General Updates and News

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Here's another iteration:

http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/NSIS/archives.asp?ID=1721

Heh, I never saw that pic before. I did not realize that it was a Canadian Pacific (presumably telegraph) office and a Bank of Nova Scotia branch in the 1960s. That actually looks very approachable to the street. I really dislike the way Chives is up off the street now. Don't know what is involved with that.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Heh, I never saw that pic before. I did not realize that it was a Canadian Pacific (presumably telegraph) office and a Bank of Nova Scotia branch in the 1960s. That actually looks very approachable to the street. I really dislike the way Chives is up off the street now. Don't know what is involved with that.

wasn't Chives always up off the street? I remember going to some bars that were there in the mid-80's and it was up off the street level.

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Heh, I never saw that pic before. I did not realize that it was a Canadian Pacific (presumably telegraph) office and a Bank of Nova Scotia branch in the 1960s. That actually looks very approachable to the street. I really dislike the way Chives is up off the street now. Don't know what is involved with that.

The Pacific Building housed the general offices of the Dominion Atlantic Railway, the CPR's Nova Scotia subsidiary, and served as the CPR's downtown sales office. I agree with JET that the plywood face on this building is a horror but I have no idea what shape the original facade is in. I am anxious to hear if the renovation is substantive or merely cosmetic.

(As a sidebar, the CNR had a downtown sales office too, on the corner of Barrington and George, adjacent to the former Birks Building and now a vacant lot.)

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by JET

wasn't Chives always up off the street? I remember going to some bars that were there in the mid-80's and it was up off the street level.

It may be that the bank was up above street level as well. The photo is unclear on that point, only showing full-length drapes inside the windows. Which raises (sorry for the pun) the question of what is below the floor.

The Canadian Pacific logo lettering is quintessentially Canadian. Too bad it cannot return.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by JET

I have always really disliked the first floor facade of the Pacific building, not very inviting. Be nice if an historic restoration could be done. http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/image-image.aspx?id=5640#i1

By the way, there's a higher quality version of this image at the following link:

http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/EastCoastPort/archives.asp?ID=2077

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

(As a sidebar, the CNR had a downtown sales office too, on the corner of Barrington and George, adjacent to the former Birks Building and now a vacant lot.)

Right you are! Here's a glimpse of it in the following pic, plus the link to the original photo at the archives:



http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/NSIS/archives.asp?ID=492

[someone123]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

By the way, there's a higher quality version of this image at the following link:

http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/EastCoastPort/archives.asp?ID=2077

Wow, what a difference between the original building and the present version. I've always kind of liked the Pacific Building but it used to be great. I wonder if the columns are still there and what the changes are that the cornice might be restored?

The curved brick building on the corner (Renaissance) would be a good candidate for an upper-floor addition like Barrington Espace that could tie in with the small empty lot in behind and bring it in line with building heights on the rest of the block.

That CN building shot is impressive too. I'm going to have to go through the archives again now that they has put up much higher resolution images.

[JET]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

By the way, there's a higher quality version of this image at the following link:

http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/EastCoastPort/archives.asp?ID=2077

Thanks, looks like where Chives is located is where (mayor) Ron Wallace's optometry was located.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

NSCAD seems to be repainting some of their buildings facing Granville and Hollis Streets—though IMO they could probably use a more substantial facade restoration, especially the Hollis-facing side. Regardless, they're looking a bit sharper.

And more importantly, the owner of Chives tweeted on the weekend that the Pacific Building is being restored, and sure enough, there was scaffolding in front of it today and over the weekend. Not sure if it's a full top-to-bottom repair, but something is happening.

Even more reason to reiterate what I posted a few days ago: The Green Lantern might soon be the only truly shabby-looking building left on Barrington if the owner doesn't stop complaining about Juan damage and fix it, already.

Except the Tramway. Don't forget the blasted ruin that is the Tramway.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Here's another iteration:

http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/NSIS/archives.asp?ID=1721

When did the Paramount go out of business?

Was there ever any local movement to try to save the damn thing?

Or were all the activists and heritage people too busy arguing over viewplanes elsewhere to notice or care?

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

By the way, there's a higher quality version of this image at the following link:

http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/EastCoastPort/archives.asp?ID=2077

How the heck do the archives have such a high resolution picture from back then?!

What a beautiful building... love the canopy cover on "Rosedale Nurseries".

Perhaps we should experiment with a street canopy like this on Barrington:

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10297215

(via Granada, Spain)

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

How the heck do the archives have such a high resolution picture from back then?!

What a beautiful building... love the canopy cover on "Rosedale Nurseries".

Perhaps we should experiment with a street canopy like this on Barrington:

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10297215

(via Granada, Spain)

I don't think they get much snow in that part of Spain.

Canvas awnings used to be a staple of businesses downtown. Crank them out, crank them in. I don't know when they went out of fashion.

