480 replies to this topic

[D.L.]

Now who wants to bet what type of business will be the first to occupy the retail space? Will it be a coffee shop, hair salon, yoga studio, or tattoo parlor?

[Mike K.]

Most definitely. Heck, I've heard people who hate tall buildings say it would have looked better with more floors. We can chalk this up to yet another planning blunder for we know City Hall will slash floors at the first opportunity but they're not likely to advocate adding them.

[Urbanistco]

How is the project selling? Everytime I drive by it looks like at ghost town at street and upper levels.

[G-Man]

I see lights on in the evening when I go by so someone is home. I am going to bet it will be a lawyer or accountant first. There is a coffee shop across the street so not sure that it will be coffee first.

[Mike K.]

That general part of downtown is deadsville as far as walk-by traffic. Good luck to anyone wanting to make a go with expensive retail space at that corner unless they operate a destination business like a clinic/lawyers office (as G-man says) or what have you.

[jonny]

The parking situation around the Mondrian isn't great either. Nearby on street parking is very limited and there are no parkades.

[concorde]

The last I recall was that the developer was renting out units on a month to month basis as units were not selling

[Mike K.]

No kidding, hey? So this makes both the Hudson and Mondrian offering units as rentals.

[gumgum]

There's a sign saying Mondrian Coffee or cafe or something like that up in one of the retail spaces.  

[Nparker]

When I walked past yesterday there appeared to be activity in 3 different retail spaces.

[D.L.]

Now that the word is out about two more buildings beside the Mondrian store owners are scrambling to get the retail space!

[Mike K.]

The corner unit has been leased by HDF Wealth Management/Workspace Solutions.

 

Mondrian Coffee fronts onto Johnson.

[johnk]

Something I don't get....
Why are the coloured panels just one colour on each facade? Mondrian's surfaces employ red, blue and yellow panels in varying proportions so I expected the coloured panels on each facade to reference that. No extra cost involved and people might actually understand the building's name.

[Nparker]

I suspect having different coloured panels on each facade might have been considered to be too visually "busy", although I agree it would have better represented the Mondrian style aka "de stijl".

[johnk]

Could be, but the balcony panels are quite small relative to the area of the facade. Maybe it was too much of a creative challenge.
IMO it would have made a ho-hum facade a bit more interesting or distinctive and provided a reason for its name.

[Nparker]

...IMO it would have made a ho-hum facade a bit more interesting or distinctive and provided a reason for its name.

While I agree that mixing the colours on each face of the building would have better approximated Mondrian's style, I still think most people would have found this palette somewhat dizzying. For a better representation of "de stijl" check out Central Middle School - or the Patridge Family bus:

[Rob Randall]

Fire trucks are on scene at a minor fire at the Mondrian right now.

[amor de cosmos]

https://www.youtube....h?v=hxy1fkrXmCI

[VicHockeyFan]

The cafe is under renovation.

[Nparker]

The cafe is under renovation.

It must have really needed it after being open for those 2 or 3 days several months ago.