Great Canadian Skyline Thread II

[WhipperSnapper]

I never understood the comparison between the two skylines. Halifax has dominating office buildings and slab apartments with large floor plates. By comparison, Victoria's high rise stock are all similarly "pointy" regardless of age or usage. Halifax's newer stock is bigger than Victorias too.

One thing to consider is that Victoria's high rises are fairly centralized while Halifax looks like an Ontario city with high rises in every corner. There's probably 20 to 25 high rises that have nothing to do with the central skyline.

[Rico Rommheim]

Too bad Halifax never got an equivalent of Victoria's grand parliament or Empress hotel. Those are the two key landmarks that make Victoria stand out.

[WhipperSnapper]

The hotel would get lost in Halifax skyline. Halifax has the Dominion Public Building

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Too bad Halifax never got an equivalent of Victoria's grand parliament or Empress hotel. Those are the two key landmarks that make Victoria stand out.

Halifax has two railway hotels but is somewhat uncommon in being a touristy mid-sized Canadian city without a Chateau-style hotel (contrasted against Victoria, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, QC, and others that I might be forgetting). I think the Châteauesque designs are more quintessentially Canadian while the ones we ended up are more Art Deco/Beaux Arts influenced and look like something from the US Northeast:



Lord Nelson Hotel by Paulo O, on Flickr


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That's an example of "Pointy Victoria" vs "Flat Halifax". Province House is also very not-pointy - unlike most of the legislatures, it doesn't have any kind of dome/tower/spire:


View to Province House from Grand Parade, Halifax, Nova Scotia by Paul McClure, on Flickr

Charlottetown is the one other city that fits this pattern in terms of both legislatures and hotels.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I never understood the comparison between the two skylines. Halifax has dominating office buildings and slab apartments with large floor plates. By comparison, Victoria's high rise stock are all similarly "pointy" regardless of age or usage. Halifax's newer stock is bigger than Victorias too.

Agreed and this always seemed to match the feel in person. The Maritime Centre is a bit over 500,000 square feet. Fenwick is 50 years old and taller than any building in Victoria. Scotia Square, Nova Centre, or Purdy's feel like a different scale of development. We can debate how lovely these buildings are, but the Maritime Centre lends an urban feel to some streetscapes. Halifax has an older, quirkier, and tighter street network. It is much more canyon-y than Victoria. I think it can be hard to capture this in pictures.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

The hotel would get lost in Halifax skyline. Halifax has the Dominion Public Building

I've always thought of the Dominion Public Building as the visual equivalent in Halifax. Although the Westin actually is visible in most skyline shots that capture the southern part of Downtown. It's across the street from the low-slung cruise ship terminals / ersatz Byward Market area surrounding Pier 21 so it's unlikely to ever be totally visually obstructed. As time goes on there will probably be more layering "behind" it but not really "in front" of it (technically the side facing the water is the back).

Originally Posted by q12

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We also have one sort of postmodern nod to the Châteauesque movement, although it's no Empress. It's prominently visible in most skyline shots at the base of the Purdy's Wharf complex, and is one of if not the largest hotel in Halifax in terms of the total number of rooms:


Hotel Waterfront Halifax | Marriott Halifax by Marriott Hotels & Resorts Canada, on Flickr

The "Cogswell District" (redundant old interchange) that's currently being redeveloped is immediately adjacent to the buildings in the last photo.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

The hotel would get lost in Halifax skyline. Halifax has the Dominion Public Building

Yes in order to have a skyline where buildings of that scale are the centre piece, you need to not only have such buildings but also have a skyline that allows them that prominence. Kind of like how Buffalo's City Hall is the centre piece of it's skyline, while the similarly grand Royal York is no longer prominent in the Toronto skyline despite being about the same size.

Of course I would love to have either building here, but I would put the legislature to the west of the hill where there's currently a nice but unremarkable high school, while the Empress I'd put on the site of the Centennial pool or beside the Westin on the site of the downtown Superstore. But neither would be prominent in skyline shots.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Of course I would love to have either building here, but I would put the legislature to the south of the hill where there's currently a nice but unremarkable high school, while the Empress I'd put on the site of the Centennial pool or beside the Westin on the site of the downtown Superstore. But neither would be prominent in skyline shots.

Halifax doesn't really have an Inner Harbour type area, although I guess an analog would be a shot around where Queen's Marque is now. It has also historically been more of a working port which for a long time was 100% industrial.

The Inner Harbour is very nice as are the buildings around there. It's a circa 1900 City Beautiful creation. I think there is a kind of colonial-era charm to the fine-grained grid in older parts of Halifax too, but it does not lend itself as well to postcards (sometimes hard to even fully photograph 1 building across the street). To see City Beautiful in Halifax you have to go to areas like Young Ave and the railcut bridges (and get a tiny bit in the granite work around the Grand Parade). There were also some proposals for a town clock redo and some parks/bridges around the Northwest Arm but they were never built.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by someone123

To see City Beautiful in Halifax you have to go to areas like Young Ave and the railcut bridges (and get a tiny bit in the granite work around the Grand Parade). There were also some proposals for a town clock redo and some parks/bridges around the Northwest Arm but they were never built.

I think most of the architecture in Halifax that might have been categorized as City Beautiful was destroyed in the explosion. Dalhousie's main campuses along University Avenue as well as the Hydrostone/Fort Needham area both feel sort of post-City Beautiful (the layouts have that kind of feel but the architecture itself generally doesn't). Dalhousie's architecture/planning building is more of a match architecturally but is shoehorned into a tight space along Spring Garden, and only looks imposing coming down the obscure part of Brunswick Street.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Hali87

I think most of the architecture in Halifax that might have been categorized as City Beautiful was destroyed in the explosion. Dalhousie's main campuses along University Avenue as well as the Hydrostone/Fort Needham area both feel sort of post-City Beautiful (the layouts have that kind of feel but the architecture itself generally doesn't).