The Paramount closed late 80s/early 90s. I remember going to movies there in the '80s. They had split it into two theaters by then and it was nowhere near as impressive as what it once was.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

Except the Tramway. Don't forget the blasted ruin that is the Tramway.

Yeah, sigh. That was a real step backwards. Still, at least it's occupied and stuff. Since Pogue Fado shut down, I think the only occupant of the Green Lantern is that makeshift-looking board games place. I feel like the Green Lantern is in such a state of obvious shabbiness that it's guts are probably as worn out as the exterior—it's probably full of old wiring, and might even be a fire hazard. Given that it's directly attached to its two neighbours, I always get a bit worried there's the potential for a destructive super-conflagration like the one that engulfed the townhouses on Cornwallis Park, or like Toronto's Queen West fire in 2008.

I think it's become the street's number-one problem, now that the NFB is on the road to recovery. The owner has complained to the Herald that he can't renovate it because he can't "pin down" the required building codes from the city, and his Hurricane Juan insurance money hasn't come in. Given that it's been a decade since Juan, and everyone else on the street seems to be reno-ing their properties, I'm not sure how valid all that is anymore. Maybe, but, seems like he's just dragging his feet for some reason known only to him.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Yeah, sigh. That was a real step backwards. Still, at least it's occupied and stuff. Since Pogue Fado shut down, I think the only occupant of the Green Lantern is that makeshift-looking board games place. I feel like the Green Lantern is in such a state of obvious shabbiness that it's guts are probably as worn out as the exterior—it's probably full of old wiring, and might even be a fire hazard. Given that it's directly attached to its two neighbours, I always get a bit worried there's the potential for a destructive super-conflagration like the one that engulfed the townhouses on Cornwallis Park, or like Toronto's Queen West fire in 2008.

I think it's become the street's number-one problem, now that the NFB is on the road to recovery. The owner has complained to the Herald that he can't renovate it because he can't "pin down" the required building codes from the city, and his Hurricane Juan insurance money hasn't come in. Given that it's been a decade since Juan, and everyone else on the street seems to be reno-ing their properties, I'm not sure how valid all that is anymore. Maybe, but, seems like he's just dragging his feet for some reason known only to him.

Yeah those excuses sound like baloney. Who's the owner, again?

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I don't think they get much snow in that part of Spain.

Canvas awnings used to be a staple of businesses downtown. Crank them out, crank them in. I don't know when they went out of fashion.

The Paramount closed late 80s/early 90s. I remember going to movies there in the '80s. They had split it into two theaters by then and it was nowhere near as impressive as what it once was.

Right, "awnings". Thanks -- I knew I was using the wrong word!

I think they really add a classy touch; and also provide some shade if you want to throw down a spare table and chairs or two on the sidewalk...

One of the things I liked about NYC is that awnings are still used all over the city. I liked the sense of walking down the street in the early morning, and vendors are rolling up the metal gates on their biz, and cranking open the awnings.

[Aya_Akai]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

How the heck do the archives have such a high resolution picture from back then?!

They more than likely have the negatives of these original photographs in the archives as well. Putting a negative through a high enough resolution negative scanner can give you images with more detail and resolution than digital cameras. I had one (which unfortunately kicked the bucket, as it was second-hand) that could take 4x5 and 8x10 negs and would output better than a 30 megapixel digital camera. Most negative scanners, as long as the original is in good shape, can give you results comparable or better than most consumer grade digital cameras.

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

When did the Paramount go out of business?

Was there ever any local movement to try to save the damn thing?

Or were all the activists and heritage people too busy arguing over viewplanes elsewhere to notice or care?

According to the website Cinema Treasures, the Paramount closed on October 27, 1988, the day before the new Park Lane cinemas opened. Before it was twinned, sometime in the mid-70s, it held almost 1200 people. The old Capitol Theatre, just two blocks away, closed circa 1974, held over 2100 for both live performance and cinema. No surviving auditorium in town comes close. (The Cohn holds just over 1000; Neptune less than 500.)

Think about that in the context of downtown viability: 3300 entertainment seats removed from Barrington Street within the span of 14 years.

I don't recall much opposition to the closure of either facilitiy, certainly not the Paramount. I think people accepted the myth that large auditoriums were uneconomic and an anachronism. Other cities have proved how wrong that was.

Of course there are many people who bemoan the fact the city has no midsize performance venue (between the Cohn and the 10,000 seat Scotiabank Centre); building one from scratch today would likely be a $50-$75 million proposition.

[JET]

Scotia Square theatre was also a fairly good sized movie theatre, 724 seats.

[JET]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdb466/14664565555/
Orheus Theatre on Barrington, circa 1941, where was it?

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

Of course there are many people who bemoan the fact the city has no midsize performance venue (between the Cohn and the 10,000 seat Scotiabank Centre); building one from scratch today would likely be a $50-$75 million proposition.

Similar pricetag as our palatial library. Imagine if we had built an affordable library with similar capacity, we would be halfway to a proper large performing arts auditorium facility.