The Ugly Canada Thread

[Architype]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

We took this:

...

And put this in it:

Ocean View Hotel by Natulive Canada, on Flickr

I was wondering why all the Italian Biscuit Box colours, and then looking at the street view, realised they thought it was an improvement to add them.

[O-tacular]

More McMansion hell:

https://www.domain.com.au/news/architect...link-newsfeed&utm_campaign=c-os-overseas

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by biguc

I was recently in Victoria and while it's a very nice city, Saanich is another story. They recently built an open air mall at the confluence of highways 1 and 7 to try to usurp Downtown Victoria. I got a little chilled after walking around the city all day and thought I'd warm up in this new mall, only to find a fake-ass main street built inside a parking garage with a suburban power center on the roof.

Just to be clear, that is absolutely not me in this photo sphere. If I was going to tie a purse to my neck I'd get one way less tacky.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.455199,-1...62408-ro-0-fo100%2F!7i10752!8i4806?hl=en

Admittedly it doesn't look too bad, but it's ugly in function more than form. Its problems are more obvious from the outside.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.4559195,-...D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I can hear Petula Clark just looking at it. Nailed it, Saanich.

Why couldn't they build an underground parkade? Outside of that it's actually not too bad. There is a certain irony though in building a "pedestrian friendly" street a story above the actual street and in the process creating a massive barrier to outside pedestrians.

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Why couldn't they build an underground parkade? Outside of that it's actually not too bad. There is a certain irony though in building a "pedestrian friendly" street a story above the actual street and in the process creating a massive barrier to outside pedestrians.

Uptown is built on an underground parkade. The fake main street is at the same elevation of the surrounding streets - not one storey above - you can enter via car or foot off the trans-Canada HWY or Saainch road at grade.

Here is the Saanich Road Entrance: https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.4542596,-...VOxzkdsADMWIw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

This is the Trans-Canada HWY 1 Entrance (although upgrades have been done since these pics):
https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.4538281,-...4DxW7Ihl-unJw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

Here you can see a car coming out of the underground parking (below grade):
https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.4543751,-...LG0eGKKLpEFWVZ8niOovg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'm definitely not a fan of fake historic architecture/recreations tho - very Disneyesque and often in poor taste ...but to be fair, this is built by outside developers - the type active in every larger city in Canada.

I have to admit, I do find uptown 'nicer' than the ubiquitous stucco/fake stone power centre that is found everywhere. The ones like/similar to these 'fugly' things (which we have a few of too!):







Versus the Saanich Uptown thing:

[O-tacular]

In the street view Biguc posted it looked like it was built on top of an above ground parkade as there was a big blank wall at street level.

[WhipperSnapper]

I prefer the new urbanism of power centres but, appreciate the traditional ones are easy to dispose of when the time comes for something better.

Saanich has a tacky theme but, this is ugly

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6739074,-...itch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

In the street view Biguc posted it looked like it was built on top of an above ground parkade as there was a big blank wall at street level.

There is a short blank wall on part of one side...the power of the internet! It was to much disappointment here the way the centre meets the street along Blanchard street (the pic the bigUC posted). There has also been another phase built which includes Whole foods which does improve the situation in that area a bit. One phase left to go, which includes high rise (I think) residential.

This is Uptown centre just north of the blank wall along the east side that Big UC posted :

[craneSpotter]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I prefer the new urbanism of power centres but, appreciate the traditional ones are easy to dispose of when the time comes for something better.

Saanich has a tacky theme but, this is ugly

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6739074,-...itch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

^I like this much better than the Fugly stucco/plastic/imitation stone ones dominated by massive central parking lots (with no walkways) ones I posted.

[biguc]

Uptown is built within and on top of a giant parkade. Behind the fake main street storefronts are parking decks. You can take this strange series of escalators over a Wal mart to the top, where it feels like you're in a typical suburban power center but with a Whole Foods and a library. There's really only one place where it's pedestrian accessible to the outside, that I saw, where they have a best buy and a bus stop. It's hostile to it's surroundings and not easy to figure out as a pedestrian walking in. I was not the only one struggling either, I gave shitty advice to a flummoxed local trying to get into the Wal mart like a fly pounding itself into a window.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I prefer the new urbanism of power centres but, appreciate the traditional ones are easy to dispose of when the time comes for something better.

Saanich has a tacky theme but, this is ugly

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6739074,-...itch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

If you do a 180" degree turn on that image I think we can guess that the street view imagery was taken on July 10, 2016.

[O-tacular]

North Calgary has a thing for bizarre landmarks.

Country Hills Village and its lighthouse:



To be fair it's next to a slough so you know... it makes sense.




Then there's Kincora with it's castle tower.



Apprently it now hosts a hidden cellphone tower so it has a least a modicum of usefulness...

[niwell]

^My uncle and his wife were visiting Calgary from Sydney (Aus) over the holidays and got a kick out of the tackiness of that era of Calgary suburb. Particularly found the name of Tuscany to be hilarious, but Kincora was a close second.

Isn't there another castle themed one in the west somewhere? Off 17th and 85th street area?

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by niwell

^My uncle and his wife were visiting Calgary from Sydney (Aus) over the holidays and got a kick out of the tackiness of that era of Calgary suburb. Particularly found the name of Tuscany to be hilarious, but Kincora was a close second.

Isn't there another castle themed one in the west somewhere? Off 17th and 85th street area?

Yes you're thinking of Castle Keep. It has a drawbridge and a knight. The joke is people only bought there because of the nice location but now that developer will probably think it was all due to his 'brilliant' marketing.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.0451951,-...Dz2oadN2oUW9w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

There's also the tacky fake ruins of Legacy in the deep south:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/My+Lega...!8m2!3d50.8606348!4d-114.0219336!6m1!1e1

It even has a clocktower...

https://www.google.ca/maps/@50.8610235,-...qSnzTJf8mXnPQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

[O-tacular]

Honestly the suburbs of this city embarrass me to no end. Are there any other cities in Canada with so many awful 'themed' neighbourhoods?

[matthew6]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Honestly the suburbs of this city embarrass me to no end. Are there any other cities in Canada with so many awful 'themed' neighbourhoods?

I am guessing suburbs everywhere in Canada or errrr not so nice?

I think you and I agreed at one point that some of those 50's and 60's suburbs are pretty good.

[MrBigStuff]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

The faux finish 'stacked stone' dosent do the building any favors either.

This must be the first building to become a full sized bill board to advertise butterscotch instant pudding?!?!

[niwell]

Originally Posted by matthew6

I am guessing suburbs everywhere in Canada or errrr not so nice?

I think you and I agreed at one point that some of those 50's and 60's suburbs are pretty good.

They're all somewhat similar, but Calgary has a bunch of particularly large master planned developments that have a "theme". Granted the only other cities I have a knowledge of the suburbs is Toronto and Ottawa, but I haven't really seen anything like it.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Honestly the suburbs of this city embarrass me to no end. Are there any other cities in Canada with so many awful 'themed' neighbourhoods?

Theme are common everywhere. I do find Calgary less subtle than others. That extend to urban high density development as well.

[LeftCoaster]

Suburbs in Canada are generally quite poorly developed, it's just not our thing. That said I've never seen the strange themed communities like Calgary has, it's like an even tackier disney world.

[MrBigStuff]

Originally Posted by yaletown_fella

The faux finish 'stacked stone' dosent do the building any favors either.

It looks too bland to have it all the same colour - or 2 tones all the way across - there should be some kind of other colors mixed in with it.