Circa 1877 (née Brick Brewery) | 20 fl | Complete

[eizenstriet]

The Brick Brewery building will one way or the other be part of this development. There is no way the City could stand the embarrassment of allowing the demolition of one of Waterloo’s very few remaining historic Uptown anchors. Even recent converts to architectural conservancy in the form of the Brick and Beam Workforce would be crying “Foul”.

So to make necessity a virtue, why doesn’t the developer come up with a design which capitalizes upon the cachet of the historic structure and draws a thematic link to it? It wouldn’t take much and wouldn’t give up much. I’m no designer, but even some yellow brick accents in the new build could be a link. The published render sends the message: “We have to keep this crummy relic, but we really want to build a Toronto Glass Tower, so behold a Glass Tower squatting on a crummy relic! – with a pretend relic on the other side for balance!" I’m also no couturier, but I don’t wear plaid pants and a paisley shirt together.

Surface "textures" seem to be going out of fashion. But I don’t see why a sleek modern structure can’t have some texture besides glass and spandrel. The Marsland Centre isn’t a fusty antique, and it gets some visual character from it’s pink stone accents. (Actually, upon close inspection, the recent addition is legitimate pink granite, and the original structure has a sort of terrazzo-like imitation pink granite, but…) I think it has always been an attractive modern landmark.

I know there are posters to this forum who have architectural training, so help me out here! How could the Brewery Tower be improved? I will take advice from any architect who wears the requisite black ensemble with pointy shoes. Any who fancy plaid pants with a paisley shirt and clogs need not apply.