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One Young (née Mayfair Hotel) | 5 fl | Complete
#31
(04-17-2015, 09:44 AM)BuildingScout Wrote:
(04-17-2015, 09:23 AM)clasher Wrote: I'm sure it'll make a fine parking lot Wink

...which the heritage committee will be fighting to preserve one hundred years hence, they way they interpret their mission.

Don't laugh: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs...=SFTwitter
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#32
(04-17-2015, 04:00 PM)DHLawrence Wrote:
(04-17-2015, 09:44 AM)BuildingScout Wrote: ...which the heritage committee will be fighting to preserve one hundred years hence, they way they interpret their mission.

Don't laugh: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs...=SFTwitter

I for one, cannot wait until we as a society are at a point when car-centric features are a heritage feature...
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#33
(04-17-2015, 02:29 PM)JCnb Wrote: The City of Kitchener has a report on the Mayfair situation along with a link to the structural report and a number of interior photos of the damage. It seems that beyond the immediate collapse risk, the building had a number of structural deficiencies that would make a reuse of this building economically unfeasible vs. a demolition and rebuild.

http://kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/11young.asp

Definitely not a pretty sight.

[Image: 635647977555583526_Original.jpg]
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#34
I have the feeling that the fate of the Mayfair was sealed when the three storey addition was added in the 1920s. I understand that it came as a surprise when the grey brickwork that was exposed on the ground floor was found to be load-bearing. I don't think the original building was really fit to take that three storey addition. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the three storey eastern portion of the building can be saved.
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#35
(04-17-2015, 09:43 AM)panamaniac Wrote: Spokes, I'm not sure from your post if you know that the Mayfair site no longer belongs to Andrin.  Local Downtown landlord, Bernie Nimer, bought it a couple of years ago.  I don't think he is in the business of building new developments, so maybe a sale back to Andrin could be something we'll see in the future. 

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5564...neer-says/


Quote:Nimer said he's worked for 30 years taking "great care in preserving several historical properties in the city. The reality of this situation has just set in and all attention is on making the site safe. After that, we will focus on a new vision for this strategic corner and I am confident that what eventually is constructed will be a proud asset to this city."
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#36
And I must correct myself re Nimer and new developments. Apparently he did the building at King and College that houses the Shoppers Drug Mart.
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#37
(04-18-2015, 10:32 AM)panamaniac Wrote: And I must correct myself re Nimer and new developments.  Apparently he did the building at King and College that houses the Shoppers Drug Mart.

Which is the former King's College Cinema - it's not a brand new development, but just heavily restructured and with a new facade. I'm told that the old escalators are somewhere in the walls.
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#38
(04-18-2015, 01:02 PM)mpd618 Wrote:
(04-18-2015, 10:32 AM)panamaniac Wrote: And I must correct myself re Nimer and new developments.  Apparently he did the building at King and College that houses the Shoppers Drug Mart.

Which is the former King's College Cinema - it's not a brand new development, but just heavily restructured and with a new facade. I'm told that the old escalators are somewhere in the walls.

Still much more (and much different) than a restoration/renovation type of project -- basically they just reused the structure and built a new building within it (mostly -- some of the Shoppers Drug Mart floors are awfully squeaky!).

Hopefully Nimer will do something interesting on that corner.
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#39
(04-17-2015, 09:43 AM)panamaniac Wrote:
(04-17-2015, 07:28 AM)Spokes Wrote: Wow.  That came out of nowhere.

I wonder if they'll design the new building to match, or incorporate something totally new into the development.

Spokes, I'm not sure from your post if you know that the Mayfair site no longer belongs to Andrin.  Local Downtown landlord, Bernie Nimer, bought it a couple of years ago.  I don't think he is in the business of building new developments, so maybe a sale back to Andrin could be something we'll see in the future. 

I did know it'd been sold, but knew nothing about the new owner.  Thanks for the info.
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#40
I am going to call my alderman's office today to encourage him to look into whether the three storey eastern section of the Mayfair can't be preserved when the six story portion comes down. To me the brickwork of the King St façade is worth saving, if at all possible.
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#41
re lessons learned here, there's been speculation on what other buildings deserve attention next (James Howe suggests the Legion building), but what about the Electrohome building on Shanley?  That couldn't possibly last much longer can it?  There were articles about structural issues a year of two ago...
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#42
The Electrohome building on Shanley... I know that there is a fence around the base as the brick in the upper levels approaching the roof has bowed out and it is in danger of falling. It is my understanding that the grounds of the building are contaminated with something the City of Kitchener does not seem to be in a hurry to do anything about.

It appears to me that through their inaction on that building it is their hope the building will fall down.
_____________________________________
I used to be the mayor of sim city. I know what I am talking about.
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#43
(04-21-2015, 06:34 AM)Drake Wrote: The Electrohome building on Shanley... I know that there is a fence around the base as the brick in the upper levels approaching the roof has bowed out and it is in danger of falling. It is my understanding that the grounds of the building are contaminated with something the City of Kitchener does not seem to be in a hurry to do anything about.

It appears to me that through their inaction on that building it is their hope the building will fall down.

Now that's a nice building whose preservation I'd support. Sadly, from the Record:

"The property will not be cheap. In addition to the back taxes there is a large cleanup that must be completed by any new owners.

"The property is a notorious brownfield site. A chemical used to clean machine parts — trichloroethylene — contaminated the ground below the building and slowly moved north and west through the neighbourhood. "

p.s. while I'd prefer to save the facade of the Mayfair, I won't be particularly sad to see it go. Interestingly enough the two houses next to the Sun Life Building on King in Waterloo which in my opinion are more remarkable are slated for demolition and no one has said anything about it.
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#44
(04-21-2015, 06:34 AM)Drake Wrote: The Electrohome building on Shanley... I know that there is a fence around the base as the brick in the upper levels approaching the roof has bowed out and it is in danger of falling. It is my understanding that the grounds of the building are contaminated with something the City of Kitchener does not seem to be in a hurry to do anything about.

It appears to me that through their inaction on that building it is their hope the building will fall down.

It's such a mess that no one will touch it - see the link below re: the "toxic plumes" emanating from it underground - and apparently there is over $500k in back-taxes owing to the city. Likely waiting for the right environmental cleanup subsidy to come along so that someone can afford to take responsibility.

http://www.mrsvmiller.ca/Enviro%20Docs/H...actory.pdf
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#45
On Saturday I was looking at the Mayfair from Duke & Ontario and the facade is really the only thing worth saving IMO but I don't think it's worth risking lives and spending millions to do it. I would be happy to see something really modern and new on that corner too.

re: The Electrohome building on Shanely I doubt it will ever be cleaned up unless some level of government pays for most of it. It would make such a neat conversion if the site were clean, the loading docks (newer single storey addition) would make a nice cafe patio. They'd have to deal with a lower level of parking than most places seem to have but that's a plus in my books. I imagine they would just demolish the new part though and build something with a parkade on the bottom two floors. Who knows, but I don't see anything happening there for a long time. There's hope in bacteria that can degrade trichloroethylene but I guess there is a lot more work involved in actual remediation than just pouring some bacteria in the ground and calling it a day.
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