722 replies to this topic

[aastra]

Yates Street parkade, version 1.0:

 

 

pic from https://archives.vic...de-yates-street

 

*****

 

View Street parkade:

 

 

pic from https://archives.vic...ade-view-street

Edited by aastra, 03 May 2018 - 04:31 PM.

[aastra]

Nowadays people will flip when you do a tasteful restoration of an old building and then convert it to residential:

 

 

pic from https://archives.vic...tney-and-gordon

 

same site today...

Edited by aastra, 05 September 2019 - 03:53 PM.

[Nparker]

City archives has a picture of the little building that used to be on the corner of Douglas and Kings:

Reminds me a bit of this from my 'hood.

I wish someone would do a full restoration on it, or at least repair the windows and the peeling paint

[Bingo]

This old photo has a mountain in the background that appears to have been water-coloured in.

The present day Ocean Island Inn/Backpackers is seen at right.

 

 

Location fixed.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Bingo, 12 July 2018 - 03:42 PM.

[Mike K.]

Wow!

 

But isn't that Johnson at Blanshard?

[Nparker]

...The present day Ocean Island Inn/Backpackers is seen at right...

So this is the site of the Juliet building today; making it the corner of Johnson & BLANSHARD.

[Mike K.]

What's the building in the background partially obstructed by the Shell shell?

[Rob Randall]

^That's the old Red Lobster.

[Bingo]

Thanks...it's fixed

So this is the site of the Juliet building today; making it the corner of Johnson & BLANSHARD.

 

Wow!

 

But isn't that Johnson at Blanshard?

[sdwright.vic]

^That's the old Red Lobster.

No, no, no. It is the old Ponderosa.

[aastra]

It would seem to be the 3-story version of the 2-story building that was recently torn down to make way for the climbing gym's building:

http://vintageairpho...com/bo-47-1451/

[Bingo]

It would seem to be the 3-story version of the 2-story building that was recently torn down to make way for the climbing gym's building:

http://vintageairpho...com/bo-47-1451/

 

Thanks for reminding me of those great old air photos.

It also reminds me of how much angle parking we used to have in town.

There is only a bit left on Yates Street and Pandora, and I think it needs to be protected before it becomes one of the long gone greats.

[aastra]

I'd really like to know who invented the idea that it was incredibly rare for buildings in Victoria's old town to gain or lose levels? Seriously, it happened frequently enough that the process seems to have been an essential element of the district's character and heritage (rather than a threat against it, as some people like to claim nowadays).

 

Anyway, add yet another example to the list:

 

Government Street...

 

Government Street...

 

Also note how there was *more* glass coverage along the ground floor in the very oldest days, then subsequent modifications reduced it a bit. If this building were still standing methinks we can be certain that even more of that window surface would have been covered over, as per the post-1950 formula. All to fit in with the historic flavour of the old town, don't you know.

Edited by aastra, 07 February 2019 - 01:21 PM.

[aastra]

I'd really like to know who invented the idea that it was incredibly rare for buildings in Victoria's old town to have balconies? Seriously, balconies were common enough that they seem to have been an essential element of the district's character and heritage (rather than a threat against it, as some people like to claim nowadays).

 

Anyway, add yet another example to the list:

 

1633 Government Street...

 

 

pic from City of Victoria Archives...

Edited by aastra, 07 February 2019 - 01:38 PM.

[aastra]

Methinks it wouldn't be quite so easy for today's heritage advocates to dismiss certain architectural attributes if the various buildings that exemplified those attributes hadn't been wiped out.

[G-Man]

Ha true. I just finished Aqua Vitae and the amount of times it indicates levels being added to buildings is amazing. 

[Cassidy]

Balconies were commonplace in Chinatown (where your pic is located), but they weren't quite as common once you left Chinatown.

 

That's todays McPherson Playhouse in the background BTW, and almost all those surrounding two story buildings saw the wrecking ball as a result of Centennial Square coming into being.

[aastra]

This place on the corner is still there and still shows some evidence of its original self, but it could look fantastic with a decent restoration...

 

So did they shorten the height of the windows on the second floor almost by half? It's no wonder that people develop misplaced notions about the attributes of buildings in a historic district.

 

EDIT : I'm officially confused about this building. It seems like the original corner building might be yet another long gone great? See later post about it here...

 

All of the large windows have been covered over, so we come to believe there never were any large windows.

 

All of the taller buildings have been demolished, so we come to believe there never were any taller buildings.

 

All of the ornamentation has been stripped away, so we come to believe there never was any ornamentation.

 

etc.

 

Speaking of good candidates for restoration, I don't think I realized how sharp this building looked back in the day...

Edited by aastra, 19 February 2019 - 09:46 AM.

[aastra]

Not sure if there's much that could be done with the old Field's/Spencer's building, or if it would even be worth it to try...

Edited by aastra, 07 February 2019 - 06:09 PM.

[LJ]

 

 

That's todays McPherson Playhouse in the background BTW, and almost all those surrounding two story buildings saw the wrecking ball as a result of Centennial Square coming into being.

That was quite an improvement huh?