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  #2401  
Old Posted Jan 17, 2014, 5:52 AM
lio45 lio45 is online now
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Looks fantastic. The first pic is exactly what I recalled and expected to see... I was pretty sure I remembered a cluster of buildings that shared materials and style with this Morse's Teas building (which was alone in that recently-posted pic).

(Even though, obviously, having traded its original roof style for two extra stories is a significant architectural change...)
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  #2402  
Old Posted Jan 18, 2014, 10:14 PM
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Originally Posted by lio45 View Post
(Even though, obviously, having traded its original roof style for two extra stories is a significant architectural change...)
The darker stone is called ironstone. I think it is just the pyritic slate that's under this part of town. It was used a lot prior to about 1850, although a lot of older buildings have only ironstone firewalls or foundations and sandstone fronts. Dalhousie also has a bunch of buildings built with ironstone around 1900, probably in an attempt to make them look older. Wallace stone (from Northern NS) was considered nicer so as time went on more and more buildings were built out of sandstone quarried there.

The brick top of Morse's Teas was added in the early 1900's and the base is from circa 1840.

Keith's Brewery (1820) is another nice ironstone building:



Keith Hall, next to the brewery, is in the process of being restored and it will probably be wonderful when complete.

The Cavalier building in the Citadel courtyard is another great one.

As you can probably tell I really like these buildings (much more so than the office towers there, which I don't think are actually that interesting or exceptional).
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  #2403  
Old Posted Jan 18, 2014, 10:41 PM
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WOW! I knew it said "established 1820" on the labels, but I had no idea they were still in their original building!!!

From now on I won't ever be buying any beer except Alexander Keith's when I'm in Canada, knowing that part of my money is going to serve for the upkeep of that gorgeous nearly bicentenarian building. (I'm not much of a beer drinker, while I'm a huge fan of architectural heritage, so they have got my loyalty from now on!)
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  #2404  
Old Posted Jan 18, 2014, 10:43 PM
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I too think Halifax's newer office towers are generally bland and nondescript, but at least it means the (sober) colors and materials tend to blend well with the heritage buildings.

I can't exactly put my finger on why, but your home town (I think it is... right?) pulls off mixing old and new very well, and I'm guessing that the fact the "new" isn't "in your face" but is instead reserved and bland might be part of it.


Edit: and thanks a lot for the ironstone info and background info on these buildings, and the extra pics!
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  #2405  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 12:42 AM
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Originally Posted by lio45 View Post
I can't exactly put my finger on why, but your home town (I think it is... right?) pulls off mixing old and new very well, and I'm guessing that the fact the "new" isn't "in your face" but is instead reserved and bland might be part of it.
The city also probably wouldn't work well without new buildings. It is too large/remote to be an exclusive tourist town, and a lot of people like it specifically because it's a real city.

The new buildings are also getting better and better over time. They were awful in the 90's, okay last decade, and now a bunch of the new ones are actually quite good.

I guess I could describe Halifax as my hometown, although I've lived in and grew up in a few different cities across Canada. I think I continue to like it and post about it now more because it's an interesting place (that typically tends to be somewhat forgotten about, or presented in a superficial fashion) than because I happened to live there for a long time. I definitely don't care for some of the crappy suburbs I lived in outside of Halifax.
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  #2406  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 10:42 AM
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The city also probably wouldn't work well without new buildings. It is too large/remote to be an exclusive tourist town, and a lot of people like it specifically because it's a real city.

The new buildings are also getting better and better over time. They were awful in the 90's, okay last decade, and now a bunch of the new ones are actually quite good.

I guess I could describe Halifax as my hometown, although I've lived in and grew up in a few different cities across Canada. I think I continue to like it and post about it now more because it's an interesting place (that typically tends to be somewhat forgotten about, or presented in a superficial fashion) than because I happened to live there for a long time. I definitely don't care for some of the crappy suburbs I lived in outside of Halifax.
Vancouver's much bigger than Halifax and it still manages to be a tourist town
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  #2407  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 4:24 PM
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Vancouver's much bigger than Halifax and it still manages to be a tourist town
Don't be silly -- he said exclusive tourist town. Meaning that it would rely mostly on its looks to do so. St. Augustine, FL, or Carcassonne, France, come to mind (they're both more extreme example than a homogeneous, historic, perfectly preserved Halifax would likely be, but you get the point).

