Winnipeg | Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park | 130 Main St.

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

yea but they did preserve the gate for future genirtions to injoy and fixed the hudge crack that had indangerd it in the early 1900's

Well the whole of Lower Fort Garry still stands... so they didn't do that great of a job.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by newflyer

Well the whole of Lower Fort Garry still stands... so they didn't do that great of a job.

may i remind you newflyer a freaking city grew up out of the runins of that fort....

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

may i remind you newflyer a freaking city grew up out of the runins of that fort....

Of course ... but I am not going to have a "Fergy Oliver" over a single (very important) gate. The same gate which would not lose any significance with 100 Main development. Where were these guys when the gas station setup shop right in front of this gate?


FYI .. the settlement grew around the fort.... but didn't take off as a city until the arrival of the rail line. The flooding of the river lead the Hudson Bay to relocate its trading business to higher ground (Lower Fort Gary).

[Pootkao]

Hey boys
The so-called 'Friends' haven't raised a penny yet. For what that's worth.

[Pootkao]

My letter to the editor on the topic. I had emailed Bartley about his article and he agrees that its all bunk.
=======================================

So let me get this straight.

A private developer wants to build apartments downtown for the first time in over 20 years, and Winnipeg's wealthiest and most powerful businessmen are trying to fight it?

What happened to trying to make downtown an attractive place to live? Where was their friendship when PetroCan effectively ruined the corner's appeal, or the parking lot sealed the deal? What happened to our ability to compromise and actually have BOTH an apartment tower and a Fort Garry interpretive centre.

While I'm at it, what has pre-empted Gordon Sinclair's obsession over this project? And where was he when multiple groups were trying to keep actual EXISTING buildings from the wrecking ball. Perhaps its the same 'cause celebre' that leads Councilor Russ Wyatt to seek the soap box and ignore his elected duty as downtown ambassador.

This has become a very fickle drama. Hopefully, our civic politicians will see the benefit of these apartments to our downtown and will realize that to back out of this deal now makes this city look like the business-unfriendly place its been accused of being for the last 30 years.

Both the apartments and the Fort park can happen. Get to it, Winnipeg!

[biggiebear]

I'll bounce this off you guys. As a former Winnipeger myself I always felt the upper Fort Gary gate was one of the most neglected important site that we have. Buried between 100 Main and the gas station. What would be your thoughts on moving the gate to the Forks area with a plaque explaining where the original placement was not only would this be seen by more tourists heading to our number 1 attraction (The Forks) but would also be seen by more Winnipegers as well. On the existing site a plaque or outline on the ground could show where the original gate stood, this could end up on the floor of the proposed market building an area that would be a focal point.

A similiar thing happened in London, Shakespears Globe theatre was reconstructed on the banks of the Thames quite a few metres away from the original site. This allowed for better interaction with tourists. The original site is marked out on the ground in the courtyard of a new (get this) apartment building. Just a thought that could solve two situations and renew the importance of the gate and give us a beautiful new complex as well.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Pootkao

My letter to the editor on the topic. I had emailed Bartley about his article and he agrees that its all bunk.
=======================================

So let me get this straight.

A private developer wants to build apartments downtown for the first time in over 20 years, and Winnipeg's wealthiest and most powerful businessmen are trying to fight it?

What happened to trying to make downtown an attractive place to live? Where was their friendship when PetroCan effectively ruined the corner's appeal, or the parking lot sealed the deal? What happened to our ability to compromise and actually have BOTH an apartment tower and a Fort Garry interpretive centre.

While I'm at it, what has pre-empted Gordon Sinclair's obsession over this project? And where was he when multiple groups were trying to keep actual EXISTING buildings from the wrecking ball. Perhaps its the same 'cause celebre' that leads Councilor Russ Wyatt to seek the soap box and ignore his elected duty as downtown ambassador.

This has become a very fickle drama. Hopefully, our civic politicians will see the benefit of these apartments to our downtown and will realize that to back out of this deal now makes this city look like the business-unfriendly place its been accused of being for the last 30 years.

Both the apartments and the Fort park can happen. Get to it, Winnipeg!

That corner was a gas station long before there was such a thing as PetroCan. I don't know that the Friends can be blamed for that. It would seem as though something could be worked out in this case. Preserving the entire fort area doesn't really seem necessary. The present park could be greatly expanded and improved with room for an apartment building, as far as I can see. On the other hand, as I said before, Fort Garry Place is much larger than this apartment would be, and it's hard to see what it has "done for downtown". The area around there still seems disappointingly shabby even though there are thousands of apartment dwellers around.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Andy6

That corner was a gas station long before there was such a thing as PetroCan. I don't know that the Friends can be blamed for that. It would seem as though something could be worked out in this case. Preserving the entire fort area doesn't really seem necessary. The present park could be greatly expanded and improved with room for an apartment building, as far as I can see. .

i agree completely...why cant the park be 3/4 of the block instead of all of it....

it doesnt seem like it needs to be either/or....why not a tower and a nice park.

[rgalston]

Originally Posted by Pootkao

Hey boys
The so-called 'Friends' haven't raised a penny yet. For what that's worth.

Can these guys die off yet?

[trueviking]

nobody has posted these yet:

http://www.upperfortgarry.com/plans_...er_fort_garry/


















some serious members on this friends list

Friends of Upper Fort Garry

Honorary Patrons
Rt. Hon. Edward Schreyer,
P.C., C.C., O.M.
Hon. Gary Filmon, P.C., O.M.
Richard A.N. Bonnycastle


Steering Committee

Founding Chair
Hon. Peter M. Liba, C.M., O.M.

