Old Halifax - Page 39

OldDartmouthMark · #**761** Posted **Jun 5, 2018, 4:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

It was hardly quick. WDC should be condemned for taking so long to do much of anything with such a great opportunity. And when they finally got off their duffs and did so, some of the choices were/are highly questionable.

The building that replaced the empty lot in the left foreground is outrageously bad to have been approved for that location. Despite getting a few awards at the time, Bishop's Landing is an architectural mishmash of questionable finishes and far less than what it could/should have been. The area on the east side of Lower Water is still mostly surface parking, with the one difference being that the trees they planted along there decades ago are now mostly mature which makes it look less like a wasteland, but which is more of a commentary on the WDC's addiction to parking revenue and their glacial pace of redevelopment than anything worthy of praise.

The building from which this shot was taken (Waterfront Place) is 30 years old. Those surface lots were there for 10 or 15 years prior to that. We are actually approaching half a century with no development on a large part of this site. Hardly praise-worthy.

Not heaping praise, merely making a statement as to how the waterfront was changed completely from being a place of work and industry, as it had essentially been for a couple of centuries prior, to a barren wasteland having little function other than a place to temporarily park cars, all within a few decades. It's astounding to me, actually.

Where we are now is in transition to the waterfront being a place of leisure. We are not completely there yet, as alluded to, but we are on our way.

In the meantime, industrial parks were created to handle the type of business that once took place on the waterfront.

Frankly, my statement has nothing to do with your feelings about the WDC, or your discontent in general, just the complete changeover that I have been able to witness in my lifetime.

Keith P. · #**762** Posted **Jun 5, 2018, 6:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Not heaping praise, merely making a statement as to how the waterfront was changed completely from being a place of work and industry, as it had essentially been for a couple of centuries prior, to a barren wasteland having little function other than a place to temporarily park cars, all within a few decades. It's astounding to me, actually.

Where we are now is in transition to the waterfront being a place of leisure. We are not completely there yet, as alluded to, but we are on our way.

In the meantime, industrial parks were created to handle the type of business that once took place on the waterfront.

Frankly, my statement has nothing to do with your feelings about the WDC, or your discontent in general, just the complete changeover that I have been able to witness in my lifetime.

"Vastly transformed and improved" sure sounds like praise to me.

And since the WDC is responsible for that land, by extension one could be led to believe that your praise extended to their actions as well.

But I guess I am just discontented in general, eh?

OldDartmouthMark · #**763** Posted **Jun 5, 2018, 6:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith P.

"Vastly transformed and improved" sure sounds like praise to me.

And since the WDC is responsible for that land, by extension one could be led to believe that your praise extended to their actions as well.

But I guess I am just discontented in general, eh?

Well, you're generally discontented with virtually everything I post on this forum, so from my seat that's how it looks, unless you just like to argue.

Yup, it's my opinion that it has greatly improved over the blank landscape in the 1992 photo, but that's like the other posts saying that today's buildings are greatly improved over their 1970s counterparts, which is also a true statement. However, saying that something has improved over rock bottom isn't the same as heaping praise, at least not how I see it. We still have a long way to go before we reach the pinnacle, if we ever do.

But... it doesn't matter what I post, however, you'll find something to pick apart on it. So have at it... do what makes you happy.

JET · #**764** Posted **Jun 5, 2018, 6:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Well, you're generally discontented with virtually everything I post on this forum, so from my seat that's how it looks, unless you just like to argue.

Yup, it's my opinion that it has greatly improved over the blank landscape in the 1992 photo, but that's like the other posts saying that today's buildings are greatly improved over their 1970s counterparts, which is also a true statement. However, saying that something has improved over rock bottom isn't the same as heaping praise, at least not how I see it. We still have a long way to go before we reach the pinnacle, if we ever do.

But... it doesn't matter what I post, however, you'll find something to pick apart on it. So have at it... do what makes you happy.

But Mark, he used to quite like the cut of your jib, so not always discontent.

OldDartmouthMark · #**765** Posted **Jun 5, 2018, 6:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JET

But Mark, he used to quite like the cut of your jib, so not always discontent.

Sigh... how things change...

OldDartmouthMark · #**766** Posted **Jun 5, 2018, 7:43 PM**

Compared to google maps image, it looks like a few structures (and pathways) have disappeared from the Citadel over the years.

Google Maps

TheGreenBastard · #**767** Posted **Jun 6, 2018, 12:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Compared to google maps image, it looks like a few structures (and pathways) have disappeared from the Citadel over the years.

Google Maps

So much cleaner and nicer.

Looked like shit back then.

OldDartmouthMark · #**768** Posted **Jun 6, 2018, 1:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGreenBastard

So much cleaner and nicer.

Looked like shit back then.

