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General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours
(04-04-2015, 11:04 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: Don't forget, the much-lamented Lulu's was originally a Woolco.

Wow! The things you never knew you didn't know...
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(09-17-2014, 08:52 PM)Spokes Wrote: The lot at the corner of Weber and Scott streets downtown Kitchener is up for sale by CMA Reality

The interesting thing is that not only is the lot being sold, but the adjacent building (EIWO Canadian Building - (82 Weber Street East) is being sold with it.  And they must be sold together.  

This property was "re-zoned and approved to re-develop an 11 storey building with 120 units (condo/apartments) consisting of 10 floors residential and 1 floor commercial with 1 level underground parking and surface parking."

Looks like some demolition going on of the building at 83 Scott St today.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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(04-06-2015, 03:24 PM)Pheidippides Wrote:
(09-17-2014, 08:52 PM)Spokes Wrote: The lot at the corner of Weber and Scott streets downtown Kitchener is up for sale by CMA Reality

The interesting thing is that not only is the lot being sold, but the adjacent building (EIWO Canadian Building - (82 Weber Street East) is being sold with it.  And they must be sold together.  

This property was "re-zoned and approved to re-develop an 11 storey building with 120 units (condo/apartments) consisting of 10 floors residential and 1 floor commercial with 1 level underground parking and surface parking."

Looks like some demolition going on of the building at 83 Scott St today.

Do you mean the old rowhouses at the back of the lot?
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Westminster Palace is a faux Gothic structure built in the late 19th century. Recently it has come up that it requires $3 billion in repairs. Quite a few prominent voices in architecture have stepped in to suggest the whole thing should be grazed down and a new parliament be built elsewhere, possibly even outside London.

Now, I'm not saying I necessarily agree with all this, but it just goes to show how cities which are a lot more confident of their cultural heritage do not need to hang on to bad architecture simply because it's gauche.
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(04-06-2015, 03:24 PM)Pheidippides Wrote:
(09-17-2014, 08:52 PM)Spokes Wrote: The lot at the corner of Weber and Scott streets downtown Kitchener is up for sale by CMA Reality

The interesting thing is that not only is the lot being sold, but the adjacent building (EIWO Canadian Building - (82 Weber Street East) is being sold with it.  And they must be sold together.  

This property was "re-zoned and approved to re-develop an 11 storey building with 120 units (condo/apartments) consisting of 10 floors residential and 1 floor commercial with 1 level underground parking and surface parking."

Looks like some demolition going on of the building at 83 Scott St today.

83 or 82?  83 is on the opposite side of the road.
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(04-06-2015, 11:19 PM)BuildingScout Wrote: Westminster Palace is a faux Gothic structure built in the late 19th century. Recently it has come up that it requires $3 billion in repairs. Quite a few prominent voices in architecture have stepped in to suggest the whole thing should be grazed down and a new parliament be built elsewhere, possibly even outside London.

Now, I'm not saying I necessarily agree with all this, but it just goes to show how cities which are a lot more confident of their cultural heritage do not need to hang on to bad architecture simply because it's gauche.

London certainly could do that -- there a 100-year-old building is not particularly historically significant.

But "Westminster" is embedded pretty deeply into the national psyche, having been the seat of government for the better part of a millennium, so I suspect that in the end they will end up doing some kind of renovation, retaining at least most of the current structure.
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The British have done some remarkable thing architecturally around London, but I agree that I doubt that the Palace of Westminster could be easily remodeled without controversy.  The Germans did a sensitive restoration of the Reichstag building that included a very modern glass dome that ultimately didn't seem out of place.

[Image: Berlin_reichstag_west_panorama_2.jpg]

[Image: reichstag.jpg]

The Americans are also fixing up the Washington Capitol but going for a straight restoration.

It's nice to see the mixture of restoration and new builds in downtown Kitchener.  Hopefully this won't lead to the downtown becoming too monotonous.
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(04-06-2015, 04:48 PM)panamaniac Wrote:
(04-06-2015, 03:24 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: Looks like some demolition going on of the building at 83 Scott St today.

Do you mean the old rowhouses at the back of the lot?

I passed by today and the house facing Scott St has come down - I had assumed the whole row was protected, but it must just be the rowhouses facing Pearl St.  I wonder if this means that development is in the offing? 

The old Karges Appliances store on Charles St between Cedar and Madison is also being demolished today.  ion-related, I assume? 
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(04-08-2015, 12:02 PM)nms Wrote: The British have done some remarkable thing architecturally around London, but I agree that I doubt that the Palace of Westminster could be easily remodeled without controversy.

A big constraint on intensification in central London is the city's view management framework, which often severely curtails taller buildings that might change an existing view.
http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki..._Framework
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(04-08-2015, 03:29 PM)panamaniac Wrote:
(04-06-2015, 04:48 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Do you mean the old rowhouses at the back of the lot?

I passed by today and the house facing Scott St has come down - I had assumed the whole row was protected, but it must just be the rowhouses facing Pearl St.  I wonder if this means that development is in the offing? 

The old Karges Appliances store on Charles St between Cedar and Madison is also being demolished today.  ion-related, I assume? 

Is it indeed protected?  I thought they were going to come down, aren't they boarded up?
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(04-09-2015, 12:29 PM)Spokes Wrote:
(04-08-2015, 03:29 PM)panamaniac Wrote: I passed by today and the house facing Scott St has come down - I had assumed the whole row was protected, but it must just be the rowhouses facing Pearl St.  I wonder if this means that development is in the offing? 

The old Karges Appliances store on Charles St between Cedar and Madison is also being demolished today.  ion-related, I assume? 

Is it indeed protected?  I thought they were going to come down, aren't they boarded up?

They have all been boarded up for some time.  I thought that they were designated heritage buildings, but I could be wrong about that.  In this case, it wouldn't bother me to see them torn down - a future development with new townhouses fronting on Pearl Pl with an apartment tower fronting on Weber/Scott would be a big improvement, imho.  There are also better rowhouses in town that would be more worthy of saving, including the wonderfully named "Kramp Apartment" on Weber at Cedar. 
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I noticed today that the second floor of the old red brick building at 100 Ahrens St that houses the Opus II music store is undergoing renovation. Anybody know if this is space for the music store or is it new office space?
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In this old record article, I don't see anything about the rowhouse being protected. Only the house at 87 Scott Street. http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/25...-approved/
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That Record article vaguely rings a bell. I guess I was thinking of the two houses on Scott on either side of the entrance to Pearl Pl.
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(04-09-2015, 05:12 PM)Square Wrote: In this old record article, I don't see anything about the rowhouse being protected.  Only the house at 87 Scott Street.  http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/25...-approved/

Only 87 Scott and 91 Scott are protected.
http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhal...Y_2014.pdf
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