[Halifax] Citadel Halifax Redevelopment | 3X49 m | 18-16-16 fl | Completed

[alps]

I wouldn't mind the idea of incorporating some old-looking reconstruction into the mix. For example, it might be beneficial to extend Granville Street northward with buildings of a complementary style that double as podiums for larger modern buildings behind.

Even though Halifax has many old buildings there aren't any streetscapes as cohesive as Granville, and if they could build off that without turning it into Disneyland, and ensuring the spaces wouldn't sit idle it could turn out well, like Rue St. Jean in Quebec City.

Modern is fine too, I just hope they integrate the streets together well. Granville obviously isn't working as a dead end and it might be worth somehow redesigning the International Centre or whatever that neverending proposal on the triangular lot is called.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by alps

I wouldn't mind the idea of incorporating some old-looking reconstruction into the mix. For example, it might be beneficial to extend Granville Street northward with buildings of a complementary style that double as podiums for larger modern buildings behind.

I like this idea a lot.

[someone123]

It's always tricky to do that sort of thing because the 100% reproduction is expensive and the 90% reproduction is cheesy. "Heritage-style" sandstone coloured precast panels are insufficient for example. Brick and stone podiums with glass upper floors could look great. Really you want a good architect who can capture the local setting and architectural idioms while using modern materials.

In terms of making this area successful I think it mostly comes down to having an intensive mix of desirable uses and providing useful connectivity for pedestrians. Style and height are less important. People unfortunately have a way of discussing 4 vs. 16 floors or glass vs. Victorian vs. faux Aztec designs while missing the important parts.

Interchange aside I think that the Citadel hotel redevelopment itself plus the Trinity site might go a lot way toward bringing the North End and downtown together. It's not hard to imagine one strip going from Brunswick up Cogswell to Gottingen. The connection to Barrington is more tenuous but I'm not sure how much you get shoppers walking that far anyway. An extended Gottingen would be a roughly 5/6 block retail strip, which is a good length.

For the Triangle lands I think a mixed-use tower with some residential, some office, and an improved transit terminal would be great for that area.

[q12]

Saying sayonara to the Citadel Hotel

JENNIFER TAPLIN
METRO HALIFAX
Published: January 17, 2012 2:27 a.m.
Last modified: January 17, 2012 8:34 a.m.

When the last guest checks out of the Citadel Halifax Hotel this morning, the doors will be locked behind them forever.

After 48 years, the hotel at 1960 Brunswick St. is shutting down on Tuesday to make way for a two-tower hotel complex and an apartment building.

More here:
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/loca...-citadel-hotel

[fenwick16]

According to the allnovascotia.com, the Citadel Hotel proposal was approved by the HRM Design Review Committee with only two minor changes - transparent material on one retaining wall, and a requirement to hide a transformer by surrounding it with brick and landscaping. The architectural firm's representative stated that "a wrecking ball is right around the corner."

The Chronicle Herald also reports that this has been unanimously approved by the Design Review Committee: (source and full story - http://thechronicleherald.ca/busines...-redevelopment)

Design committee approves Citadel Hotel redevelopment
January 19, 2012 - 8:53pm By REMO ZACCAGNA Business Reporter


The municipal Design Review Committee unanimously approved a $60-million redevelopment of the Citadel Hotel Halifax on Thursday night.
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[RyeJay]

I enjoy how accelerated this project is. With a wrecking ball around the corner to kill the existing building, cranes to build the proposed towers will not be far off.

[worldlyhaligonian]

The fact that this one got under the radar with such proximity to citadel hill is a huge win for downtown. It effectively adds more people to this part of downtown, we get 3 towers, the street presence will be much improved, and general awesomeness.

If the trinity site ever gets a tower, this whole area will be a nice flow into the north-end, which may get some towers of its own... at least its empty lots seem to be getting built on.

[someone123]

Yeah, this will be a great development. This is one of those sites that for years I wished would be redeveloped. The library and Nova Centre sites are two others. The downtown is making a lot of progress lately and I think it will be noticeably transformed over the next couple years.

It does seem to me that HbD has removed much of the contention around building heights. The developers have heights they can plan for ahead of time and if they stick to them they don't seem to have to fight. I wish the allowed heights were taller but I still think this is better than the old roulette model. It makes far, far more sense to argue over heights during a planning phase so that there can be clear rules when developers make plans and submit proposals.