Halifax barely grew during the period when that kind of planning was popular. It has a lot of architecture from around 1860 and then a lot from about 1930 and later. This is one of the reasons it has a somewhat unusual architectural mix for Canada.

[q12]

[Rico Rommheim]

Miniature Montreal meets miniature La Ronde.

[Nouvellecosse]

It's weird. Usually when the carnival comes to town they have it on a big empty lot near the bridge. The usual lot is set to be developed but nothing seems to have happened yet so not sure why they're using Alderney instead.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

It's weird. Usually when the carnival comes to town they have it on a big empty lot near the bridge. The usual lot is set to be developed but nothing seems to have happened yet so not sure why they're using Alderney instead.

It's a picturesque location though - I approve!

[zoomer]

Originally Posted by Hali87

They both have a sort of layered effect due to the hilly landscapes and tight urban fabric surrounded by ocean and forest, and the overall scale and "quality" feel similar, but the individual buildings are different enough that it would be hard to mistake one for the other. A lot of Victoria's larger buildings have a Châteauesque influence that is totally absent in Halifax, while Halifax has a lot more brash modernism, and its oldest buildings are older but less visible from a distance. Both of them are colourful but Victoria feels lighter and airier, and has huge mountains as a backdrop, while Halifax has almost-mountains that are largely built over with suburbs. I would say they're about as similar as Vancouver and Victoria are similar, but for different reasons.

A pretty good summary I’d say Hali87. To be picky, Victoria’s downtown is actually quite flat, the hills and rock outcrops begin just outside that core, so downtown doesn’t have that advantage of a layered visual effect. Curious as to what buildings in Halifax are example of brash modernism? The first one that comes to mind for me is the library, although nowadays that layered box effect seems standard for libraries or art galleries. I agree about Victoria being lighter and airier, probably because of the smaller scale and very few buildings that dominate a block, with some obvious historical exceptions such as the Empress Hotel and the Parliament Building. The Parliament Building is 500 feet long, so I’d think they would have a significant impact on a similar upfront waterfront setting in Halifax, would be cool to see that photoshopped in!

There are municipal elections here in October, and it’s possible a new council will be open to really opening up the height limit. Already there are some 30 storey proposals which will likely ‘have to be’ approved because they’re all rental, and with no vacancy and some of the highest rents in the country they have no choice but to give the go ahead. Also factor in a benchmark house price of 1.4 million and $643,000 for condos, not to mention most of the other 13 municipalities that make up Victoria (crazy I know) are resistant to increased height and density. This means that downtown is and will continue to add height in the centre and grow at the edges. I really think expect to see massive changes in the next 20 years.

Interesting how many people don’t realize how tightly packed the historic centre is, full of quirky alleys, courtyards, nooks and crannies. A few pics - several I took the other day at a restaurant over looking the city (wasn’t able to take the full 360 view unfortunately.. another time).

Victoria Skyline, BC by globetrekimages, on Flickr

Yates Street, Victoria - July 11, 2022 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

Rooftop beach volleyball game underway at the Stickey Wicket Pub:

View from Vista 18 Restaurant by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

Looking towards the inner harbour:

View from Vista 18, Victoria July 27, 2022 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

Rooftop putting green with a view:

The Falls Condo - July 27, 2022 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

View from Vista 18, July 27, 2022 - Victoria BC by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

Victoria Harbour - July 27, 2022 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

And scene setting - although this pic is nearly 3 years old, followed by the July 2022 one that is more zoomed in:

October 10 Victoria BC by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

[Nite]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

Too bad Halifax never got an equivalent of Victoria's grand parliament or Empress hotel. Those are the two key landmarks that make Victoria stand out.

The City of Halifax was destroyed 100 years ago as well,

[LFC]

Not my photo, source unfortunately unknown.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by zoomer

Curious as to what buildings in Halifax are example of brash modernism? The first one that comes to mind for me is the library, although nowadays that layered box effect seems standard for libraries or art galleries.

Certainly the library, and other recent examples would be the Nova Centre and Queen's Marque complexes, the NSP offices (converted from an old power plant) as well as some of the newer residential buildings (the Maple being a good example). Older examples would be Purdy's Wharf, the Maritime Centre, Scotia Square, and most of the 1960s-90s financial offices between Sackville and Duke Streets. Agreed that the library's look is catching on somewhat - the main art gallery in Saskatoon looks kind of similar.


Nova Centre:





With Scotia Square in the background and Canada Permanent Building (black International Style building on the right - more imposing as you move down the hill):


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Scotia Square (60s urban renewal project that spans/replaced the equivalent of ~10 blocks):


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Classic financial district:




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Purdy's Wharf:


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Maple:


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Maritime Centre:



Queen's Marque:


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Nova Scotia Power:


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[HomeInMyShoes]

I have some doubts about that water-skier picture. I'm sure you could waterski there, but the North Atlantic is pretty cold and people die in it from exposure pretty quick. I'd be wanting a full insulated wet suit to be doing that. Is it that much warmer from the Newfoundland coast? I would assume a bit just because its harbour, but still.

[905er]

if that water skier is in fact in Halifax, I'm booking a ticket and getting perpetually single ass over to Halifax!! ...hello sir...