725 replies to this topic

[Holden West]

I wouldn't mind seeing a few high-quality buildings like Fairhaven Gardens around town. We've talked about it before, how there are only a handful of good faux-historic buildings (or additions to buildings) in all of Victoria. I'd trade the Salvation Army's building for something like that in a second.

It does remind me of Trevor Linden's new Government St. condo building. But when they start looking like carbon copies of authentic heritage I think it casts doubt about the true age of all buildings.


Note to people under age 30: a "carbon copy" is a duplicate. The term comes from "The Empire Strikes Back" where the carbonite Han Solo could be used to make replicas.

[Holden West]

Here's some great old paint samples:

The Old House Blog: Historic Paint Colors for the Victorian Home

[http]

[ snip ] Note to people under age 30: a "carbon copy" is a duplicate. The term comes from "The Empire Strikes Back" where the carbonite Han Solo could be used to make replicas.

Best. Troll. Evar.

Or at least this year.

[Ken Johnson]

The Fairhaven project brings to mind a project that is working its way through the City of Victoria planning department. the project is along Maclure street and incorporates Georgian design elements into a townhouse project.

The Heritage Advisory Committee recommended that Council approve the project.

Not every new building has to be built in a post-modernist style. Many can, and do, respect the past while being new, i.e., Robert Stern. Only Disney did faux heritage.

[Nparker]

...Only Disney did faux heritage.

Clearly you're not familiar with the Bay Centre.

[aastra]

I wouldn't mind having McDuck's Department Store in Victoria:
Tokyo DisneySea: McDuck's Department Store | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Scrooge McDuck's store at Tokyo Disney Sea | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
McDuck's Department Store, facade | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[G-Man]

The Fairhaven project brings to mind a project that is working its way through the City of Victoria planning department. the project is along Maclure street and incorporates Georgian design elements into a townhouse project.

The Heritage Advisory Committee recommended that Council approve the project.

Not every new building has to be built in a post-modernist style. Many can, and do, respect the past while being new, i.e., Robert Stern. Only Disney did faux heritage.

This is true. Of course we have to be careful with allowing too much. I mean our legislature could be seen as faux heritage.

[Ken Johnson]

Clearly you're not familiar with the Bay Centre.

Clearly we have a different definition of faux

[Ken Johnson]

I wouldn't mind having McDuck's Department Store in Victoria:
Tokyo DisneySea: McDuck's Department Store | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Scrooge McDuck's store at Tokyo Disney Sea | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
McDuck's Department Store, facade | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Thanks Asstra:

I meant Disney in the sense that, at Disneyland, they created complete streets, slightly reduced in scale, to present a false (faux) townscape.

[aastra]

Indeed they did. I was just making the point that the quality of the faux stuff at the various Disney parks can vary quite widely. Some of it is very good.

Sort of like the Victoria Eaton's Centre. Parts of it are very detailed and convincing and parts of it are very shopping mall.

[Nparker]

...Sort of like the Victoria Eaton's Centre. Parts of it are very detailed and convincing and parts of it are very shopping mall.

And all of it "faux" heritage; that is, pretending to be something that it isn't. Although I do agree as reproductions go, some parts are very well done.

[Barra]

Not to defend the Bay/Eaton's centre, but some of the facades - those along Fort st. - are original ( i.e. real). But all the rest are fake.

[Nparker]

Not to defend the Bay/Eaton's centre, but some of the facades - those along Fort st. - are original ( i.e. real). But all the rest are fake.

I don't think so. All original buildings on the site were demolished. I remember well, since at the time there were cries to keep the site clear as a new downtown green space.

[aastra]

Yeah, it's all new. Or it was all new at the time, I should say. But it's so old now that it's legitimate heritage once again.

[Barra]

Yeah, it's all new. Or it was all new at the time.

They saved the facades. They actually broke them down to their elements and then rebuilt them pretty much in the same spots as they were originally. Heritage preservationists call this "facade-ism" and it is not necessarily met with approval.

[aastra]

Oh, I understand that elements of the actual buildings were salvaged and incorporated into the new facades. I'm very pleased about that. That's why the good sections of the Bay Centre exterior look so good as compared to the cheaper sections. By "real" I thought you meant to say that they had preserved some of the original facades intact and in place, in their entirety. As far as I'm aware they did not do that, although I could be wrong.

As far as I'm concerned the Driard replica is very real, even if it's only just a reconstruction of a part of the facade of the building that once stood there.

[Nparker]

...By "real" I thought you meant to say that they had preserved some of the original facades intact and in place...As far as I'm concerned the Driard replica is very real...

Ditto. The Times facade on Fort @ Broad is a very good replica as well.

[Holden West]

Victoria B.C Scene-o-graph | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Fort Street looking down toward Broad Street. You'll recognize the Times Building and the Montague Bridgeman building. I'll quote myself:

I assume there are three categories: original facade, new facade using original bricks and new facade replicated using new materials.

I think with a few buildings [like Montague] they tried propping them up but they ended up demolishing them and rebuilding using mostly old materials. There should be some record.

[aastra]

In Exploring Victoria's Architecture, Martin Segger says this:

On the Fort Street side of Eaton's Centre are reconstructed facades...

Maybe I'm remembering things that never were now, but weren't some of the small facades on Fort Street still standing there for a time (with supporting framework) even when the big pit was the only thing behind them? Am I imagining that? Or was that all part of the deconstruction process? Or were those small facades never fully deconstructed? I might be thinking of a completely different project but if I am I can't imagine which project it would be.

[Holden West]

Fort Street.