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Chris E
Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 212
Location: Calgary
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 Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 3:42 pm Post subject: Old Herald/Bay Parkade block news |
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This thread updated December 2012. See bottom posting. Also changed name of thread.
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There was some earlier discussion on this topic in another thread back when it was just a rumour. For that discussion (now locked) click the link:
http://www.calgaryheritage.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=932#932
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Brookfield Properties Corp. is in the pre-development stage of a land use amendment which would ultimately clear the site of the old Herald building, which although clad in 1960's granite? cladding used to be a smaller version of the beautiful adjacent Southam building which was demolished in the early 1970s.
There has been much speculation if some of the original facade still exists under the currently cladding.
Resources indicate that gargoyles which one adorned the building were removed before remodelling, however the rest may indeed still be intact.
From the Calgary Sun:
Plan to revamp Herald block
Proposal goes to city planning commission
Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, September 04, 2008
One of North America's leading commercial real estate companies has plans to potentially build an office tower up to about 50 storeys in the city's downtown on the old Calgary Herald block.
Brookfield Properties Corp. is in the pre-development stage of the project, which it describes as a "66,000-square-foot development site with 1.2 million square feet of buildable density."
A road closure and land-use redesignation goes before the Calgary planning commission today as the first part of the proposal, which would allow for a comprehensive redevelopment of the block.
"We're just moving forward with the stuff necessary to ready that site for potential future development," Tom Farley, the company's president and chief operating officer of Canadian operations, told the Herald.
Contingent on the successful approval of the road closure and land-use redesignation application, Brookfield would then go to a development permit application, which could take eight to 10 months.
"Our view is that to the extent there's adequate pre-leasing, then we would consider moving forward with the development at some point down the road, but we don't have any plans to announce proceeding at this point," said Farley.
The potential would be for 1.2 million square feet of development, which would mean a 48-plus storey building.
The tower would be located on the northeast portion of the block, at 6th Avenue S.W. and 1st Street.
The old Herald building at the corner of 7th Avenue and 1st Street, which was originally built in 1912, would be demolished, as would several other small buildings on the block, once Brookfield decides to proceed with the Herald Square project.
A landscaped plaza is being proposed for the south portion of the block. The proposed development would also include a two-storey retail block. The west portion of the block would have two existing parkades.
Considering the current economic conditions and rising office vacancy rates, the future development on the Herald block shows a "landlord who is very bullish on the future of Calgary," said Dan Harmsen, associate broker and principal of Barclay Street Real Estate Ltd.
"Brookfield's confidence in the future of our economy is clear," said Richard Pootmans, business development manager of real estate for Calgary Economic Development.
"Among other benefits, this project would invigorate the Plus-15 system in the downtown core."
Maggie Schofield, executive director of the Calgary Downtown Association, said the organization would certainly be interested to see what the plans would be for that block.
"Obviously, our first line of attack is how does it integrates with the street and what does it bring to the rest of Calgary," she said. "There is a market obviously for office space. So that's fine, but what other amenities are coming with that to make the downtown a better place and what does the streetscape look like? So what sort of vibrancy will it bring to that corner?"
There are about 5.6 million square feet of downtown office space under construction with an inventory of about 32 million square feet.
It is not known how much the proposed tower by Brookfield would cost. The 38-storey Jamieson Place tower with more than 800,000 square feet currently under construction at 4th Avenue and 2nd Street was pegged at $300-million.
mtoneguzzi@theherald.canwest.com
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Calgary Downtown Skyscrapers
Tower Floors
1. Petro-Canada 52
Centre West
150 6th Ave. S.W.
2. Bankers Hall West 47
888 3rd St. S.W.
3. Bankers Hall East 47
855 2nd St. S.W.
4. Canterra 46
400 3rd Ave. S.W.
5. First Canadian Centre 41
350 7th Ave. S.W.
6. Scotia Centre 41
700 2nd St. S.W.
7. Western Canadian 41
Place North
707 8th Ave. S.W.
8. TD Canada Trust 40
421 7th Ave. S.W.
Source: Building Owners and Managers Association of the Greater Calgary Region
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Downtown Herald Building History
- In 1912, the Southam family built two buildings at 1st Street and 7th Avenue S.W., one across from the Bay, the other across from Central United Church. In 1913 the Herald moved into the one across from the church, later known as the Greyhound Building.
