanding is that the brick row with Taj Mahal, Cafe Chianti (I think they moved?), etc. is all coming down, but that the yellow wooden apartments at the corner of Barrington are unrelated and will remain untouched.

I have not heard of plans to save the facade or building materials. I assume no news is bad news -- another missed opportunity!

Cafe Chianti has a beautiful new location just up the road on Barrington (it's at the bottom of a nice apartment complex.

[someone123]

Yeah, I don't agree about the 1950s building. I think it is great. Too bad the old brick building next door was replaced with a chipboard and plastic wonder.

Superstore dates to something like 1996, a period when there was very little demand for new development downtown. I think it probably was a positive change back then, and I've gone to the store many times. However, it's 15 years later, and there should be a continued push to improve the area.

I think a developer could make money building a mixed-use development with housing and smaller retail spaces fronting the square and then a Superstore in behind with parking underneath, or something similar. Superstore would also gain from having more customers nearby. It is an "everybody wins" type of scenario.

[Empire]

Whether the Superstore serves a useful purpose or not is only part of the issue. A large part of the problem is the crap developments that continually get past the gatekeeper. Downtown land is so valuable that very high standards could be placed on all development but HRM planning doesn't have the backbone to make it happen.....................

Crap Superstore design/materials in a very high profile location on Barrington.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=halifax&hl=...vNxXTV6LvQv-6esYygLQ&cbp=12,66.3,,0,0.39

[Empire]

This park across from the Sunlife building in Montreal has a great urban presence. Cornwallis Park had the potential for a similar appeal.

Montreal
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=montreal&hl...7A7YbAc5_5s4yWo9XH0qA&cbp=12,346.43,,0,0

Halifax
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=halifax&hl=...YF20paQjvnuXmaxOBdihhw&cbp=12,41.83,,0,0

Halifax crap
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=halifax&hl=...QjvnuXmaxOBdihhw&cbp=12,221.83,,0,0&z=15