800 replies to this topic

[MarkoJ]

March 31st, 2019

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[MarkoJ]

April 14th, 2019

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[spanky123]

Seems like this project is progressing very slowly compared to others in the area.

[MarkoJ]

April 28th, 2019

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[Glen]

Hi Marko,

 

Does Customs house provide EV charging stations in any or all the parking areas?  If not, is it an option an how much.  Would you have any information?

[Jackerbie]

Full steam ahead on this one... they've been issued a noise exemption and will be allowed to work on the site on Sundays from 7am-5pm. The exemption expires at the end of the year.

[Rob Randall]

I don't think I've ever heard of a long-term noise bylaw exemption. 

[Jackerbie]

I don't think I've ever heard of a long-term noise bylaw exemption. 

 

They're few and far between, but there have been a couple. HP1 has an exemption until March 1 2021!

[Citified.ca]

A series of informative panels describing the history of the Customs House property in downtown Victoria, and notable events that occurred in its immediate area since the late 1800's, have been installed at the 816 Government Street construction site.

 

"Art gallery under the stars" tells of storied history at site of Victoria's luxury Customs House condo development

https://victoria.cit...do-development/

 

The builders at downtown Victoria’s most prominent construction site have unveiled a series of informative panels to contextualize the history of an architectural landmark undergoing a monumental transformation.

 

The merging of Old World architectural opulence with timeless modern design has become a focal point for millions of visitors who’ve encountered Cielo Properties’ Customs House luxury condominium project – rising along the 800-block of Government Street at the nexus of Victoria’s Legislative precinct and the Wharf Street harbourfront – centred on the restoration of a century-old sandstone façade regarded as an exemplary piece of the Capital’s built form.

 

“The Customs House, erected in 1914, is as important to Victoria’s urban fabric and its international image as the Smith Building is to Seattle or the Marine Building is to Vancouver,” said Craig Anderson, director of marketing and sales of Vancouver-based real-estate marketing firm Magnum Projects.

 

“Victoria’s Inner Harbour, as part of a visual familiar to so many from around the world, is comprised of the Legislature, the Empress Hotel, the Belmont Building and Customs House. These landmarks represent a timeless, and perhaps even a priceless, story of culture and history of one of the most prominent cities in North America. And that story is now adorned around the construction site to involve passersby in the history being made by Cielo Properties and Farmer Construction.” [Full article]

[aastra]

I'm a bit confused about the extent of the fire and the condition of the building afterward. This Empire Day parade pic is dated 1946 and the building in general still looks great (although you can't see the uppermost portion).

 

 

Daily Colonist
January 20, 1937
 

Fighting the $50,000 fire at Victoria Post Office

"This photograph illustrates the intensity of the blaze that caused heavy losses to Government offices last Monday midnight. The picture was taken when the fire was at its height and shows the flames being driven over the roofing by the wind. At the lefthand side is shown a stream of water from one of the pumpers being directed at the seat of the blaze from the ground on the south side of the building. The light in the windows is not fire, but a reflection thrown back from surrounding buildings."

 

The pic of the demolished building at the bottom of the panel is from ~20 years after the 1937 fire.

 

FYI: even before it was built there were concerns about the modern building that was to follow!! Check it out:

 

 

February 11, 1956

Building Plan "Spoils View"

The building now planned by the federal government on the site of the old post office on Government street would detract from the appearance of the inner harbor, the Capital Region Planning Board said yesterday.

The board proposed that the government should study the question further before proceeding with construction...

The building will house the customs and immigration departments.

"Earlier this year the Capital Region Planning Board considered the proposal of the federal government to demolish half of the old post office building and to reconstruction thereon a new building covering 100 per cent of the site. It is the opinion of the board that the project as presently conceived will detract from the appearance of the inner harbor and that it will be most unfortunate if it proceeds without further study.

...the board was essentially opposed to the design of the new building, not the site...

Edited by aastra, 26 June 2019 - 09:54 AM.

[Rob Randall]

I'll be damned if that's not a '55 Chevy in that photo of the supposed aftermath of the 1937 fire.

[aastra]

Yes, that pic is obviously from much later. Suffice it to say, it's confusing to include a late-1950s demolition pic in an info panel about a 1937 fire.

[Mike K.]

It depicts the 1956 demolition prior to the construction of the mid-century portion.

 

The caption reads: "In 1956 the federal government demolished the 1898 Post Office to make way for a modern building."

 

The caption also applies to the bottom image.

[aastra]

Ah, that explains it. As per his habit, Mike K. allows the controversy to boil a while before intervening.

 

VintageAirPhotos.com shows the condition of the building in 1951. The post office roof in the 1950s doesn't look all that different from the post office roof in the 1890s. I'd sure like to know more about the repairs after the 1937 fire if anybody here knows anything about it.

[MarkoJ]

June 30th, 2019

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[Redd42]

Ouch!

 

https://www.oakbayne...et-development/

[RustyNail]

Hmmm, from the photos it looks like the load dropped by the crane didn't fall on any part of the site that is actively under construction. Seems to have been dropped in a loading/staging area just outside the old building facade, almost on the road. No one hurt and the new building structure probably unharmed. That's good news at least.

Edited by RustyNail, 25 September 2019 - 04:09 PM.

[Mike K.]

🚔Witnesses Sought In Customs House Construction Site Arson🚔

Victoria, BC – Investigators are looking for witnesses after an early morning arson at a construction site that may have caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Just after 1 a.m. this morning, Victoria Fire Department firefighters and VicPD Patrol officers responded to a call for a fire at the construction site for the Customs House building, at 816 Government Street. VFD firefighters extinguished the fire, which appeared suspicious in nature. While there were no injuries, damage to equipment on site has the potential to cost tens of thousands of dollars. Victoria Police Detectives working in concert with Victoria Fire Department fire investigators believe that the fire was deliberately set.

Officers are looking to speak to any witnesses or people who may have knowledge about the fire.

If you have information about this incident, please call our non-emergency line at (250) 995-7654. You can report what you know anonymously by calling Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

[MarkoJ]

November 10th, 2019

 

[Mike K.]

Fresh photos, courtesy of the project team.