Chair
Dr. Jerry L. Gray

Harold Buchwald, C.M., Q.C.
R.W. (Bob) Cunningham
Hon. Gary Filmon, P.C., O.M.
Garry Hilderman, FLSLA
Hon. Otto Lang, P.C., O.C., Q.C.
Penny McMillan
Dr. Bill Norrie, C.M., O.M., Q.C.
Cindy Tugwell


Advisory Council
Leonard Asper
Hon. Lloyd Axworthy, P.C., O.C., O.M.
John Buhler
James W. Burns, O.C., O.M.
Robert M. Chipman
Art DeFehr, O.C.
Gene Dunn
N. Ashleigh Everett
Richard Frost
Gregg Hanson
Dr. Arthur V. Mauro, O.C., O.M., Q.C.
Raymond L. McFeetors
Hon. Pearl McGonigal, C.M., O.M.
Randall Moffat, C.M.
L.O. (Lawrie) Pollard
Barry Rempel
George T. Richardson, C.M., O.M.
Hartley T. Richardson, C.M., LL.D.
Tannis Richardson, C.M.
H. Sanford Riley, C.M.
Bruce Robinson
Hon. Duff Roblin, P.C., C.C., O.M.
Janet Schubert
Bob Silver
Dr. Emoke J.E. Szathmary, C.M.

[vid]

It may only be two thirds of what it was, but at least it won't flood every year.

[JayM]

Wow, thats some intense visuals there. looks like they used a tool to create it with that i use.

[Brokenhead]

Originally Posted by trueviking

some serious members on this friends list

Friends of Upper Fort Garry

Honorary Patrons
Rt. Hon. Edward Schreyer,
P.C., C.C., O.M.
Hon. Gary Filmon, P.C., O.M.
Richard A.N. Bonnycastle

That's a shame.

[Boreal]

...Please tell me that's not a faux gate post in a parking lot.

I'm all for preserving history, but I still remain skeptical about a recreation of what doesn't exist. I can't say I'm turned on in any remote fashion by these renders. But alas, they are just that; rendered images.

However, on second thought, if it hugs the street, it might be pretty capturing. I'm coming around to the plan. But its going to take some time.

Hopefully an amiable second location is found for Crystal Properties. And I don't mean the Sterling Lyon Parkway.

...as an aside, it isn't even the apartment tower that I'm most upset about not seeing come to fruition at the site. It is the farmer's market that I was really hoping for. The Forks does have a large food market, no question, but The Forks is set back from the major population clusters of downtown (although, the East Exchange is starting to bloom, so I suppose this arguement holds less weight with each passing date). Nonetheless, it would have been nice to offer a fresh food location near to the densely populated Assiniboine area.

[drew]

I kinda like those renderings. If they can actually accomplish this and get rid of that curling rink along with it, go for it.

This is a unique site, and deserves a unique development.

Punt the gas station at the corner, and put a nice slender condo tower there.

[ILYR]

Originally Posted by drew

I kinda like those renderings. If they can actually accomplish this and get rid of that curling rink along with it, go for it.

This is a unique site, and deserves a unique development.

Punt the gas station at the corner, and put a nice slender condo tower there.

I agree. As much as it would be nice to see a tower go up, having a tower just for the sake of building a tower is not the right thing to do. Now if they could integrate the two that would be better. Maybe even use the location as a theme in the design of a possible tower adjacent to the park. But hey that would be logical, and that doesn't sit well with "proper" city planning.

[Andy6]

It could be a pretty dramatic way to enter downtown Winnipeg, basically passing through a 200 year old fort. You'd have to think that it would also bring visitors out of the Forks-St. Boniface precinct and help encourage revitalization of Union Station and Broadway as well as supporting the Fort Garry Hotel. If you imagine that plus the Forks plus St. Boniface, the ballpark, the CMHR and the Exchange, you've got the makings of quite an impressive tourist destination.

[wags_in_the_peg]

Province pledges $1.5M for heritage park

The provincial government will spend $1.5 million on a heritage park planned for the former site of Upper Fort Garry in downtown Winnipeg, Premier Gary Doer said today.

The volunteer group Friends of Upper Fort Garry wants to build a $12.5- million heritage park and interpretive centre on surplus city land bounded by Main Street, Assinboine Avenue and Fort Street. But the city has given the group a March 31 deadline to raise $10 million toward that goal.

If the Friends group fails, the southwest portion of the city land will revert to a private developer that seeks to erect an apartment building at the corner of Fort St. and Assiniboine Ave.

The provincial contribution tops up private fundraising commitments of $1 million. The federal government is still studying the plan to see if it will come forward with funding of its own.

[Greco Roman]

I don't mind the park being established, but at the same time this thread depresses me as to how very few construction projects are proceeding in Winnipeg.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by Greco Roman

I don't mind the park being established, but at the same time this thread depresses me as to how very few construction projects are proceeding in Winnipeg.

You mean you are depressed at how few skyscraper projects are proceeding in Winnipeg. Because the construction industry in Winnipeg currently can't keep up with projects. The amount of condo buildings and retail/industrial construction in the city is insane. As an example a nice midscale project - the Sobey's Distribution centre - $40+ million is delayed because of the increased cost of construction.

I understand that you mean projects with tower cranes downtown making people go "WOW" but don't get down on Winnipeg. A lot of places would love to be getting a brand new airport designed by someone like Pelli.