Halifax's booming population puts a squeeze on performance venues

[pchipman]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

Of course Women contribute to the Economy. I said that Men BUILT the Country.

I think it should be made clear that a whole lot of different people built the country, not only men. Yes, clearly the role of men was substantial and should be celebrated, but to fully dismiss the role of all others is ignorant. It doesn't seem that we men are suffering in any disproportionate way, so why criticize the celebration of others?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by pchipman

I think it should be made clear that a whole lot of different people built the country, not only men. Yes, clearly the role of men was substantial and should be celebrated, but to fully dismiss the role of all others is ignorant. It doesn't seem that we men are suffering in any disproportionate way, so why criticize the celebration of others?

I think the point that you are missing is that the identity politics largely brought into play by the current federal government often has the effect of pushing some groups down, rather than raising everybody up. You can see this phenomenon often in the words and actions of some SJW groups. Instead of accomplishing a better life for everybody, it tends to create divisiveness and bad feelings, that in some cases worsen the issue, rather than improve it. I can't speak for Dartguard, but my impression is that he, like many other Canadians, is tired of the divisiveness.

[Dartguard]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I think the point that you are missing is that the identity politics largely brought into play by the current federal government often has the effect of pushing some groups down, rather than raising everybody up. You can see this phenomenon often in the words and actions of some SJW groups. Instead of accomplishing a better life for everybody, it tends to create divisiveness and bad feelings, that in some cases worsen the issue, rather than improve it. I can't speak for Dartguard, but my impression is that he, like many other Canadians, is tired of the divisiveness.

Yup, and not just me. I travel all over Atlantic Canada and there is a pall over folks, an anxiety that is hanging around.Hope has been chased away.

[pchipman]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I think the point that you are missing is that the identity politics largely brought into play by the current federal government often has the effect of pushing some groups down, rather than raising everybody up. You can see this phenomenon often in the words and actions of some SJW groups. Instead of accomplishing a better life for everybody, it tends to create divisiveness and bad feelings, that in some cases worsen the issue, rather than improve it. I can't speak for Dartguard, but my impression is that he, like many other Canadians, is tired of the divisiveness.

Fair enough, though as a white man I haven't experienced a tangible loss of rights or freedoms, so I have a hard time connecting with this narrative. The 'examples' provided by Dartguard are unclear and have been refuted by others on this forum. In the absence of any evidence of concrete harms being directed towards men in particular, all I see is are emotional reactions to a perceived loss of privilege.

Anyway, that's my

[pchipman]

Anyway, getting back to the thread topic...outgrowing the current crop of performance venues is a bit of a good problem to have, though this would really limit the growth and expression of Nova Scotian culture if alternative spaces aren't created soon.

A concert hall on the waterfront would be ideal, though perhaps unlikely. What is the current state of the Salter St. lot development? Incorporating a performance space into an eventual signature development would be a major addition to the city.

[rdaner]

Great thread. Just a note from Toronto. The same pressures on venues is being felt here. One of the things that I have noticed is that smaller venues are popping up on the edge of the pre ww2 city in older warehouses and even auto body shops. Also colleges and universities are picking up slack by uprgrading or building new venues often with several halls of various sizes.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Interesting that this has happened in Toronto as well. Our more 'experienced' members will remember that smaller performance venues used to be ubiquitous in Halifax in the 1980s and 1990s, but seemed to drop off coinciding with the fall of the music industry due to 'free music' on the internet. There were a few cabarets (basically large bars with a stage and capacity to hold small-capacity concerts) that disappeared around the same time.

We've never really had a great medium-sized facility, though I would offer that the Cohn comes close to fulfilling that need, but teeters on the edge of being too large for smaller acts and too small for more prominent acts. Personally, I thought that the conversion of the Oxford Theatre to a climbing gym to be somewhat of a missed opportunity for an attractive small/medium performance venue.

