Tamarack Flora [488-500 Bank St] | 31m | 9fl | Completed

[JHikka]

Finally. It'll be so nice to have this hole filled on Bank Street. With the likes of Mushu, Flora Hall, and SoBa nearby it'll be nice to see some more activity in this stretch.

[J.OT13]

I know that, as far as heritage buildings go, this is a pretty plain one, but I wish they could have kept the front part of it, demolishing only the garage and small extension at the back and built around the main heritage structure. This building is a continuation of the lower traditional main street of Bank. I would have liked to seen a modern 2 storey podium on the vacant lot with maybe an 11 floor rental/condo tower in the back to compensate for the lost space.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I know that, as far as heritage buildings go, this is a pretty plain one, but I wish they could have kept the front part of it, demolishing only the garage and small extension at the back and built around the main heritage structure. This building is a continuation of the lower traditional main street of Bank. I would have liked to seen a modern 2 storey podium on the vacant lot with maybe an 11 floor rental/condo tower in the back to compensate for the lost space.

I agree, I'd like to see more heritage or older buildings preserved and worked into new developments as much as possible. It'd preserve certain aspects of the history and feel of a street or neighbourhood while allowing for continuing development and change. The new buildings might even be more unique for it.

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by Urbanarchit

I agree, I'd like to see more heritage or older buildings preserved and worked into new developments as much as possible. It'd preserve certain aspects of the history and feel of a street or neighbourhood while allowing for continuing development and change. The new buildings might even be more unique for it.

I'm 100% for the adaptive re-use of buildings of heritage value. Heritage value of this one is debatable, but i'll let others have the debate. I want to discuss Facadism rearing it's ugly head again.

Facadism is a half-hearted reach to try to calm down NIMBY's who just love to think of the way things were. The heritage is actually on the inside of this building, where people lived and worked for 100 years. To keep a run-down brick wall simply to remind yourself of the recent past is NOT the way to keep the past alive.

If you want a more livable neighbourhood, demand better of the builders and architects who design for maximum profit.

If you want a clay brick masonry, 2 storey frontage on Bank? Demand that from the builders, and let them incorporate the design into their building. (or, big surprise here, but actually follow the CDP from previous??)

The worst example of facadism in the entire city is just across the street at the Metropolitan Bible Church... call me a cynic, but staring at the blank, unusable windows and doors of this church doesn't leave me with ANY warm feelings of the past, and actually detracts from this entire stretch of street frontage. Its an eyesore and a blight on an otherwise lively stretch.

http://urbsite.blogspot.com/2011/09/bible-church-wall-resurrected.html

The best example of a new/heritage building in Ottawa (in my humble opinion) is the Urban Outfitters on Rideau. The full rebuild and integration into the building makes perfect sense, it is fully used, and provides excellent street frontage.


https://stores.urbanoutfitters.com/images/store-146.jpg

No more sad blank reminders of the past, please.

http://arcadenw.org/article/what-price-facadism

[waterloowarrior]

from the staff report

Heritage staff first reviewed draft proposals for the infill project at 488-500 Bank Street
in March 2012 and recommended that the building be retained and incorporated into
any redevelopment plan for the property. After discussions with the developer and a
close examination of the site, it was determined that, because of the small size of the lot
and structure, and the condition of the existing building, retaining it to incorporate it into
a larger project would compromise both the heritage character of the building and the
heritage conservation district. Analysis of the character of this section of Bank Street,
between Flora Street and the southern boundary of the Centretown HCD, shows that
the heritage commercial character of the street diminishes dramatically south of Flora
Street, as it features only the subject property and the heavily altered heritage building
to the immediate south.

Given the lack of coherence of the streetscape, the location of
the property at the extreme south end of the HCD, and the problems posed by the
actual lot, staff determined that the overall, cultural heritage value as defined by the
Centretown HCD Plan, would not be adversely affected by the demolition of 488 Bank
Street and its replacement with a new structure

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

I'm 100% for the adaptive re-use of buildings of heritage value. Heritage value of this one is debatable, but i'll let others have the debate. I want to discuss Facadism rearing it's ugly head again.

Facadism is a half-hearted reach to try to calm down NIMBY's who just love to think of the way things were. The heritage is actually on the inside of this building, where people lived and worked for 100 years. To keep a run-down brick wall simply to remind yourself of the recent past is NOT the way to keep the past alive.

If you want a more livable neighbourhood, demand better of the builders and architects who design for maximum profit.

If you want a clay brick masonry, 2 storey frontage on Bank? Demand that from the builders, and let them incorporate the design into their building. (or, big surprise here, but actually follow the CDP from previous??)

