Rideau Centre Expansion | Completed

[OTSkyline]

Those (new?) Rideau Centre renders look amazing! Hope it turns out just as well.

Have the plans changed though, because they are installing some sort of black-ish window wall on the Rideau side right now and I can't seem to picture what part of the render that is right now.. Help?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by EdFromOttawa

I mean damn look at Astana, capital of Kazakhstan...it looks like a future metropolis compared to Ottawa, the capital of an OECD G8 country....

Good Christ, that place is slightly uglier than sin.

[Harley613]

According to these renderings Shopper's Drug Mart is moving to the East side of the old food court and Nicholas @ Rideau will be pedestrian only at the south side of the intersection. I hadn't noticed this until now.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by ac888yow

And I think we covered the entertainment topic exhaustively in the 'boring Ottawa' thread. I maintain my position that if you have trouble entertaining yourself in Ottawa, you're just a boring person ... or have very limited/niche interests.

I have limited/niche interests that always seem to get to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton... but no Ottawa promoter ever seems interested in booking them. If they don't get played on one of the seven radio stations that play the same crap, they don't get booked for Ottawa.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Astana is in the former USSR. I imagine all that was built by the Soviets. They, especially under Stalin, threw godlike sums of money at making everything stunning (just google pictures of the Moscow subway), but the people didn't exactly live very good lives. I'd take Ottawa any day.

That's not Soviet architecture, that's gaudy, baubley post-Soviet architecture.

Everything else being equal, I'd actually take Soviet over post-Soviet, thank you.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

In a word: phenomenal oil wealth. OK, that was three words.

More words: Money Can't Buy You Taste.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by EdFromOttawa

If you think Ottawa looks better architecturally than some of those masterpieces in Astana, I want what you're having.

...also, I know we're wrapping up this off-topic conversation but I haven't chimed in yet. Astana is a joke...it's a sea of communist housing blocks with juxtaposed chintzy faux modern imperial architecture thrown in. Everything looks like it's trying too hard...it comes off as cheap and fake.

Ottawa is under appreciated for architecture, we have plenty of gems for an urban agglomeration of just under 1.5 million people.

[eternallyme]

Back on the topic (somewhat):

* What stores have permanently left the Rideau Centre?

* How many holes are there still to fill with unnamed retailers?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by mac_junkie1

wow.... off topic so much!! take it to a PM guys its getting hard to follow the proper feed now...

also, I hate when people reply to posts with those huge pictures... so much useless clutter ensues

Same as Ed, no clue how to format or do the "hide"/"show" thing.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Harley613

According to these renderings Shopper's Drug Mart is moving to the East side of the old food court and Nicholas @ Rideau will be pedestrian only at the south side of the intersection. I hadn't noticed this until now.

I think the pedestrian area south of Rideau/Nicholas is more of an artistic license than an actual plan. Would be cool though.

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I think the pedestrian area south of Rideau/Nicholas is more of an artistic license than an actual plan. Would be cool though.

My understanding is that they will be applying to close that part of Nicholas to cars.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by gjhall

My understanding is that they will be applying to close that part of Nicholas to cars.

Great idea this part of the street is lightly used anyway. The retail graveyard on the opposite side of Nicholas street will need to up their game a bit.

[jchamoun79]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

The retail graveyard on the opposite side of Nicholas street will need to up their game a bit.

It seems to have started with the Nestle Toll House Cafe about to open on the corner. A big improvement, in my opinion, over the "Premium Clothing" outlet that was there previously.

[movebyleap]

Not sure if anyone has already asked this, but what are those weird screens on either side of the Rideau Centre? Do they serve a purpose?

[OTSkyline]

^ At first I thought these were large projector screens that would display messages and advertising and make this area lively and modern but apparently I have since been told they are "artworks".. So more of a painting than anything else -_-

[citydwlr]

Regarding the Drake General Store announcement, there is a job posting for the store on the HBC website. I'm guessing it will operate much like Top Shop in that it follows the "store-within-a-store" concept...

The Drake General Store has a vision to grow the brand through local retail sales as well as expanding our national and international reach. In the past several months we've launched two new beautifully designed stores in vibrant Toronto retail areas.

Along with the new stores our online presence is evolving with a revamped & world class Drake General Store website launching this summer. And in addition to featuring the best locally & globally curated products we're also growing our private label brand SHARED as well as other in-house private label (soon-to-be-announced) merchandise and apparel lines.

With our many exciting projects underway the STORE SUPERVISOR will play a key role in the success of our growing brand and the opening of our new store in the Rideau Center.

Originally Posted by citydwlr

Didn't see this coming:

The Drake General Store - Rideau Centre Location

The Drake General Store (for those who don't know) is a retail store run by the Drake Hotel in Toronto. They have some pretty neat, if not a little expensive, merch. Here's a quote from BlogTo (see link above):

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by movebyleap

Not sure if anyone has already asked this, but what are those weird screens on either side of the Rideau Centre? Do they serve a purpose?

I posted this a few months back. Here is the information regarding the three "Art" screens attached to the façade.

http://cherylpagurek.com/news/shortliste...al-integrated-artwork-commission-ottawa/

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I posted this a few months back. Here is the information regarding the three "Art" screens attached to the façade.

http://cherylpagurek.com/news/shortliste...al-integrated-artwork-commission-ottawa/

Wow... ugly!

[MaxHeadroom]

Originally Posted by citydwlr

^ Speaking of full sit-down restaurants, the Richtree (Marché) restaurant was removed from the bottom floor and they were a little vague as to whether or not it would return.

The location of that restaurant has been a source of contention with other tenants. Because it was unenclosed, the odours from the food were not contained, travelled up the atrium and then make the merchandise in the stores on the top floor smell. Tough when you're trying to sell a $1k suit that smells like bread. I would be very surprised if that restaurant were to return at all, unless it were to a separate enclosed space like the Marché restaurant at Brookfield Place in Toronto. Also consider that corridor will be a main access route to the expansion.

[daud]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I posted this a few months back. Here is the information regarding the three "Art" screens attached to the façade.

http://cherylpagurek.com/news/shortliste...al-integrated-artwork-commission-ottawa/

I like it. Once this expansion is done and that LRT opens, this is going to be a very improved section of Rideau St.