General Updates and News - Page 173

cormiermax · #**3441** Posted **Feb 22, 2012, 8:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by haligonia

The building at Cunard and Gottingen is coming along quickly! Hopefully the materials are decent quality.

They won't be.

someone123 · #**3442** Posted **Feb 22, 2012, 8:37 PM**

Odd that the Gottingen Terrace townhouses are still not under construction yet. Months ago there were a bunch of articles stating that construction would start any day now. I wonder if the project is dead? It must be frustrating to put down a deposit for something like that and then wait for years (if that's how the project was set up).

planarchy · #**3443** Posted **Feb 22, 2012, 8:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

Odd that the Gottingen Terrace townhouses are still not under construction yet. Months ago there were a bunch of articles stating that construction would start any day now. I wonder if the project is dead? It must be frustrating to put down a deposit for something like that and then wait for years (if that's how the project was set up).

They've recently completed environmental testing on the site and will be applying for building permit in the coming months. Plan is to start construction early summer. Delays all related to financing I think as they need a backer to guarantee construction loan and Province backed out. They secured private backing in the Fall.

someone123 · #**3444** Posted **Feb 22, 2012, 9:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by planarchy

They've recently completed environmental testing on the site and will be applying for building permit in the coming months. Plan is to start construction early summer. Delays all related to financing I think as they need a backer to guarantee construction loan and Province backed out. They secured private backing in the Fall.

Interesting. Thanks for the details.

I guess the articles before were all focused on the financing issue.

haligonia · #**3445** Posted **Feb 22, 2012, 9:19 PM**

Good news regarding Gottingen Terrace! I had thought that the project was going to be cancelled and would slip under the radar. Guess not!

kph06 · #**3446** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 2:58 AM**

The Herald ran an article tonight about the CD-Plus building, it was before the heritage advisory committee, it luckily passed 6-2. This was to the dismay of Pacey and Delefes, who provided some hilarious commentary, these guys are a joke.

Downtown Halifax building sparks heritage debate

fenwick16 · #**3447** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 3:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kph06

The Herald ran an article tonight about the CD-Plus building, it was before the heritage advisory committee, it luckily passed 6-2. This was to the dismay of Pacey and Delefes, who provided some hilarious commentary, these guys are a joke.

Downtown Halifax building sparks heritage debate

Now they are fighting to save a building from 1951??? That was only about 18 years before Scotia Square was built. It won't be long before people want to turn Scotia Square into a heritage building.

Some of these comments are interesting (to be polite):

Quote:

.
.
.Designed by Halifax architect Allan Duffus, the building was built in 1951 by Tip Top Tailors, where the company resided until about 1980. It has had various uses since then

Phil Pacey and Peter Delefes, both of Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, argued that the building should be spared as it is “a study in cubes, squares and rectangles, inspired by ’50s abstract art.”

They were not pleased with the committee’s decision.
.
.
.

someone123 · #**3448** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 3:42 AM**

The CD Plus redevelopment has its own thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=196984

(actually Gottingen Terrace does too)

Hali87 · #**3449** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 4:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Now they are fighting to save a building from 1951??? That was only about 18 years before Scotia Square was built. It won't be long before people want to turn Scotia Square into a heritage building.

Some of these comments are interesting (to be polite):

I could see some validity in Scotia Square eventually gaining heritage designation or something equivalent. It's one of the most monumental buildings of its style/era anywhere in Canada, even if it's kind of bland and tired looking. I think people would look at it very differently if it had more interesting tenants and the entrances were fixed up. Doing something with the towers' blank side walls would be a huge improvement as well.

spaustin · #**3450** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 4:03 AM**

In all seriousness, hidden beneath the current mess, the Tip Top Tailor/CD Plus building actually does have some architectural merit. Heritage doesn't mean it had to be built 100 years ago. Halifax really doesn't have any buildings from the cubist movement. I'm told by an architect friend of mine that when it was built back in the 50s it was quite a neat little building. Not saying it's worth saving (it's way down my list for Barrington Street), just that it's unique in a way. In terms of potential modern heritage buildings, I would pick the Canada Trust Building at Sackville and Barrington as the best candidate. It looks sharp and it was Halifax's first modernist office "tower." Too bad Dirty Nellies made a mess of the facade on the back.

eastcoastal · #**3451** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 10:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spaustin

In all seriousness, hidden beneath the current mess, the Tip Top Tailor/CD Plus building actually does have some architectural merit. Heritage doesn't mean it had to be built 100 years ago. Halifax really doesn't have any buildings from the cubist movement. I'm told by an architect friend of mine that when it was built back in the 50s it was quite a neat little building. Not saying it's worth saving (it's way down my list for Barrington Street), just that it's unique in a way. In terms of potential modern heritage buildings, I would pick the Canada Trust Building at Sackville and Barrington as the best candidate. It looks sharp and it was Halifax's first modernist office "tower." Too bad Dirty Nellies made a mess of the facade on the back.

