<blockquote><cite>Posted By: mrchristian</cite>At the very least the Starland should be incorporated into the design with perhaps some space there for public use and other for the WRHA.</blockquote> The budget that was set for the project doesn't allow for that. Incorporating the Starland or the facade would cost too much. Given that this is tax money that we're talking about, I think the only alternative is to move the WRHA project to a different location.
<blockquote><cite>Posted By: cherenkov</cite><blockquote><cite>Posted By: mrchristian</cite>At the very least the Starland should be incorporated into the design with perhaps some space there for public use and other for the WRHA.</blockquote> The budget that was set for the project doesn't allow for that. Incorporating the Starland or the facade would cost too much. Given that this is tax money that we're talking about, I think the only alternative is to move the WRHA project to a different location.</blockquote> I do agree another location would be best but if you can kill tow birds with one stone.... I remember when Villa Cabrini was thinking of making an offer for teh Gas Station Theatre land to expand. One of the ideas was to build and include a theatre space in the building OR incorporate the existing gst into the plan. Either way, the Starland is not going to get redone without tax money due to its condition so it either gets done as a standalone project or tied in with an existing project taht would likely be a lot cheaper.
<I>Sounds like the recently renovated Grand Theatre and Velvet Restaurant in Calgary.<br> Theatre Junction At The Grand<br> Velvet At The Grand </I><br> <br> Interesting links, thanks. Those would be neat but perhaps wishful thinking for the Starland - the Met though...now that would be neat and given the downtown location might just fly. Nice to see. <br> <br>
Pretty interesting video of the restoration of the art-deco Fox Theatre in Spokane WA. My wife and I stayed at the hotel across the street and got a chance to walk around the outside of it last fall. Really neat building and I cant wait to see it finished.
hmmmm.....wonder if the same architect had a hand in these two ?<br> <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2026/2421763235_69a649f7e8.jpg?v=0"><br> <SM><I>Image:<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/christiansphotos">mrchristian </a> </SM></I><br> <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2236/2350567530_85ec8e19e2.jpg?v=0">
At least on the surface it doesn't seem so<br> <br> From http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/about/history.html Opened on October 26, 1921 designed by Cornelius and George Rapp for the Balaban and Katz theatre chain and was prototype for all their cinemas. <br> <br> The Rex was 1913 with an architect by the last name of Melville. <br> <br> I bet though witha bit of digging you'd find one. There was so much back and forth between the two cities by architects in those days....
The problem with saving either of these two theaters is their location. I don't hold any hope for their salvation given the leanings of the city administration that's currently in power. After all they allowed a theater (Capitol) designed by one of the world's leading theater architects and listed as a Heritage site to be demolished, so why would they be interested in anything in this part of town. A listing as a Heritage site means very little in this burg.
Just as an afterthought...Is this the ideal location for WRHA's proposed new headquarters building?
I don't think is the ideal site. MAybe on a sidestreet in the area. I think it's interesting how a sort of artsits village is forming there I think the theatre could one day see new life.
OK, people, I have seen all the "let's preserve" posts. But where have people been for the past 30 years? We have put tons of cash into the Concert Hall and MTC, The Playhouse and Walker were salvaged and renovated. The Met awaits a plan. Is there a market for any more such projects?
The Capitol has been an eye-sore for over a decade now.
If we could turn back the clock maybe MTC should have been built into the Starland or Epic. But it is too late now.
Let's face it - Nobody has come up with anything resembling a plan to save all these places. The city is saturated with venues of this size.
I am not happy about this but any cure is worse than the disease.
BUT for the first time in years there has been a non-government "grass roots" thing happening in this area. Private business, arts groups have been voluntarily moving into the area and, so far so good, might just have something going that is sustainable - they've done a decent job so far. It's not like there aren't 100 other places - even in that area -for a suburban office building to go rather than in the middle of the block where alll this artsist / small su=business stuff is happening. <br> <br>
Of course, include the WRHA building into the area but now that something is happening in the area don't come in and say - sorry, 30 years too late, surely.
Something along the lines of a mixed use facility or community theater group might do well in either the Starland or Epic buildings. They are a manageable size for such an operation. Unfortunately it's a little late now to promote that idea.
MTC used to hold their productions in the Dominion Theater on Portage East. They tore that down to build the Richardson Building. Long before that there was the Orpheum on Fort St. It was a huge theater, but it was torn down in the 40's. Even earlier there was the Winnipeg theater, also gone. They have a habit in this town of tearing down anything with any history to it.
The Capitol may have been an eyesore in it's final years, but you can put that down to the fact that Famous Players abandoned the place and then the city deliberately allowed it to deteriorate even further by cutting off the heat and failing to make much needed roof repairs, so there would be little reason to save it in the end. The Met came close to the same fate but it appears to have been bought from the city at the 11th hour, although the ultimate plan for it's future still hasn't been made public.
Speaking of the Met, what is going on in there? It seems like more often than not, you can see the lights on in the building. Are renos actually going to be starting?
<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Hollywood</cite> The Capitol has been an eye-sore for over a decade now. </blockquote> When was the last time you went downtown?
<blockquote><cite>Posted By: cancelbot</cite>Speaking of the Met, what is going on in there? It seems like more often than not, you can see the lights on in the building. Are renos actually going to be starting?</blockquote>
All my sources are telling me it's still on track to becoming a nightclub.
^ That's what I've been hearing too, but it doesn't look like construction/renos are really underway, i.e. there is no heavy equipment on site or other obvious signs that the project has begun in earnest. All you really see are lights on, one or two people going in or out, etc.
It's the same thing with the Avenue Building...there is enough isolated activity to lead me to believe that something is going on, but it's not like work crews have descended on it in full force to conduct renovations.