The Ridge | 2118 West 15th Avenue | 5fl | 17.06M | Completed

[Klazu]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

looks like a 60's motel

Sorry, I don't see it. To me the render looks great!

[VanCityDeveloper]

Originally Posted by Jebby

Fantastic project - something that isn't the drab same old boring garbage that was slapped up in the area. Its nice to see something by Cressey in the area. I personally am disappointed the group of radical residents succeeded in turning down the extra floor, but as they say the show will go on. The current building/site is an eyesore, this will really add to the corridor and what will eventually be a transformed strip.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Klazu

Sorry, I don't see it. To me the render looks great!

i like it just reminds me of hotels/motels seen on the travels as a kid in the 70's

[Sir Conga]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i like it just reminds me of hotels/motels seen on the travels as a kid in the 70's

I personally like the look, but I see what you are talking about.

[officedweller]

Old article from the Vancouver Courier - of interest:

One spark of hope was ignited several years ago when a space previously occupied by two successive grocery stores was leased to Meinhardt’s Fine Foods for 25 years. The unusually long-term lease apparently had no demolition clause. And the gourmet grocer poured a reputed $2 million into the property in leasehold improvements.

The catalyst leading to the sale of the property by Green and the subsequent approval this week by the city of Vancouver’s Development Permit Board allowing for the demolition of the block was the severing of that 25-year lease between Meinhardt’s and Sondra Green.

Neither Linda Meinhardt nor Sondra Green has returned my calls to comment on the circumstances of that rupture.

But I can tell you this: Meinhardt’s Arbutus store was in serious financial difficulty before it closed Dec. 24, 2010 and before the lease was terminated.

I know that because of court documents filed by Linda Meinhardt with the Supreme Court of British Columbia earlier that month in the matter of her companies “Bankruptcy and Insolvency.”

In that, she states a “variety of factors” including the economic downturn in the local economy, the startup costs for the Arbutus Stores which “greatly exceeded budget,” continued operating losses at the store and, finally, “legal disputes” with the landlord for the Arbutus store regarding the termination of the lease which cost Meinhardt “invaluable time and financial resources.”

Meinhardt retreated to her original Granville Street property and just last month ended up selling that business to the Jimmy Pattison Group of companies.

Meanwhile, six months after Meinhardt cleared out of Arbutus Street, Green sold her holdings to Cressey Developments for just over $20.3 million. (One other developer who looked at the property told me he didn’t bid on it because he was concerned about community backlash if it was demolished.)

The most valuable piece in the package, the block with the bowling alley and the theatre, which according to Cressey vice president Hani Lammam had the highest development potential, cost $15.6 million.


Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Tryin...789/story.html

[whatnext]

I thought I read somewhere Meinhardt had sold the Granville store to Jimmy Pattison Group?

[Denscity]

Ya i think you read it in the above article .

[officedweller]

Think of the irony - if the local residents had patronized their local Meinhardt's store - it wouldn't have gone bankrupt and the Ridge would not be slated to be torn down.

[Porfiry]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Think of the irony - if the local residents had patronized their local Meinhardt's store - it wouldn't have gone bankrupt and the Ridge would not be slated to be torn down.

It was a terrible location for an expensive, boutique grocer (in the middle of low-density tract of houses). If it was to survive, it would have needed far more than just support of locals.

Also, if I'm reading it correctly, the article says that the theatre and bowling alley were on a separate parcel, so they probably could have been redeveloped irregardless of the grocery.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

It was a terrible location for an expensive, boutique grocer (in the middle of low-density tract of houses). If it was to survive, it would have needed far more than just support of locals..

How clever, I hadn't noticed your attempt to discredit single family homes by slipping the word "tract" in there until now. Of course, most would realize tract housing refers to mass produced suburban housing like Levittown, and isn't applicable to homes around the Ridge.

Regardless, The Ridge Theatre closes February 3. They're playing a Final Film Festival with a bunch of different movies, including Rocky Horror Picture Show which long time Vancouverites will remember as a Ridge staple back in the day. If you want to experience its mid-century interior there's just a couple weeks left to do so.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by whatnext

How clever, I hadn't noticed your attempt to discredit single family homes by slipping the word "tract" in there until now.

I think you may be reading a bit too much into his use of the word.

[SpongeG]

its funny how on facebook all these people are lamenting the close of the ridge theatre only now, its been known for a very long time and only now they complain or notice it - if you cared so much about the theatre why weren't you supporting it for all those years months at least then they would have known what was going on instead of only now chiming in

[whatnext]

News1130 reported that Cineplex has agreed to take the big stained glass window of the movie projector from the Ridge facade. I wonder, would they be using it at Marine Gateway?

[officedweller]

I was thinking that too - seems to make sense, rather than a retrofit.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Porfiry

It was a terrible location for an expensive, boutique grocer (in the middle of low-density tract of houses). If it was to survive, it would have needed far more than just support of locals.

Also, if I'm reading it correctly, the article says that the theatre and bowling alley were on a separate parcel, so they probably could have been redeveloped irregardless of the grocery.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I wonder if another problem with Meinhardt's Arbutus location was that it was too close to the Choices just a few blocks west on 16th?

Even the Creme de la Creme can be penny-pinchers when shopping for their groceries.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I wonder if another problem with Meinhardt's Arbutus location was that it was too close to the Choices just a few blocks west on 16th?

Even the Creme de la Creme can be penny-pinchers when shopping for their groceries.

When I lived in the area (right cross from Shaughnessy Elementary and LFA) we always shopped at Safeway which is just a few blocks away from The Ridge.

[whatnext]

Great elegy for The Ridge in this week's Sun. Good to see other features of the building besides the stained glass will live on at other venues:
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertai...364/story.html

[VanCityDeveloper]

Its kind of sad to see everything out and closing down considering thanks to the lease with McDonalds Cressey cannot demolish the building for at minimum 9 to 10 months.

[whatnext]

I missed capturing the Ridge demo, but there are some photos in this Staright article. Can hardly wait for the SubwaysushiStarbucks that replaces it.

http://www.straight.com/news/496296/...stirs-memories

[dreambrother808]

VFD crews searching for possible people trapped at old Ridge theater demo site.

@vancbcmcarthur



https://twitter.com/vancbcmcarthur/s...226688/photo/1


On a sidenote, I'm surprised that SSP doesn't have any code for embedding tweets.