Agreed - sooner or later modernist buildings should become heritage in their own rights. I've heard that the Canada Trust Building is the first curtain wall building in Atlantic Canada.

eastcoastal · #**3452** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 11:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hali87

I could see some validity in Scotia Square eventually gaining heritage designation or something equivalent. It's one of the most monumental buildings of its style/era anywhere in Canada, even if it's kind of bland and tired looking. I think people would look at it very differently if it had more interesting tenants and the entrances were fixed up. Doing something with the towers' blank side walls would be a huge improvement as well.

I see Scotia Square as representative of an era....

I have a problem with what a terrible contribution it is to the street life of the city though...

If it were given heritage status, I don't think that much could be done for entrances, and definitely nothing could be done to the towers' blank side walls.

JET · #**3453** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 1:23 PM**

Quote:
Originally Posted by haligonia
The building at Cunard and Gottingen is coming along quickly! Hopefully the materials are decent quality.

"They won't be." cormiermax

Not sure what you mean by this. They are using a mustard coloured hardie siding on the exterior; I think that it looks good. It's not like it's beige vinyl siding.

cormiermax · #**3454** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 1:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JET

Quote:
Originally Posted by haligonia
The building at Cunard and Gottingen is coming along quickly! Hopefully the materials are decent quality.

"They won't be." cormiermax

Not sure what you mean by this. They are using a mustard coloured hardie siding on the exterior; I think that it looks good. It's not like it's beige vinyl siding.

Sure it might look ok now, but just a few years down the road that building will be falling apart.

someone123 · #**3455** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 6:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cormiermax

Sure it might look ok now, but just a few years down the road that building will be falling apart.

It is possible that this building will age poorly but, had it not been built, we likely would have been left with the same weedy, unused lot that's been there for as long as I remember.

Perhaps if the street continues to improve it will start to attract higher-end developments. For now it is making great progress. If the townhouses and MET/Diamonds buildings work out then it will be in pretty good shape compared to a few years ago when it was semi-abandoned.

cormiermax · #**3456** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 6:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

It is possible that this building will age poorly but, had it not been built, we likely would have been left with the same weedy, unused lot that's been there for as long as I remember.

Perhaps if the street continues to improve it will start to attract higher-end developments. For now it is making great progress. If the townhouses and MET/Diamonds buildings work out then it will be in pretty good shape compared to a few years ago when it was semi-abandoned.

I also hope this happens. Perhaps if they ever get to demolishing the Cogswell interchange and downtown is connected to the north end that might help push things along.

JET · #**3457** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 7:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cormiermax

Sure it might look ok now, but just a few years down the road that building will be falling apart.

tell us why you see this as inevitable?

Hali87 · #**3458** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 8:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I see Scotia Square as representative of an era....

I have a problem with what a terrible contribution it is to the street life of the city though...

If it were given heritage status, I don't think that much could be done for entrances, and definitely nothing could be done to the towers' blank side walls.

I assume that if it were ever to get heritage status, that would be decades from now. Fixing up the entrances and side walls should happen ASAP... In particular I'm talking about the "back" entrance to the mall on Albemarle Street - why has this been allowed to deteriorate so badly? It looks like it could become a safety issue soon - the other would be the steps and doorway by the bus terminal, which really could just be replaced/refinished.

As for covering the side walls, I've always thought that dynamic ads (A la Bloor Yonge) would work really well here, or even just large banners or painted-on ads. Or maybe something creative with lights?

cormiermax · #**3459** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 8:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JET

tell us why you see this as inevitable?

Because it's a cheap building, using cheap materials on the worst street in the city in terms of upkeep. Are you the owner or something?

Keith P. · #**3460** Posted **Feb 23, 2012, 11:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JET

Quote:
Originally Posted by haligonia
The building at Cunard and Gottingen is coming along quickly! Hopefully the materials are decent quality.

"They won't be." cormiermax

Not sure what you mean by this. They are using a mustard coloured hardie siding on the exterior; I think that it looks good. It's not like it's beige vinyl siding.

It will make a fine surface for the gangsta graffiti vandal criminals who live in the area to deface.