Barron Building

[93JC]

What's the scoop? I had heard a couple years ago that it was going to be refurbished and "brought back to its former glory", but I was in Manulife House (across the alley) Monday morning and noticed the interiors are completely gutted and it's sitting totally empty (including Jack Barron's old penthouse suite on the 11th floor).


(For those who don't know the Barron Building is "Calgary's first skyscraper", the art deco building on 8th Ave that The Uptown cinema is in.)


Thought somebody might know more about the situation.

[freeweed]

A gorgeous building, too - although I've never been a fan of the "wings" which I assume are later additions to the building. They look circa 1950s or 60s from their general crappulence. Just a bad clash with the nice stonework.

[O-tacular]

Last year I had a chance to speak to the doorman, who was actually working out of the Uptown, and he told me the building is owned byt hem and is currently vacant. He had no idea what the future was for it. I remember about 6 years ago visiting my girlfriend at the time's office in the Barron building. It had bamboo floors and was very modern and nice. I wonder why they closed it down. Most interesting art deco detail: A slightly creepy monkey bas relief panel in the elevator.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by freeweed

A gorgeous building, too - although I've never been a fan of the "wings" which I assume are later additions to the building. They look circa 1950s or 60s from their general crappulence. Just a bad clash with the nice stonework.

Barron building was built 1949-51

here's a photo 5 yrs after completion (glenbow.org)



and a more recent one (SSP user Etheos Fog)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/entheos...7594068876277/

Looks like the cornice over the center structure is not original, whereas the cornice over the roof was partially present originally.

Oh I see, an additional floor has been added.

[freeweed]

Wow, Dizzy. I'd never have guessed. It sure looks like a typical 1920s/30s building in the centre and the lower 3 floors of the wings, with a bunch of other era crap tacked on.

I guess this goes to show that even 60 years ago, we were building this sort of patchwork architecture. Like LaCaille on 4th which is so reviled by some posters here.

[DizzyEdge]

Actually looking closer, that cornicing always existed, but the penthouse level wasn't covering the whole roof, you can see that it extends about 1/2 way towards the front of the center structure and maybe covers 1/2 of the rest of the roof. Some time later it was extended to cover the whole roof, so the cornicing became much more evident from street level.

[polishavenger]

I believe Strategic still owns that building and is probably trying to lease it before they start reno's, not 100% sure though.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by freeweed

Wow, Dizzy. I'd never have guessed. It sure looks like a typical 1920s/30s building in the centre and the lower 3 floors of the wings, with a bunch of other era crap tacked on.

I guess this goes to show that even 60 years ago, we were building this sort of patchwork architecture. Like LaCaille on 4th which is so reviled by some posters here.

Using Wikipedia as my guide.... it looks like Art Deco generally decline by the early 40's, so this building was probably planned only 5 or 6 years after, so wouldn't have necessarily been 'historicist' at the time. It is however an interesting hybrid of achitecture that had just gone out of style mixed with what was replacing it. And a well done hybrid... as opposed to say, this:

(my pic)

[O-tacular]

Shudder...

[suburb]

the fence has interest. no comment on the rest.

[Jimby]

This was how it looked in August 2007 at the start of what was to be a total renovation of the building.
I would love to be on the terrace of the Barron penthouse with my Nikon.
Gulf Canada Square has a small penthouse and terrace that apparently was the scene of some memorable parties back in the 80s.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by suburb

the fence has interest. no comment on the rest.

Haha yeah the fence is kind of neat.

That's one of those monstrosities where I can't decide if I would want it erased from the world due to its badness, or preserved just for the spectacle of it all.

[ksnaden]

Here's two pictures I took in the summer out the window.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by Jimby

Gulf Canada Square has a small penthouse and terrace that apparently was the scene of some memorable parties back in the 80s.

I would love to confirm your assertion ... but alas my memories are foggy at best.

Also, I believe it shoudl be "had" since I think CP re-oriented the space around '97 to corporate "support space" ... not sure how the hot tubs would have fit into that definition.

*** BTW, the story I was told was that the penthouse was the brain child of a Texan who wanted to recreate the "Dallas" party life style in Calgary. At least that's what she said ....

[devonb]

I think I read an article about this building 5-10 years ago and how it was bought super cheap (relatively) and this guy, perhaps owner, lived on the top with his little grassy lawn. Can anyone confirm my suspicions on this?

[ksnaden]

Originally Posted by devonb

I think I read an article about this building 5-10 years ago and how it was bought super cheap (relatively) and this guy, perhaps owner, lived on the top with his little grassy lawn. Can anyone confirm my suspicions on this?

There used to be a guy and a dog on the top floor.

Here is the article of how he bought it in an auction.

http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/to...112002/57.html

[Jimby]

Originally Posted by shreddog

I would love to confirm your assertion ... but alas my memories are foggy at best.

Also, I believe it shoudl be "had" since I think CP re-oriented the space around '97 to corporate "support space" ... not sure how the hot tubs would have fit into that definition.

*** BTW, the story I was told was that the penthouse was the brain child of a Texan who wanted to recreate the "Dallas" party life style in Calgary. At least that's what she said ....

Funny! I looked in the windows of the GCS penthouse about 3 years ago. It was being used for storage so there was nothing to see. Anything to make it an apartment had been removed, but it was certainly intriguing thinking about what could have gone on there and about how cool it would be to live there.
There is also a "secret" parking garage in the building (not on the roof!) for a few elite wheels, and no I don't mean in the massive GCS parkade.

[devonb]

Originally Posted by ksnaden

There used to be a guy and a dog on the top floor.

Here is the article of how he bought it in an auction.

http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/to...112002/57.html

That was it. Thanks.

[Kilgore Trout]

my favourite building in calgary. i was given a tour by the (former?) owner in early 2002, the guy featured in the toro magazine article linked above. it was entirely empty.

as for the architecture, it's not historicist or any kind of patchwork, it's quite clearly late-period art deco. what makes it especially interesting is its vaguely industrial appearance, which contrasts strongly with the elveden centre, which was built just eight years later and is calgary's other great modernist skyscraper.

[Calgarian]

That's a pretty interesting read. I would love to see some small, yet well to do company buy the BArron building and completely renovate it as their corporate HQ.