Winnipeg | Exchange District | Developments & Discussions

[Glenn99]

Originally Posted by Wolf13

There is a middle ground: We need residential, and we stop complaining about non-issues. There will always be more noise in more dense areas. Law of urban nature. And considering the strength of Toronto, their problem isn't really a problem.

But seriously? How many of us have stayed in a busy downtown hotel, anywhere in the city or world, and had a good night's rest? All of us? Ok.



You've got to be kidding... My car is still on summer tires (winters ordered, delayed) and I haven't had any problems.

Not a good link I added. It was about the Emerald Ash borer which will easily eat up that any budget the city has for replacement trees.

[tree]

Hi all,
I swear I saw this mentioned somewhere but when I was down there a few days ago ... i had a vision. Or more likely just integrating something I read here as I saw it lol.

Any chances this red warehouse could be converted to nice new york style row homes one day. Whole street seems like decent opportunity but that warehouse block, material, heights stood out in particular to me. Seems like could fit at least 20 units in there on the South facing side at least.

Alexander and Waterfront

I think they are working on that new dock around there too so would be really good to see one day.

[esquire]

^ That building holds an immense amount of potential now that the somewhat-gentrified Exchange is starting to creep up to Alexander. It could really become the focal point of the northern boundary of the Exchange District... sort of like another Princess Street. Any word on who owns it or what their long-term plans are?

[Wolf13]

I've had similar wet dreams.

Would be awesome!

[drew]

I am pretty sure that building is still in use as a warehouse as well as some Nutty Club purposes.

[Urban recluse]

https://inhabitat.com/hks-architects-ren...d-certification/hsk-arc-light-co-loft-1/

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by drew

I am pretty sure that building is still in use as a warehouse as well as some Nutty Club purposes.

its an active factory as is the great west metals across from it
nice having industry mixed in the community

[wags_in_the_peg]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

its an active factory as is the great west metals across from it
nice having industry mixed in the community

I'll disagree with you on that!

[Urban recluse]

Adding on to those buildings, and having a couple of hundred people living in them would benefit the area more.

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ That building holds an immense amount of potential now that the somewhat-gentrified Exchange is starting to creep up to Alexander. It could really become the focal point of the northern boundary of the Exchange District... sort of like another Princess Street. Any word on who owns it or what their long-term plans are?

It's owned by J.K. May Investments Ltd., which owns the Nutty Club buildings and a number of surface parking lots around Westbrook and Portage E. The building on Alexander E., which was built as a warehouse for Eaton's in the early 1920s, is still (under)used for warehouse purposes. Hopefully the new activity creeping up into this part of the Exchange District generates interest in redeveloping this building, or at least creating active uses in it. In the last couple of years, two building across the street are now home to a microbrewery and microdistillery, respectively, for example.

Unfortunately, I suspect the building's owner might be one of those downtown Winnipeg property owners who have limited knowledge of how real estate development works, sit on the properties, view their buildings and the surrounding neighbourhood as worthless and characterless, while also having a vastly overinflated sense of the property's value when it comes to the matter of selling it. 'Dad bought the building/parking lot for pennies in the 1940s and we are still waiting for the magical million-dollar payout from when the government builds a megaproject here. Meanwhile, we put in the minimal amount of investment.'

I haven't been inside, but I have heard from a reliable source The Nutty Club buildings east of Portage and Main are apparently this amazing magical time capsule of early-20th century manufacturing. They are close to the Exchange and The Forks. And they make candy. They could make a killing directly and indirectly by opening up their factory to tours, but that's likely something they would scoff at with resigned cynicism.

Downtown has countless properties owned by folks like this.

[esquire]

^ Thanks for the insight, wardlow.

