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New book: Unbuilt Victoria


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#21 aastra

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Posted 22 May 2012 - 09:42 AM

I don't necessarily agree with some of the sentiments expressed by the author (for example, Vancouver actually has a huge collection of historic buildings left, despite the popular misconception to the contrary that seems to prevail in Victoria). But it's still a worthy addition to the collection. Did y'all know about the conference centre & towers proposed for Bay and Government?

#22 G-Man

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Posted 22 May 2012 - 10:30 AM

Nope! What was that all about? Which property?

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#23 Sparky

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Posted 22 May 2012 - 11:45 AM

Did y'all know about the conference centre & towers proposed for Bay and Government?


Interesting story about John Mace the developer that renovated the old hydro building and also proposed the conference centre towers.

After he turned the old building into offices, he could not find anyone that would rent them. He ended up by loosing that building to the mortgage holder who I believe was West Coast Savings.

West Coast leased that building to the provincial government a short time later.

I can't remember John Mace ever doing another project in Victoria after that.

#24 LJ

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Posted 22 May 2012 - 07:38 PM

Is that the building on the southeast corner with all the ivy growing on it?

I was by there the other day and was wondering what building it was.

Is the government still using it?
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#25 Sparky

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Posted 22 May 2012 - 09:36 PM

Is that the building on the southeast corner with all the ivy growing on it?

I was by there the other day and was wondering what building it was.

Is the government still using it?


Yes, that's the building. I am not sure if BC Forests still rent some space there or not. They do show up when I Google 637 Bay street but that could be old info.

#26 aastra

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Posted 26 May 2012 - 11:57 AM

Methinks that Laurel Point Bridge sure would have changed Victoria if it had happened. Could the floatplanes co-exist with such a bridge? Could the Coho have passed under it?

#27 UrbanRail

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 06:53 PM

I received the book. Its quite the read. Several of the proposals for the Reid site on Wharf St are interesting and its too bad that still nothing has happened on that site.

#28 D.L.

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Posted 02 August 2012 - 02:21 AM

Damn, I forgot to pick up a copy of the book when I was in Victoria in May...!


Anyways, here's another unbuilt -

Proposed extension to nurses residence and training school, Royal Jubilee Hospital - http://searcharchive...victoria-b-c;dc (click the image on that page for large version)

Looking at the building in the background-right I'd place this old proposal on this parking lot - http://www.bing.com/...y=b&form=LMLTCC

It has a similar facade treatment to a small addition to the hospital which was built, also overlooking that parking lot.

#29 Szeven

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Posted 02 August 2012 - 06:18 AM

There was quite a funny exchange on 91.3FM because they wanted to get the author on the morning show but couldn't find her contact information. Jason Lamb searched online, looked for websites, and eventually found someone who knew her and had her phone number. He called her and told her how hard she was to locate, and she said "I am in the phone book!" Funny moment given today's technology world!

#30 D.L.

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Posted 02 August 2012 - 10:10 AM

What's a phone book?

#31 Lover Fighter

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Posted 04 November 2012 - 07:52 PM

It seems Mindenhall will be giving a presentation on "Unbuilt Victoria" as part of the Hallmark Society's general meeting on December 3rd. I found the book interesting, but I imagine the presentation will be a summary of the book.

#32 D.L.

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Posted 04 November 2012 - 11:26 PM

Hey, reminds me, now that I am back in town I should pick up a copy

#33 UrbanRail

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Posted 05 November 2012 - 09:01 PM

A quote from 1968 from architect John Wade. The city, he said " loses many fine projects simply because it takes too long to approve them"

#34 Nparker

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Posted 05 November 2012 - 10:21 PM

A quote from 1968 from architect John Wade. The city, he said " loses many fine projects simply because it takes too long to approve them"


"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" :whyme:

#35 Holden West

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Posted 05 November 2012 - 10:26 PM

A quote from 1968 from architect John Wade. The city, he said " loses many fine projects simply because it takes too long to approve them"


You cannot deny the flip side of that statement--that some truly awful proposals were never built because it took too long to approve them.
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#36 UrbanRail

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Posted 06 November 2012 - 12:01 AM

You cannot deny the flip side of that statement--that some truly awful proposals were never built because it took too long to approve them.


I totally agree, many of the proposals from the book especially within the downtown core would have negatively changed it for the worst. Its interesting to note, that the land around the inner harbour hasnt changed in the 22 years since the first harbour plan was drafted in 1990. Some of the modern proposals for Wharf st should have been built.

#37 Nparker

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Posted 13 April 2016 - 02:43 PM

Unbuilt Victoria on a global scale: http://www.cnn.com/2...uilt/index.html



#38 G-Man

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Posted 27 July 2016 - 06:29 PM

Not sure if this is the best spot for this but I am working on a blog post about Lower Johnson and have been trying to find plans that the city did up about 15 or more years ago for the parking lot that is behind the buildings at the south eastern part of the 500 block. The idea was to basically turn the space into a parkette. Anyone have any memories of this that I could use to further my research?


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#39 Rob Randall

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Posted 27 July 2016 - 10:49 PM

Maybe it was a DeHoog plan before he split from D'Ambrosio and joined Kierulf. I remember seeing the site plan in someone's office years ago. It connected all the alleys in that block. It would have been fantastic.



#40 Mike K.

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Posted 28 July 2016 - 06:21 AM

Yeah, I remember that D'Ambrosio had something to do with it.

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