Keep in mind that it was still in use by the military through the second world war, so being nice and clean looking was probably a lower priority than when it became a national park.

someone123 · #**769** Posted **Jul 7, 2018, 12:30 AM**

Canada section repost:

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

I am not sure how interesting these are at the Canada subforum level but a bunch of the Halifax pictures on that site are pretty interesting from a local historic perspective.

This shot shows a row of buildings that were all torn down in 1990 for an office building that was never built due to the recession/real estate market implosion:

Here's a view of the older part of the South End (no North End, Dartmouth, or other stuff on there). You can see the hotel that's still there but on the right just above the park is the Maritime Command building that served an important role in WWII but got demolished, I guess sometime around the 80's.

Deeper South End. The rowhouses in the lower left with the bay windows is pretty clearly masonry. There was a debate over what these are made out of because today they are covered in vinyl siding. You can also see the tanks that I believe were the old gas works that were around until the 1950's or so.

Taken during a narrow window of time when the Dominion Building was completed but the Custom House hadn't been torn down and the cupola hadn't been removed from the building next door. This is peak Bedford Row (1939-1955).

JET · #**770** Posted **Jul 16, 2018, 7:18 PM**

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...arch-1.4745815

cormiermax · #**771** Posted **Aug 4, 2018, 4:43 AM**

Found a treasure-trove of images here:
https://hiveminer.com/flickr_hvmnd.c...photo_type=250

OldDartmouthMark · #**772** Posted **Sep 26, 2018, 7:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

Canada section repost:

Great photos!

I haven't checked this thread in some time as I haven't been back to the board as much recently.

What is the source of these photos? I'd like to look and see what else is there.

Thanks!

OldDartmouthMark · #**773** Posted **Sep 27, 2018, 1:59 PM**

Here's another photo taken from the south end, looking northwest towards the Citadel, but the date isn't clear. The archives gives the date as 1820, which is impossible as photography didn't even start until later in the decade. I would guess the late 1800s/early 1900s range.

Halifax Public Archives

Jstaleness · #**774** Posted **Sep 27, 2018, 6:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Here's another photo taken from the south end, looking northwest towards the Citadel, but the date isn't clear. The archives gives the date as 1820, which is impossible as photography didn't even start until later in the decade. I would guess the late 1800s/early 1900s range.

Halifax Public Archives

I believe I see St. Matthew's United in it's current location and as per Wiki that was built sometime after 1857.

OldDartmouthMark · #**775** Posted **Sep 27, 2018, 7:49 PM**

Looking further in the archives site, I found a touched up version of what appears to be the same photo, dated 1924, so I'm inclined to believe it was taken around that time.

Quote:

Souvenir Folder of Halifax, Nova Scotia
Retrieval code: CR 6-034
1924

Halifax public archives

OldDartmouthMark · #**776** Posted **Nov 15, 2018, 11:06 PM**

Volvo assembly plant in Woodside taken in 1963. This building previously housed the Acadian Sugar Refinery.

Source

What it looks like today.

OldDartmouthMark · #**777** Posted **Nov 22, 2018, 1:46 PM**

I posted this in another thread, but figured it would be well placed in this one.

Found it on youtube, a video of Halifax in 1970. Quality is not so great, but it shows some interesting views, including of the Lord Nelson with the 1960s addition but without the more recent addition at the corner of Spring Garden and South Park, the old Birks building on Barrington, and the Tex Park which sat on the long-vacant lot which the failed Twisted Sisters proposal had been planned for.

1970 Halifax Nova Scotia

OldDartmouthMark · #**778** Posted **Nov 22, 2018, 2:07 PM**

Another interesting video on youtube of Sackville Downs:

Halifax Sackville Raceway 1955 - 1981

While technically not "Old Halifax", it was a well known track in the area and I figured there would be some interest.

ns_kid · #**779** Posted **Nov 22, 2018, 2:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I posted this in another thread, but figured it would be well placed in this one.

Found it on youtube, a video of Halifax in 1970. Quality is not so great, but it shows some interesting views, including of the Lord Nelson with the 1960s addition but without the more recent addition at the corner of Spring Garden and South Park, the old Birks building on Barrington, and the Tex Park which sat on the long-vacant lot which the failed Twisted Sisters proposal had been planned for.

1970 Halifax Nova Scotia

That is fascinating footage. It's unfortunate the film wasn't a bit cleaner. The film must have been shot before 1970, however, as the last trolleycoaches ran in the wee hours of January 1, 1970.

OldDartmouthMark · #**780** Posted **Nov 22, 2018, 3:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ns_kid

That is fascinating footage. It's unfortunate the film wasn't a bit cleaner. The film must have been shot before 1970, however, as the last trolleycoaches ran in the wee hours of January 1, 1970.

I suspect you are correct on the year, as it was discussed in the 6009 - 6017 Quinpool thread that the branding for B/A was changed over to Gulf Oil Canada Limited on Jan 1, 1969. The parking garage in that video is still branded as B/A, but even given perhaps a delay in changing signage it still wouldn't have extended into 1970, as the video labelling suggests.