- In 1932, the Herald relocated to the other Southam building, a six-storey structure at 206 7th Ave. S.W., remaining until 1981.
- In 1964, the addition of the $2-million mechanical building at the corner of 6th Avenue and 1st Street S.W. provided 85,000 square feet of production floor space as part of a $5-million expansion plan.
- In 2007, Brookfield Properties purchased half a city block, including the old Herald building for $45-million.
Source: Herald Archive
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...1fa8234aac&p=1
Current site plan and potential future site plan:
##############################################
There has been quite a buzz regarding the possible salvaging of the Herald block (and the perhaps streetscape deadening open plaza of the new development) since the Herald ran the article above. Should you wish to get involved with saving the Herald building, and perhaps returning it to it's past greatness, you can do the following:
Call (or (e)mail one and CC the rest):
-Alderman John Mar
john.mar@calgary.ca
Telephone (403) 268-2430
Fax (403) 268-3823
-Alderman Druh Farrell
druh.farrell@calgary.ca
Phone No.: 403-268-2475
Fax No.: 403-268-3823
-City of Calgary Heritage Planning Dept
Phone: 403-268-5833 Brenda Etherington
Fax: 403-268-3542
E-mail: brenda.etherington@calgary.ca
-Calgary Downtown Association
Executive Director Maggie Schofield
(403) 215-1565
Fax: (403) 265-1932
info@downtowncalgary.com
As the LUA has already gone through CPC (yesterday) and is being recommended for approval, comments to CPC are likely no longer useful at this point.
NOTE: if you could also CC us at info@calgaryheritage.org that would be appreciated as well so we can keep track of how well the word is getting out.
Last edited by Chris E on Fri Sep 05, 2008 4:29 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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| Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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Not sure what's happened with this development, but nothing seems imminent. There are no building permits issued for the site in past 3 years. The Herald building above has now been added to the heritage inventory as "Southam Chambers", a City Wide Heritage Resource. From the City website:
Description: The Southam Chambers (Herald Building), built 1912-13 and restyled in 1967 is a six-storey office and retail building located in core of downtown Calgary. Due to the 1967 renovations, the building is Modern in style, distinguished by sleek white marble cladding and its vertical lines. It is connected by an enclosed pedestrian bridge to an adjacent associated building.
Heritage Significance Summary:
This site is significant because...
-Place of news gathering, reporting, and publishing (Activity Value);
-Headquarters of Calgary's dominant newspaper, the Calgary Herald, from 1932-81 with close association to the Herald since 1930 (Institution Value);
-Interim Government of Canada `Public Building' 1925-31 with city's main federal government offices and main post office (Institution Value);
-Developed as one of downtown's most notable buildings of the 1910-13 boom (Event Value);
-1967 renovation exemplifies Modern style architecture in Calgary - distinctive marble cladding (Style Value);
-1967 renovations are symbolic of the newspaper's push to the modern era and reflective of Calgary's transformation into a modern metropolis in a period of explosive growth and change (Symbolic Value).
Here is the direct link to the information (give it a few minutes to load the first time) http://dhc.calgary.ca/Public/HistoricResourceDetails.aspx?id=1502 |
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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CBC story, January 6, 2012
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/01/06/calgary-herald-historic-building.html?cmp=rss
Brian Brennan blog posting, January 7, 2012:
http://brianbrennan.ca/blog/2012/01/07/out-with-the-old/
Note, Brian is speaking on the topic of Calgary in 1912 at the Heritage Roundtable on January 25. More information here: http://www.calgaryheritage.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=3016#3016
Arab: Stop the wrecking ball from papering over Herald’s past
By Calgary Herald editorialist Paula Arab
Calgary Herald, January 12, 2012
Does anyone other than a newspaper person care that the old Herald building in downtown Calgary is going to be demolished, with barely a whisper of protest or public debate? If not, they should...