[halifaxboyns]

I think this maybe where we're seeing staff getting used to the HbD process and now things are starting to 'groove'. We had the same problem out here with the new land use bylaw transition. A rush of permit activity before the transition and then things took an extra couple of months once the new LUB came in because it was a lot of new concepts - it was essentially a completely new document, with new everything really.

It took at least a good year before staff was good to go with understanding it from memory, but now it's working pretty good.

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

I work in the building next door. Hope to see some action soon!

[fenwick16]

It will be interesting to see the wrecking ball (I wonder if wrecking balls are still used in the HRM?). If not, it will still be interesting to see it being demolished.

[resetcbu1]

Maybe KABOOOOOOM?

[someone123]

Hmm.. maybe this will be the tallest building ever demolished in Halifax.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by someone123

Hmm.. maybe this will be the tallest building ever demolished in Halifax.

The old infirmary was probably around the same height, although the main building was more uniform so that probably made it easier to tear down the way they did it.

I remember as a kid watching the NFB building and the building where Barrington Gate is getting torn down after their fires. I know one for sure was a wrecking ball, pretty sure it was the NFB, I've never seen it used since.

[Jonovision]

I just got an apartment overlooking this site. I'll have lots of updates once things start rolling here.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by kph06

The old infirmary was probably around the same height, although the main building was more uniform so that probably made it easier to tear down the way they did it.

I remember as a kid watching the NFB building and the building where Barrington Gate is getting torn down after their fires. I know one for sure was a wrecking ball, pretty sure it was the NFB, I've never seen it used since.

Actually I have a picture of the Queen Street infirmary here in a pile of old photos I'd like to scan at some point. The taller part was 8 storeys and the shorter part was 5-6 storeys. The Citadel looks more like 10-12 storeys, although the Infirmary may have been around the same size overall.

[FuzzyWuz]

Originally Posted by resetcbu1

Maybe KABOOOOOOM?

There's a law or bylaw against using explosives to demo buildings on the peninsula I think.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by someone123

Actually I have a picture of the Queen Street infirmary here in a pile of old photos I'd like to scan at some point. The taller part was 8 storeys and the shorter part was 5-6 storeys. The Citadel looks more like 10-12 storeys, although the Infirmary may have been around the same size overall.

Okay, I think I am picturing it larger in my memory. Its surprising how few photos are around of it. You keep tempting me with talk of these old photos, when are they from? Every couple months I try to scan any online image source I can think of for old construction photos from Halifax, usually finding something new, but they are scarce. I am hoping the old Halifax Development Thread becomes available at some point.

[someone123]

My old pbase galleries are still up here: http://pbase.com/halifaxphoto/

"Miscellaneous" has a lot of development-related photos. The oldest I think are from around 2002/2003. Unfortunately in many cases the quality is quite poor and there are a lot of photos I don't have anymore. I remember taking pictures of the Bishop's Landing construction site for example, the construction of the hotel at Hollis and Salter, etc.

The first shots I put on SSP were back in 2001 or 2002 and were taken on film (it is weird to think that they're now 10 years old!). I haven't taken any photos much older than that. A few interesting ones I have are:

-View from Citadel looking North across Commons from 2001 (looks like the condo/apartment on the west side of Cunard and Agricola is under construction). Lots of new buildings are missing.
-A couple of views looking South that include Park Lane pre-Martello, taken just after the Garrison Watch building was built at the corner of Dresden Row and Sackville.
-YWCA on Hollis.
-Infirmary.
-Victoria Apartments at Hollis/Morris, which actually did not change much until very recently.
-Garden Crest construction site at the corner of Summer and Spring Garden.

It would be very interesting to assemble "then and now" pairs of pictures. Some corners of Halifax have changed a lot over the past decade! In a few more decades photos like the one of the Citadel Hotel above will be very interesting to some younger people who won't even remember that building.

[SekishikiMeikaiHa]

Originally Posted by someone123

Actually I have a picture of the Queen Street infirmary here in a pile of old photos I'd like to scan at some point. The taller part was 8 storeys and the shorter part was 5-6 storeys. The Citadel looks more like 10-12 storeys, although the Infirmary may have been around the same size overall.

A shot of the Infirmary taken on 2003-06-03: