General Updates and News - Page 350

Keith P. · #**6981** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 9:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I wonder if there are any plans to maintain the current streetscape? I must be getting old, since I would be disappointed to see those building replaced with a nondescript highrise (I think it would have to be a spectacular proposal to be considered).

I'm not sure why anyone would want to maintain very much of THIS (assuming I have the correct spot).

Drybrain · #**6982** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 9:37 PM**

To reiterate more strongly what I said above, I think most of the architectural value on the block has been compromised by bad renovations over the years, and the buildings weren't exceptional to begin with. I'm usually the "save the old buildings!" guy, but I think this is all pretty disposable stuff.

EXCEPT, I really think the Coburg Apartments building on the corner at Robie can and should be restored, and I'd like the same to happen with the Victorian townhouse-turned-student-rental in the middle.

Hali87 · #**6983** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 10:12 PM**

A few photos from the waterfront today:

Warehouse between Pier 21 and Cunard Centre being converted to offices (I think)

Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

New sign at the market

Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

New building on the parking lot across from Pier 21 (check out the date). Not sure what it is but it seems to be some kind of storage shed or garage.

Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

New ECL store at the Seaport

Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

Some digging (resurfacing?) going on at the Westin parking lot

Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

People are already playing the pianos (these guys were quite good)

Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

kwajo · #**6984** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 10:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drybrain

I really, really hate this design.

This is part of the reason I'm less than excited about Westwood's plans for the SGR-Doyle block (Tom's Havana, etc.) especially if it involves a teardown. What are we going to see it replaces with? Something like this? I can't imagine it not being an architectural and aesthetic downgrade. It's confusing because Danny Chedrawe seems like a sharp guy with a lot of good ideas about the scale of development and the city's future, etc. His buildings are just extremely...un-inspiring, I guess.

A few days ago I was made aware of The Acre, an with work in Saint John and NYC (an odd combo).

What did Saint John do to deserve better residential architecture than Halifax?

We're also getting this, so you can continue being jealous

(it's three commercial storefronts - Picaroons beer, art gallery, food market - with 14 rental units above)

JET · #**6985** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 11:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to maintain very much of THIS (assuming I have the correct spot).

The two apartment buildings are quite nice and only need a bit of cosmetic upgrade. The other buildings are covered in vinyl and signs, and windows that are cheap, again not hard to fix. Basically I expect that it will all be razed. Next will be the Carlton street streetscape which is now a lot of student housing and been allowed to decline. It will all be razed.

Drybrain · #**6986** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 11:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajo

We're also getting this, so you can continue being jealous

(it's three commercial storefronts - Picaroons beer, art gallery, food market - with 14 rental units above)

Is that a restoration of an existing building or a new project designed to appear like a Victorian commercial building?

Drybrain · #**6987** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 11:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JET

The two apartment buildings are quite nice and only need a bit of cosmetic upgrade. The other buildings are covered in vinyl and signs, and windows that are cheap, again not hard to fix. Basically I expect that it will all be razed. Next will be the Carlton street streetscape which is now a lot of student housing and been allowed to decline. It will all be razed.

Every house on Carlton is a municipal heritage property though, and there's a mixture of owner-occupied houses in there. I don't think there's any danger to that streetscape.

Ziobrop · #**6988** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 11:33 PM**

The new building outside pier 21 is the transformers and switching gear to allow cruise ships to run on shore power while tied up.

JET · #**6989** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 11:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Every house on Carlton is a municipal heritage property though, and there's a mixture of owner-occupied houses in there. I don't think there's any danger to that streetscape.

25, years ago when I had an apartment on Carlton Street, a lot of the houses were owner occupied. Over the years that has changed to absentee ownership. The buildings are declining on the exterior, and in a few years most posters on this forum will declare them to be too far gone, and agree when the owner applies to have their heritage registration removed, in preparation to have them razed so that some ticky tack building can replace it. Take a walk down Carlton Street, it's sad to see how it has declined

kwajo · #**6990** Posted **Jun 9, 2015, 11:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Is that a restoration of an existing building or a new project designed to appear like a Victorian commercial building?

It's a reno of this existing, mostly empty/half parking structure: https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.272097,-6...3m4!1e1!3m2!1s1xn8PbOC_-bz2bPoLJlZKg!2e0

OldDartmouthMark · #**6991** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 12:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajo

It's a reno of this existing, mostly empty/half parking structure: https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.272097,-6...3m4!1e1!3m2!1s1xn8PbOC_-bz2bPoLJlZKg!2e0

That will be nice.

I've long been jealous of Saint John's building stock. There are so many nice old structures remaining that somehow escaped the wrecker's ball over the years.

beyeas · #**6992** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 1:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

That will be nice.

I've long been jealous of Saint John's building stock. There are so many nice old structures remaining that somehow escaped the wrecker's ball over the years.

In this context Saint John has both benefitted and suffered from having gone through long dry spells with a very poor economy. The benefit is that while other cities in the 60s and 70s were knocking down old buildings to build towers, SJ was in the doldrums and largely did not do so. Add in the fact that much of this section of downtown (Prince William, Canterbury, Germain, etc) was burned to the ground in the great fire and then uniformly rebuilt as brick/stone, rather than the wood structures that were there before, and you have a large stock of well built edwardian structures that are all self-consistent. There really are some spectacular buildings in that section of downtown (I went to SJHS, which is right in the middle of all that). The south end of the city is mostly in terrible shape (falling down clapboard wood structures that have been poorly maintained), but this section of the downtown core really does have a large self-consistent set of buildings that deserved to be saved/renovated. Last I visited I was actually impressed by the new development that has taken place, the loft conversion done to some of the old buildings, and the renovations that have taken place in some other buildings (e.g. along King Street). It has been a while since I felt positive about SJ, but I have to say they look like they have turned a corner.

ILoveHalifax · #**6993** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 5:09 PM**

Have they patched any of their roads so you can get into the city without falling into a sink hole?

For every nice old building that is found in Saint John seems there are acres of slums. I cannot believe anybody is comparing Saint John to Halifax.

OldDartmouthMark · #**6994** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 8:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

Have they patched any of their roads so you can get into the city without falling into a sink hole?

For every nice old building that is found in Saint John seems there are acres of slums. I cannot believe anybody is comparing Saint John to Halifax.

Who's comparing?

ILoveHalifax · #**6995** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 9:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Who's comparing?

I am.

And I think if you go back and follow the thread there are others who are comparing.

OldDartmouthMark · #**6996** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 10:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I am.

And I think if you go back and follow the thread there are others who are comparing.

Oh, way back then... my old memory isn't so good these days.

Looks like a nice project, I hope they get it!

someone123 · #**6997** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 5:48 AM**

Looks like Queen's Landing is back. Designs have been approved by the WDCL and are going to go through the HbD process in September. The new project will be designed by MacKay Lyons-Sweetapple architects and will have hotel, residential, and commercial components. The value is $60M.

OldDartmouthMark · #**6998** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 12:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

Looks like Queen's Landing is back. Designs have been approved by the WDCL and are going to go through the HbD process in September. The new project will be designed by MacKay Lyons-Sweetapple architects and will have hotel, residential, and commercial components. The value is $60M.

Interesting. Any links?

someone123 · #**6999** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 2:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Interesting. Any links?

This one's just from the rumour mill (i.e. the website that shall not be named). Hopefully some renderings will be available soon. Projects designed by this architect are usually pretty interesting.

haligonia · #**7000** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 2:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

This one's just from the rumour mill (i.e. the website that shall not be named). Hopefully some renderings will be available soon. Projects designed by this architect are usually pretty interesting.

It's definitely an exciting rumour—MLS is a great architecture firm and always produces interesting work.