I like the idea of converting older industrial-type buildings into performance venues, though at the moment I'm struggling to think of one in Halifax with that potential. The focus on this point is mainly to occupy any available location with housing, while curiously still limiting building height in most areas.

[Empire]

The Kempt Rd. area might have industrial buildings that could be converted to performance space. (maybe a car dealership)? This could accelerate more density development as well.

Last large performance venue in the Kempt Rd. area was the Misty Moon on Kempt Rd.

[ns_kid]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

We've never really had a great medium-sized facility, though I would offer that the Cohn comes close to fulfilling that need, but teeters on the edge of being too large for smaller acts and too small for more prominent acts. Personally, I thought that the conversion of the Oxford Theatre to a climbing gym to be somewhat of a missed opportunity for an attractive small/medium performance venue.

I agree with you, Mark, on the loss of the Oxford. Cineplex sold the building in 2017 with the stipulation it would not be reborn as a theatre: not just a missed opportunity but a deliberate assault on our cultural heritage.

It's not true that Halifax has never had a great medium-sized facility. The Capitol Theatre (1930-1974) on Barrington at Spring Garden was a venue of 1,980 seats with superb acoustics and grand appointments. I think of its loss as Halifax's Penn Station moment (Penn Station being the New York City landmark lost in 1963, spawning the historic preservation movement in that city.) Sadly the city had the opportunity to protect the Capitol, and ensure the auditorium was incorporated within the new Maritime Centre. In fact, city council voted to do so, before reversing itself.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Dartguard

Yup, and not just me. I travel all over Atlantic Canada and there is a pall over folks, an anxiety that is hanging around. Hope has been chased away.

There is a Canada Politics thread where almost everyone agrees. Including many former (L) liberals.

Halifax's population growth is an issue for sure but blaming one man seems silly. Isn't it still mostly positive including for the live music scene?

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

The Capitol Theatre (1930-1974) on Barrington at Spring Garden was a venue of 1,980 seats with superb acoustics and grand appointments. I think of its loss as Halifax's Penn Station moment (Penn Station being the New York City landmark lost in 1963, spawning the historic preservation movement in that city.) Sadly the city had the opportunity to protect the Capitol, and ensure the auditorium was incorporated within the new Maritime Centre. In fact, city council voted to do so, before reversing itself.

Yes, an absolute tragedy. And its demolition was widely (and appropriately) decried at the time, but it all fell on deaf ears.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by ns_kid

I agree with you, Mark, on the loss of the Oxford. Cineplex sold the building in 2017 with the stipulation it would not be reborn as a theatre: not just a missed opportunity but a deliberate assault on our cultural heritage.

It's not true that Halifax has never had a great medium-sized facility. The Capitol Theatre (1930-1974) on Barrington at Spring Garden was a venue of 1,980 seats with superb acoustics and grand appointments. I think of its loss as Halifax's Penn Station moment (Penn Station being the New York City landmark lost in 1963, spawning the historic preservation movement in that city.) Sadly the city had the opportunity to protect the Capitol, and ensure the auditorium was incorporated within the new Maritime Centre. In fact, city council voted to do so, before reversing itself.

Thanks, kid... I forgot about the Capitol, mainly because I don't have any direct recollections of it. I would have been just a kid myself when it was torn down, and spent most of my younger years on the Dartmouth side of the harbour (didn't get to the 'big city' much in those days... lol), so if I did visit there it's buried deep within the memory banks. Next time I think to discuss with my older siblings, I'll ask them if I ever went there... lol. From pics and what I've read, it did appear to be rather impressive, for li'l ol' Halifax. It's a shame that back then there wasn't a vision of how valuable our historic buildings could become, had the nicest of them been preserved through legislation. I guess we weren't there yet (still aren't actually)...

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Next time I think to discuss with my older siblings, I'll ask them if I ever went there... lol. From pics and what I've read, it did appear to be rather impressive, for li'l ol' Halifax.