The worst example of facadism in the entire city is just across the street at the Metropolitan Bible Church... call me a cynic, but staring at the blank, unusable windows and doors of this church doesn't leave me with ANY warm feelings of the past, and actually detracts from this entire stretch of street frontage. Its an eyesore and a blight on an otherwise lively stretch.

http://urbsite.blogspot.com/2011/09/bible-church-wall-resurrected.html

The best example of a new/heritage building in Ottawa (in my humble opinion) is the Urban Outfitters on Rideau. The full rebuild and integration into the building makes perfect sense, it is fully used, and provides excellent street frontage.


https://stores.urbanoutfitters.com/images/store-146.jpg

No more sad blank reminders of the past, please.

http://arcadenw.org/article/what-price-facadism

It's so funny, I was just going to post the same thing! I would much rather a faux heritage facade with a lively storefront or other community use rather than a salvaged church entrance with no function other than breaking up the streetscape.

[J.OT13]

I'm no a fan of façadism. It sucks the soul out of what left of the building. Ogilvy is an example of a project that, detail and execution wise, was done beautifully (with the exception of the medallion that's lower than the original), but Cadillac Fairview ruined it by having the floors of the new build miss-aligned with the old façade.

In the case of the Central condo, the developer din't put in any effort into making the space behind the façade functional, on the other hand, Canril ensured that the knock-off Caplan's had an active use. It's not façdism vs. replica that's the issue, it's the usage planned by the developer.

I advocate trying to preserve historic buildings as a whole whenever possible. Whether it be surrounded by a modern building or even inside (like Grant House at 150 Elgin). If in 20 years Bank is lined with knock-offs, façdism and modern glass boxes, than nothing of the past will be left. It will be nothing but a sterile thoroughfare with some active storefronts.

[JHikka]

Demolition is ongoing.

[OTownandDown]

Example of architectural excellence that we're missing out on by being whiny NIMBY's:
https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/16/damien...-trevillion-iridescent-turquoise-bricks/

[McC]

what a fine looking man of straw you have put up there.

[rakerman]

November 3, 2018

IMG_0659-1100659-20181103-G9X - Version 2 by Richard Akerman, on Flickr

[waterloowarrior]

A 50% interest in 486-500 Bank Street
was purchased by Taggart (Flora) Corp.
(Taggart Construction Ltd.) from Urban
Capital (Floral) Inc. for $2,200,000
(50% interest) or $337 per square foot
(100% interest). The site is proposed to
be developed with a nine-storey condo
building with ground floor retail.

http://www.juteaujohnsoncomba.com/newsletters/2018/November-2018-Newsletter-September-Sales.pdf

[Nepean]

Does anybody know the status of this site? I pass it regularly on the bus, but it is not clear to me if it will stay as a vacant lot for some time, or if there are plans to start construction in the near future.

[Mille Sabords]

Last news on this one were that it was going to be built as a rental building - same design, still 9 storeys, still ground floor retail.

[Nepean]

Originally Posted by Mille Sabords

Last news on this one were that it was going to be built as a rental building - same design, still 9 storeys, still ground floor retail.

Thank you for the update. Hopefully construction on this project will start relatively soon, as it is in a prime location.

[bartlebooth]

Here is an update on the status of this project (rendering included): https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ZtcginEEy/

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by bartlebooth

Here is an update on the status of this project (rendering included): https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ZtcginEEy/

"They are about to break ground on this beauty that we designed for @derekallanhowe and the Taggart Group. It is a 10 storey mixed use building at the busy corner of Bank and Flora here in the Nation’s capital. The projected concrete brow of the roof line and light coloured 8th, 9th and 10th floors are intended to look like a lifted box top from the dark masonry form below. We are also looking forward to working with the Doran construction team again on delivering another successful building."

[OTSkyline]

Not bad, will blend well with Central, Central 2, Hideaway, Soba and Flora Hall across the street.

Been a while since the last proposal (SmartHouse) tanked on this lot.. Good to see it moving forward.

[Harley613]

Plain, inoffensive, unobstrusive. Don't hate it or love it, but density along that corridor is good in my opinion.

[FutureWickedCity]

The stretch of Bank between Gladstone and Catherine is quickly becoming one of the hippest areas of the city. Meanwhile, the much-more-central stretch between Cooper and Gloucester continues to go downhill. Another sketchy looking "spa" just opened near Bank and Nepean and one of awful those Payday Loan places that you mostly see in the ghetto is opening up right on that same corner.