[1ajs]

i gues the family behind scott bathgate spit up some of the company at some point?
they know what they have

as for the insides of the nutty club buildings yea they are bit of a time capsle mostly storage thy only do popcorn in one part of that complex on portage ave east. otherwise its offices and storage for boxs and a workshop for the maintinance guy plus the les.net space (a phone and isp company)

[tree]

Thanks for info everyone. Glad people share my sentiment and glad there seems no major painful obstacle to it besides potentially the owners. That being said if city planners haven't seen potential for that street then god help us. It screams residential especially redeveloped Alexander docks. (Corner on Waterfront could be a restaurant / coffee shop / bar). As far as I'm concerned that needs to happen somehow.

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

https://inhabitat.com/hks-architects-ren...d-certification/hsk-arc-light-co-loft-1/

This is nice and I wouldn't be disappointed with something like that at all however I think would be nicer to keep the height lower if possible and have private/individual entrances along the street. That may not be possible at all due to cost / how building is built but would sure cool to see.



Just basic ideas but make each one maintain the red brick and give some variation in window shape / placement / layout and color of exterior details, along with maybe variation in how doorways and balconies are placed - could have some with different protrusions and different heights.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by tree

Thanks for info everyone. Glad people share my sentiment and glad there seems no major painful obstacle to it besides potentially the owners. That being said if city planners haven't seen potential for that street then god help us. It screams residential especially redeveloped Alexander docks. (Corner on Waterfront could be a restaurant / coffee shop / bar). As far as I'm concerned that needs to happen somehow.




This is nice and I wouldn't be disappointed with something like that at all however I think would be nicer to keep the height lower if possible and have private/individual entrances along the street. That may not be possible at all due to cost / how building is built but would sure cool to see.



Just basic ideas but make each one maintain the red brick and give some variation in window shape / placement / layout and color of exterior details, along with maybe variation in how doorways and balconies are placed - could have some with different protrusions and different heights.

Sign me up for the one on the left...

[Urban recluse]

This is a form of housing that is non-existent downtown.

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

i gues the family behind scott bathgate spit up some of the company at some point?
they know what they have

as for the insides of the nutty club buildings yea they are bit of a time capsle mostly storage thy only do popcorn in one part of that complex on portage ave east. otherwise its offices and storage for boxs and a workshop for the maintinance guy plus the les.net space (a phone and isp company)

Free Press article from 2007:

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/32262489.html

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by LilZebra

Free Press article from 2007:

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/32262489.html

i know.

last time i was up in there was in may or june i know whats in those buildings

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by LilZebra

Free Press article from 2007:

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/32262489.html

I've read this article before, but wow, such contempt for the building by the owner. The value of the building is in the footprint... geeze. It's attitudes like this that hold back the redevelopment of downtown and create more surface parking lots.

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

I've read this article before, but wow, such contempt for the building by the owner. The value of the building is in the footprint... geeze. It's attitudes like this that hold back the redevelopment of downtown and create more surface parking lots.

Absolutely.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by tree

Hi all,
I swear I saw this mentioned somewhere but when I was down there a few days ago ... i had a vision. Or more likely just integrating something I read here as I saw it lol.

Any chances this red warehouse could be converted to nice new york style row homes one day. Whole street seems like decent opportunity but that warehouse block, material, heights stood out in particular to me. Seems like could fit at least 20 units in there on the South facing side at least.

Alexander and Waterfront

I think they are working on that new dock around there too so would be really good to see one day.

I'd prefer to see it become main floor retail / "market" – there's a building I saw a while back (maybe in Portland?) that looked exactly like this – they essentially built a deck along the side that acted as a sidewalk and patio space for cafes, and each loading bay was a CRU. Something to the affect of Quincy Market in Boston or Akarenga in Yokohoma, Japan.

That being said, as much of the building is still in use, I'd rather see more surface lots or underused buildings redeveloped before we start "uprooting" the long-standing businesses here. While the stock is slowly depleting, there are plenty of other lots/buildings with nothing going on that would be wise to redevelop first. The city could definitely clean up the street there, though.