It really was a terrific place to see a show, be it film or otherwise. I saw a lot of flicks there as a kid (Patton really sticks in my memory for some reason) and, come to think of it, the Capitol was the first place I ever saw April Wine live - it was early years for them at that point, shortly before or shortly after their move to Montreal.

[rdaner]

A question for Halifax based posters. The waterfront on the Purcell Cove's north shore on the Halifax Peninsula has always intrigued me by it's lack of development. Is there a reason as it seems like a great resource with tremendous potential.

Also I know of several cities in Europe and the Middle East that have larger venues on barges in the large bodies of water they lay beside. For example there are several multistorey barges on the Nile.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by rdaner

A question for Halifax based posters. The waterfront on the Purcell Cove's north shore on the Halifax Peninsula has always intrigued me by it's lack of development. Is there a reason as it seems like a great resource with tremendous potential.

I'm having a hard time placing this geography. There's no where on the Halifax Peninsula near Purcell's Cove that lacks development other than Point Pleasant Park which is undeveloped for obvious reasons. Unless you mean Purcell's Cove South Shore across from the Peninsula? Perhaps by north shore of Purcell's Cove you mean the community of PC rather than the body of water. If so, I suspect that area was difficult to develop since some of it is very rugged, hilly, and/or rocky so it didn't get developed as quickly as areas of Spryfield that are equally far by road from the peninsula (Spryfield was originally farmland). Plus Purcell's Cove Rd is narrow, winding, and has lots of hills making it poorly suited to high traffic volumes. And recently a big portion of the area land - twice the size of Point Pleasant has been protected as an urban wilderness park.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-...sale-1.5433325

[Saul Goode]

Originally Posted by rdaner

A question for Halifax based posters. The waterfront on the Purcell Cove's north shore on the Halifax Peninsula has always intrigued me by it's lack of development. Is there a reason as it seems like a great resource with tremendous potential.

It's not clear what area you're talking about. Purcell's Cove is not on the Halifax Peninsula.

[Musquodoboit County]

That's interesting about barges! I think Halifax would need to have such a barge sheltered from the choppy waves that come in from the ocean. Bedford waterfront might indeed be such a place. And of course lake banook would we calm enough however the barge would be locked into that particular lake. I guess the Bedford basin would probably be the only option. There's a few sites like harbour isle or birch cove and hey maybe the waterfronts of Halifax and Dartmouth would still work well. Just wouldn't want anyone getting seasick lol

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by rdaner

A question for Halifax based posters. The waterfront on the Purcell Cove's north shore on the Halifax Peninsula has always intrigued me by it's lack of development. Is there a reason as it seems like a great resource with tremendous potential.

Also I know of several cities in Europe and the Middle East that have larger venues on barges in the large bodies of water they lay beside. For example there are several multistorey barges on the Nile.

I assume you're talking about this area? https://maps.app.goo.gl/zsdUS5SmHHfzBLPy6

If so, it is developed, but in a more suburban/rural manner for whatever reason, most likely locality in comparison to the city, but there might be other reasons such as planning restrictions, etc. With no bridge over the Northwest Arm, and none in the plans AFIK, it is quite a drive from the more dense areas of the city, with not much capacity for traffic currently, so in terms of commutes to other parts of the city it's less desirable for increased density at the moment, though it is a beautiful area for those fortunate enough to be able to live there.

I suspect that in coming decades, as population continues to grow, the city will start to look at building up that area as expansion becomes necessary.

Regarding barges, can you give some examples? Whenever I think of barges as semi-permanent fixtures, all that comes to mind are some of the tacky casino barges in some areas of the US. I would be less than impressed to see stuff like that cluttering up our nice waterfront areas, but perhaps I just haven't seen one done well yet.

[Keith P.]

Here’s a pic of the interior of the Capitol Theater found on FB. Approximately 2,000 seats, demolished in 1974 to allow for construction of Maritime Centre.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Here’s a pic of the interior of the Capitol Theater found on FB. Approximately 2,000 seats, demolished in 1974 to allow for construction of Maritime Centre.

Such a loss.