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Arab+Stop+wrecking+ball+from+papering+over+Herald+past/5981326/story.html#ixzz1jHDp7TNs |
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cjane
Joined: 21 Jul 2009
Posts: 105
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| Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:08 am Post subject: Just Say No |
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Neil Richardson's response to Paula Arab's editorial in the Jan. 16 2012 Letters section:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Just/6001500/story.html
Neil is president of Heritage Property Corp., a development company that pursues viable solutions for heritage preservation. |
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5seconds
Joined: 02 Feb 2012
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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New poster. I found this article from the Herald itself in 1966, and I posted it over at the Skyscraper forum, but I thought it should go here as well.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G2dkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p3wNAAAAIBAJ&dq=calgary%20herald-building%20facade&pg=2661%2C1153819
It says:
| Quote: | ...the ancient exterior of brick work and terra cotta is being removed right down to the skeleton of the building. In it's place will be put white marble from the same vein in Vermont which produced the same stone for the new mechanical addition."
"Several people have expressed dismay that the ancient facing had to be eliminated along with the little gargoyles which decorate the front and side of the building. The fact of the matter was that the old facing of brick and terra cotta had become so weather-beaten and had degenerated so badly that it had become a very considerable hazard. Several pieces, up to the size of a football, have actually dropped off the building in the last two or three years, endangering passers-by below. |
So it sounds like there is not much left of the original exterior of the building. Not that that is the only important part of this building, but it is such a shame. Interesting read, not too long. |
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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| Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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Catching up on the posting of a few more Letters to the Herald from mid-January. See also what is posted above. Special thanks to the sleuthing of 5Seconds ^
Save the historic Herald Building
By Len Rudolph, Calgary Herald January 14, 2012
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Save+historic+Herald+Building/5996397/story.html#ixzz1ldqz7PL3
So sad
By Solomon Ip, Calgary Herald, January 14, 2012
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/So+sad/5996401/story.html#ixzz1ldrEL0bd
Streetscape
HMJ Nijssen's letter to the Herald Jan 16, 2012
Read more:
http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=6c677cb7-4696-4e0e-9a2c-2e4133003525
Save the old Herald
By Bernadette Geronazzo, Calgary Herald January 17, 2012
Read more:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Save+Herald/6006899/story.html
A trip down memory lane
By Paul Luft, Calgary Herald, January 23, 2012
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/trip+down+memory+lane/6036102/story.html#ixzz1ldt0EMim |
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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| Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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| 5seconds wrote: | New poster. I found this article from the Herald itself in 1966, and I posted it over at the Skyscraper forum, but I thought it should go here as well.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G2dkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p3wNAAAAIBAJ&dq=calgary%20herald-building%20facade&pg=2661%2C1153819
It says:
| Quote: | ...the ancient exterior of brick work and terra cotta is being removed right down to the skeleton of the building. In it's place will be put white marble from the same vein in Vermont which produced the same stone for the new mechanical addition."
"Several people have expressed dismay that the ancient facing had to be eliminated along with the little gargoyles which decorate the front and side of the building. The fact of the matter was that the old facing of brick and terra cotta had become so weather-beaten and had degenerated so badly that it had become a very considerable hazard. Several pieces, up to the size of a football, have actually dropped off the building in the last two or three years, endangering passers-by below. |
So it sounds like there is not much left of the original exterior of the building. Not that that is the only important part of this building, but it is such a shame. Interesting read, not too long. |
I found this circa 1966 reader photo posted on the Project Calgary page of the Herald website, submitted by Joyce Tebbs. Look closely - the Herald (Southam Chambers) building, behind the Bay, is covered in scaffolding to apply the marble cladding. See more: http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2012/02/13/your-contributions-to-our-old-calgary-archive/
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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newsposter
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newsposter
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| Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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| Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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Thursday January 12, 2012
Heritage buildings
The old 1913 Calgary Herald Building is slated for the wrecking ball, raising questions aout heritage buildings. Host Doug Dirks speaks with Darryl Cariou the Senior Heritage Planner at the City of Calgary.
http://www.cbc.ca/homestretch/episode/2012/01/12/heritage-buildings/ |
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:41 am Post subject: |
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As the old Herald Building is being demolished, following an investigation of whether any of the original decoration remains under the marble cladding added in the 1960s (a condition ordered by Calgary Planning Commission, and urged by CHI - it is also hoped some of the marble can be salvaged for use in the new building...), a former Herald reporter recalls the building in its glory days for Fast Forward:
Tall tales from a condemned space
There was a soul in the old Herald building, something it lost when it moved out of the core
Published November 29, 2012 by Bob Blakey in Urban Living
http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/life-style/urban-living/tall-tales-from-a-condemned-space-10086/ |
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newsposter
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 1812
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