Glowing amethyst sidewalks coming soon to Hudson project entrances
As the redevelopment of the old Hudson’s Bay Company department store nears completion, the project proponent is readying to re-introduce a nearly forgotten element of Victoria’s urban heritage.
Back in 2007 Townline Properties of Vancouver wowed crowds of curious Victorians, who at the time were taking in the future plans for the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) property in downtown Victoria, with promises of glowing purple amethyst sidewalks once again gracing the perimeter of the property.
Although the idea to install the amethyst blocks along the entire perimeter was dropped, the unique throwback to Victoria’s heritage will soon appear in the sidewalks at the Douglas and Fisgard street commercial entrances and at the new residential entrance on the east side of the building.
The recently exposed facade of the historic Hudson's Bay Company department store will soon be joined by a "sidewalk" tradition from around the time the original building was constructed. Photo © by VibrantVictoria.ca.
“We are waiting for the panels to be completed in Florida,” said Bob Pearce, a representative of the project with Townline Properties.
“We may need to install some temporary infill panels in the interim, although the real panels will be installed as soon as they arrive,” Pearce added.
The American company hired to supply the amethyst is re-creating the blocks to appear nearly identical to the originals, some of which, albeit sans glow and in poor condition, can still be seen on downtown sidewalks.
Sales remain fairly strong at The Hudson, the first of several residential phases of the entire HBC property. Approximately 60% of the building’s residential units have sold, and word is still out on a future commercial anchor tenant for the project.
To learn more about The Hudson project, view VibrantVictoria’s Construction Projects list entry here. To discuss The Hudson and stay up to date on the latest news affecting the project, click here.
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Responses to this Headline or Article
The five most recent replies to VibrantVictoria.ca's discussion forum's [Downtown Victoria] The Hudson condo | HBC block redevelopment; Phase 1 | 6-storeys | Completed in 2010 thread, the most relevant thread to the above headline or article:
Mike K.
Dec 30, 2011 at 12:49 pmI doubt it considering Holden's thoughts/musings were posted in 2009 :)
This could be legit considering this is the first time we've actually been exposed to an actual operator, not just the "more info coming soon" promises we've heard over the years from Townline.
Kapten Kapsell
Dec 30, 2011 at 5:09 pmQuote: Well, for whatever it's worth, the other "rumoured" tenants discussed on VV eventually came to fruition. Thrifty Foods is owned by Sobey's which has a variety of different grocery store chains under its command so I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that a more urban/upscale brand is eyed for the space.
In any case, this is great news for downtown!
And Sobey's has a number of "Urban Fresh" stores in downtown Toronto...
seymour201
Jan 17, 2012 at 4:06 pmCan't find if there was a seperate Smokin Bones thread, but according to this:
sdwright.vic
Jan 17, 2012 at 4:57 pmSo hope a prime retail location does not become a farmers market...
spanky123
Jan 17, 2012 at 6:02 pmQuote: Can't find if there was a seperate Smokin Bones thread, but according to this:http://guiltykitchen.com/2012/01/17/smoken-bones-cookshack-the-rebirth-of-a-restaurant/ post they are opening on the 19th of Jan.
Walked by there the other day and a worker said the opening was delayed until February. Maybe they put on a last minute rush!
