David Parker's column in the Calgary Herald August 28 outlines the proposal from the Barron Building owners for the redevelopment of the building. The article does not mention that this proposal prompted the Province of Alberta to issue a Historic Resource Impact Assessment order in the spring (see above), which puts the redevelopment on hold pending the outcome of that process. Hopefully the HRIA will help to govern what ultimately happens on this site.
Parker: Barron Building to receive a facelift
By David Parker, Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/P ... story.htmlThe art deco/modern design of the Barron Building - better known to many as the Uptown Theatre building - on 8th Avenue S.W. is something many of us treasure and want to see preserved.
The best way to ensure its survival for future generations to admire is to transform it into an economically sustainable building. Fortunately, current owner Strategic Group has a keen interest in its significant contribution to Calgary's history as well as its architectural details and has gone to a great deal of effort to come up with a renovation and addition that would make it marketable in today's office market.
Built in 1951, it was the vision of Jacob Bell Barron who saw an office building outside of what was then the core to help attract newly arriving oil companies to settle in Calgary. Barron was able to immediately lease three floors to Mobil and the U.S. giant eventually took over all of the space for 15 years, renaming it the Mobil Building.
The problem in today's market, according to Strategic's COO, Randy Ferguson, is that its present floor plate of 10,000 square feet is too small.
Calgary architect Manu Chugh was commissioned to create concepts as to how the space could be enlarged.
Strategic president and CEO Riaz Mamdani then went on a search of firms in Chicago and New York that had the experience needed to expand the vacant building in such a way that an addition could complement the existing exterior.
He chose Gensler's New York office, who came and studied the building and designed an addition to offer a 20,000-square-foot floorplate, a new modern core with two-storey lobby atrium, larger more competitive retail and a Plus-15 connector.
Ferguson says the new design includes many green strategies including roof gardens, energy performance optimization and water use reduction with an aim to reach LEED Gold standards.
The Barron Building is quite majestic in appearance thanks to its central tower with carved stone relief columns topped by ornamental metal pilasters and stepped-back upper floors, all of which remain unchanged.
The marquee is no longer appropriate and has been re-designed with architecturally integrated storefronts using two-storey glass and sandstone to match the original.
An exciting 'jewel box' will replace the current restaurant space on the corner of 5th Street, a two level all-glass box inspired by the iconic Apple cube in New York's 59th Avenue General Motors building. It will merge into a new showcase for the Alberta Champions to be set in the 5th Street facade.
A long Plus-15 will then be built to stretch from between the Barron and the recently announced new Manulife Tower over to Watermark Tower.
It is a big project that still faces some hurdles in regard to the use of the long-empty theatre that was added to the rear of the building. Strategic Group is one of the province's largest private owners of commercial real estate with over four million square feet of properties in Calgary and Edmonton. Other major Calgary developments
are the 175,000 square foot mixed-use building at 2020 4th Street S.W. that is ready for tenant improvements, and the 16-storey office, residential and retail complex just to the north in the 1800 block.
Ledcor Group is a name associated with some exciting construction projects in this city such as Cross Iron Mills, The Bow tower and currently under construction The River, a luxury condominium complex on the north banks of the Elbow River in Mission. There have been some significant changes to executive positions in the Calgary office with the recent appointment of Jim Beeton who spent the last six years as project director at The Bow, as the new Calgary branch manager. And Dean Slater has joined Ledcor as director estimating and business development. Slater spent 25 years with CANA Construction, was a vice-president - project management with Calgary Health Region and most recently was with Triovest.
DAVID PARKER APPEARS TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. READ HIS COLUMNS ONLINE AT CALGARYHERALD.COM/BUSINESS. HE CAN BE REACHED AT 403-830-4622 OR EMAIL
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Supplemental note from August 30 2013 David Parker column:
Following my article on the new design that will preserve the Barron Building on 8th Avenue S.W., I had a nice call from the daughter-in-law of builder J.B. Barron who hopes current owner Strategic Group is successful in its efforts. She told me the art deco/modern building may be the only structure remaining in the city designed by architect Jack Cawston, although his designs are safe in the architectural archives at the University of Calgary. Her own home that Cawston designed on Elbow Drive, was demolished by new owners to make way for a more modern house.Choices Abound at Specialty Store
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