725 replies to this topic

[Baro]

I've heard nothing but rumours, but the common rumour seems to be something about a daughter with a severe drug problem inheriting the building and business and putting most of it up her nose, and just hasn't been in the mental condition to sell or do anything with the building ever since.

[Sparky]

Just went by there yesterday. There are no words to describe how disgusted and horrifying the sight was. Go look for yourself. Outside I saw one rat come out from under a concrete slab that was broken. ok, that's kind of brazen in the middle of the day...just one eh? But inside Turner's..oh my, I've never seen sooooo many rats in one room. They are climbing around everywhere!! They've eaten holes into all the walls and are basically using the place as a rat party palace.

Does anyone know about this? Shouldn't the city do something about it? This is friggin' reDONKulous!

Thanks for the heads up slinkyo.....I am in charge of the buildings and grounds next door at the 2020 Richmond Medical Building.

I have already shared your post with the strata council and we will be all over this first thing in the morning.

[Sparky]

I've heard nothing but rumours, but the common rumour seems to be something about a daughter with a severe drug problem inheriting the building and business and putting most of it up her nose, and just hasn't been in the mental condition to sell or do anything with the building ever since.

There is also an abandoned house next door that belongs to the family. Probably more rats there as well.

[aastra]

It would be so easy to build something terrific there. That entire intersection is a bunch of terrific just waiting to happen.

[Matt R.]

As long as the signage is kept. Everyone wants that space.

Matt.

[Bingo]

As long as the signage is kept. Everyone wants that space.
Matt.

The neon sign is the only thing that is heritage about the site, and it is hanging by a thread.

[Baro]

I'd be totally fine seeing the thing demolished and a new building put up, so long as it's a great building. Maybe even have a callback to the curved corner. Some nice 4 story retail/condo or professional building

[D.L.]

I nominate Paul Merrick as architect.

[Holden West]

The opportunity to build on a triangle-shaped lot is a prized rarity. I'm sure any architect would love to put up their own version of a flat-iron building. Although the area is semi-residential, I don't think there is much need to have a building that would "blend in" (what the neighbours would say is a different matter). There is great potential for a dynamic low-rise building. I would nominate Franc D'Ambrosio for the job.

[aastra]

5 residential stories should be no problem around there. There's an older 6-story apartment block across Fort and a bunch of 4-story ones around.

[Holden West]

^Victorians want landmark buildings that blend in invisibly.

[Baro]

http://maps.google.c...234.9,,0,-11.75

And what architectural peers this building has. The style MUST be aped.

[Nparker]

And what architectural peers this building has. The style MUST be aped.

It's sort of modified-brutalism aka "late-70's drab". It's pretty non-offensive in that it doesn't really try to be anything. In other words the perfect Victoria architectural style.

[Sparky]

^ There is not much one can do at this point to change the style. We have however spent a lot of money on the leaky concrete, the landscaping, the interior finishes and mechanical items. The next step is to redo some of the thermopane windows and give it a good powerwash.

It is very similar to the Rotheringham building at the corner of Blanshard and Pandora.

It is what it is.

[Nparker]

To be fair I don't actually think it is an ugly building, and calling it a form of Brutalism* is no insult. There are plenty of worse buildings around town; all of the Songhees pre-2000 and Tuscany Village come to mind.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture

[G-Man]

I actually like that building. It is very cool for its era. With some leasing changes and the removal of the ground level plant boxes in exchange for sidewalk retail it would be great. To harp on this building when these are all within a block:

httphttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=Fort+St+%26+Richmond+Ave,+Victoria,+Capital+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V8R+4P9,+Canada&hl=en&ll=48.429391,-123.330615&spn=0.000014,0.021136&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=52.505328,119.179687&vpsrc=0&geocode=FY_44gIdaCGm-A&t=h&layer=c&cbll=48.429391,-123.330615&panoid=WYPNaxKUJ8haICSOhdGY0Q&cbp=12,10.94,,0,0.09&z=16://

http://maps.google.c...25,,0,6.58&z=16

[aastra]

Didn't they do some major work on those plant boxes just recently? Did I imagine that?

[Sparky]

Didn't they do some major work on those plant boxes just recently? Did I imagine that?

If you are refering to 2020 Richmond in a word, yes. (I am the "they")

There were waterproof membranes installed over the footprint of the parkade below that included the planters. This membrane had failed and water was seeping into the concrete below.

We jack hammered up all of the surface concrete, dug out the existing dirt and plants, installed a new membrane over the entire site, and then replaced the soil along with a new selection of plants and trees, and installed new pavers over the walkways.

All of the concrete that was damaged inside the parkade was dug out and replaced, any rusted rebar was replaced with stainless steel. We then installed a liquid membrane on the suspended slab of the first parking level.

Property values for the strata owners increased 50% in 24 months.

[Nparker]

It's a shame you had to do all that work Sparky when, as G-man suggested, opening the ground level up to some sort of retail or street access would have been a nice change. Still it has a pretty, suburban feel to it, even if I personally loath ground floor office space.

[Sparky]

^ There is a pharmacy on the ground floor, but in all fairness there is not a lot of foot traffic in the neighborhood.

We did make a huge improvement with the landscaping in the planters though.






While I was there I thought I'd grab a shot of the signs that everybody likes next door.