Paris, London, NYC, Tokyo are major "tourist towns" and are all much bigger than Vancouver, but they're FAR from relying only on tourism to exist.
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  #2408  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 4:32 PM
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PROVINCE OF QUEBEC ==> 9 000 000
MONTREAL METRO ==> 4 550 000
QUEBEC CITY METRO ==> 878 000
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  #2409  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 4:53 PM
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^^ I love the historic train station, but what the hell is that monstrosity behind it?
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  #2410  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 5:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse View Post
^^ I love the historic train station, but what the hell is that monstrosity behind it?
It has mixed uses.

The ground floor is used as a terminal for buses (Orléans express, greyhound etc...), it's actually connected to the old part of the train station. The other floors are used by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

Though, even if it's not beautiful, I think I've seen much worst.

They did an extension behind the 80's one, and it looks better.

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=ville+...5.09,,0,-16.98

But it's true that the architectural difference is brutal compared to the historic part.

There's actually a pretty nice tunnel Under :
(Joseph Samson tunnel)
https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=ville+...2.24,,0,-10.78
https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=ville+...49.68,,0,-9.75
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Last edited by FrAnKs; Jan 19, 2014 at 5:50 PM.
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  #2411  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 7:33 PM
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Brantford, ON, Pop. 94,000

Almost looks better than Kitcheners lol...jk



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  #2412  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 9:03 PM
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Originally Posted by FrAnKs View Post
...
Though, even if it's not beautiful, I think I've seen much worst.

They did an extension behind the 80's one, and it looks better.
...

But it's true that the architectural difference is brutal compared to the historic part.
...
Yes, if it was in a suburban office park or at least a few km outside the central city I'm sure it would be fine. It would still be a dull, non-descript, pomo hulk, but that's nothing unusual for contemporary NA.
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  #2413  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 9:11 PM
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That's not post-modernism, that's modernism or brutalism depending on the material. If it was a terrible copy of the train station with horrible proportions and half-assed details, thne it would be post-modernism.
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  #2414  
Old Posted Jan 19, 2014, 9:45 PM
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I'm afraid I don't agree. Remember that both Pomo and Brutalism are offshoots of modernism and basically represent the slow drift away away from the strict principles modernism. In Pomo's case it was a drift back into the realm of ornamentation, and in Brutalism's case it was a drift away from Modernism's lightness and open-ness to allow for the use of heavy concrete as a lower cost material.

Pomo doesn't have any strict visual cues found in other architectural styles (since it's such a far reaching style that it really isn't a "style" so much as it's a design category). It's somewhat of a cliché that Pomo is characterised by the often vulgar retro-references that appear later in the movement. Earlier versions are basically modernism that just happens to not adhere as strictly to the simplicity and form-follows-function mantra of original Modernism. Buildings like Scotia Plaza, and the famous Bank of China building in HK (designed by I.M. Pei) are both categorized as Pomo.

In this building's case, it's mainly Modern, but the massing, shape, glass pyramid on the podium, etc. do not adhere strictly enough to true modernism.

Take a look at some of the examples of Pomo. Some you may find surprising. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...re_by_location
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Last edited by Nouvellecosse; Jan 20, 2014 at 12:12 AM.
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  #2415  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2014, 6:13 AM
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Fort McMurray

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  #2416  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2014, 1:26 PM
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It doesn't look as far north as it is.
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  #2417  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2014, 1:34 PM
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Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador



City Hall



School of Fine Arts

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  #2418  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2014, 11:07 PM
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Wish I made it to Corner Brook when I was in NFLD!
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  #2419  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2014, 11:20 PM
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Rimouski's ice fishing village on the St. Lawrence
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  #2420  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2014, 11:34 PM
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That view makes Rimouski look a lot like Sherbrooke.



A couple more Fort McMurray...


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