[calvinkool]

I was in Brantford recently and I snapped some shots while walking around downtown.

http://i45.tinypic.com/rbejh1.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/2cejj9y.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/auv535.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/nqr3uo.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/dw80ax.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/29wxue.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/9u6j9l.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/5fhqnm.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/2vc9amx.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/ae2pl4.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/mwv1ug.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/vghf7n.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2iglwt5.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/20kdi6s.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/357ghlv.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/rcrdxl.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/311owll.jpg

[pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce]

Thanks for that.

Imagine Brantford in its heyday...it must have been quite impressive.

Did you have a look at that block that got demo'd?

[flar]

Even with the long row of buildings demolished, Brantford still has a substantial downtown.

[lio45]

I've been searching the Ontario subforum for Brantford news trying to find the latest on the bulldozed blocks. Did they really go through completely with it? (Google Street View still shows all the buildings standing, and on the web, there's nothing recent.)

FWIW, I've found a complete and pretty detailed inventory here:
http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/na0608-brantford-eps.jpg

Looks like several blocks, not merely one.

P.S. I was surprised seeing a Brantford photothread that completely skipped the city's main claim to fame on a forum about urbanism and architecture. I was expecting pics...

[calvinkool]

http://i50.tinypic.com/2s9xeep.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/28hcqb9.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/sbkl6r.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/ojjr69.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/10o4181.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/rky3r7.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/2eupc88.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/53agk0.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/1z6e2ab.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/21c8abo.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/2niy35g.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/2dubcja.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/207rm6u.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/28txkd3.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/123rz87.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/2i7pe1z.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/2193n0x.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/m9oxnm.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/6zc3ew.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/2n6xg01.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/15ed1k.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/34pantk.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/34ht2tg.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/35aq3wz.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/2640toh.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2nq8hg1.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/4s1tv5.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/18i0wj.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/5kgdn4.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2nsw6jp.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/4lrjf4.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/1zvdhzb.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/348kbv7.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/ws4j5z.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/6gluh2.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/6ith5v.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/2m2wg05.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/2utn3t3.jpg

[calvinkool]

P.S. I was surprised seeing a Brantford photothread that completely skipped the city's main claim to fame on a forum about urbanism and architecture. I was expecting pics...

What exactly is the city's main claim to fame, and what photos were you expecting?

[rousseau]

Brantford's got a solid southern Ontario core full of charming shop architecture (in spite of that shameful teardown) and grand brick homes in the surrounding neighbourhoods. You could buy a gorgeous old place like this on a street bursting with hard-to-find character for a song:

http://i47.tinypic.com/34ht2tg.jpg

But then you'd have to live in Brantford. Christ!

[pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce]

^Yeah...I wonder if I could do that. Amazing housing stock, though.

[pEte fiSt iN Ur fAce]

What exactly is the city's main claim to fame, and what photos were you expecting?

My curiosity has also piqued. The Bell Homestead? Brantford Collegiate? That water tower with The Telephone City emblazoned upon it?

[Frankenrogers]

I think that he means the tore down buildings/shabby downtown as the claim to fame. I know the joke with my Brantford friends before was that Silent Hill was filmed there and they didn't have to do anything to make it seem desolate downtown.

I used to live in Brantford and I like the downtown area. As noted there is awesome housing stock. The ad agency I used to work at was located right where Dalhousie ends on Brant Ave in a wicked old house.