Lots of talk in this forum about buildings that have been demolished over the years that perhaps should not have been. Eaton's, The Starland and the McIntyre block are obvious examples. These were well-loved buildings, that have been, and will be missed.
But what are some buildings that people here think SHOULD come down, and why?
Two jump to mind for me, and both for the very same reason: The Osborne Village Motor Hotel and The Sherbrook Inn. Both are fairly seedy establishments smack-dab in the middle of desirable, urban neighborhoods. I think there's a place for joints like this, but just not in these locations. They scare people away.
There's not a lot of buildings that I can think off off hand that I want to see come down for the sake of coming down. Every building that comes down means another empty hole in the urban landscape.<br> <br> The Sherbrook would actually be nice if fixed up. It has a swimming pool on the roof and banquet facilities downstairs - both unused and the banquet rooms have been flooded for years. Given that it sits between Wolsely and a rejuvenating West Broadway it could become a decent neighbourhood hotel / hostel seniors living place. It's just that the owner cares only about vendor and vlt revenue. <br> <br> I assume the desire to tear down the building is because of the clientèle it attracts and the way the owner treats it ? Not sure if that's a great criteria for demolishing a building. An empty lot sitting in its place might make some people feel good for giving some folks one less place to drink but it hardly does much beyond that.<br> <br>
You're right. Empty lots are worse than the seediest of buildings.
As this is all just wishful thinking, I should have added that part of the fantasy of these buildings being demolished is to make way for something much, much better. I imagine demand for both residential and commercial would be quite high on all of the lots mentioned in this thread, especially The Sherbrook, The Osborne Village Motor Hotel and the Corydon MTS building.
<blockquote><cite>Posted By: mrchristian</cite>The Sherbrook would actually be nice if fixed up. It has a swimming pool on the roof and banquet facilities downstairs - both unused and the banquet rooms have been flooded for years. Given that it sits between Wolsely and a rejuvenating West Broadway it could become a decent neighbourhood hotel / hostel seniors living place. It's just that the owner cares only about vendor and vlt revenue.<p>
I assume the desire to tear down the building is because of the clientèle it attracts and the way the owner treats it ? Not sure if that's a great criteria for demolishing a building. An empty lot sitting in its place might make some people feel good for giving some folks one less place to drink but it hardly does much beyond that.</blockquote><p>
I have to agree with you. The work that Hostelling International did on the old Gordon Downtowner shows the impact of redevelopment as opposed to demolition.<p>
If someone bought the Sherbrook, found some use for the space and closed down the vendors and VLT's (which is what the LO Pub did), I think the area would benefit far more than it would from a vacant lot.
I'll also add to the mix - any vacant and derelict houses throughout the city. Get rid of the potential for fire hazards and drug houses, and allow (read: give incentive to) someone to rebuild a home.
Osborne Village Motor Hotel was built as Champs Motor Inn (Champs had the original KFC franchise for this area). It was a product of the times and although it was never an architectural masterpiece it was an improvement to the Osborne St area when it was built roughly 50 years ago. Don't forget the Osborne strip has evolved into the in-your-face congested commercial strip today from a pleasant urban retail block of stores catering to a mostly residential neighborhood. As the area changed, so did the face of Osborne.
I agree with the Sherbrook Inn; I wish I had a few million dollars, I'd love to buy that place and turn the place into condos. Doing anything with that place would have a tremendous effect on the area.
The only reason it stays as it is, is because the VLTs pull in a lot of money.
Even though I spontaneously twitch every time I see both City Hall and the Public Safety Building, I'd like to see those buildings preserved--as they are. Architecturally speaking (along with the old airport terminal, the Russell Building at the U of M, and a handful of others), these buildings make up a pretty fascinating body of modernist thinking.
When I was working at city hall I came to appreciate it more - especially the council building. Part of the issue with that complex is that it never was finished. There were to be glassed in areas on each of the protrusions from the Admin building and more done with the courtyard. A new, clear, set of windows on the admin building when it comes time to replace them would do wonders for the look of the place.
centennial hall at UW was award winning back in its day. it, too, had last minute changes made to it and the need for extra space led them to close in windowed areas and "reclaim" balcony areas for offices and now it's more of a tin box than anything.
City hall and Council building suit that part of main street. Dull . cold, expressionless architecture. But, they'll be there for a long long while and the original architect doesn't want anything changed.
<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Mr. Nobody</cite>City hall and Council building suit that part of main street. Dull . cold, expressionless architecture. But, they'll be there for a long long while and the original architect doesn't want anything changed.</blockquote>
That is a matter of personal opinion. Some people hate moving forward into the future and would rather sit in the past kicking and screaming (and this just not about architecture).
It is time to look forward with new designs instead of building everything "like it used to be" in some sort of cheesy homage to the past.
Pick up a copy of Dwell magazine there are some breathtaking post modern designs popping up these days. Even some that are well integrated into older buildings.