Welcome Guest!
In order to take advantage of all the great features that Waterloo Region Connected has to offer, including participating in the lively discussions below, you're going to have to register. The good news is that it'll take less than a minute and you can get started enjoying Waterloo Region's best online community right away.
or Create an Account




Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
35 King St N, Waterloo (Old, old Post Office)
#1
https://www.therecord.com/news-story/832...-of-glass/[/url]

"WATERLOO — Fire burned a hole in downtown Waterloo five years ago on King Street North. A three-storey office building of glass and light is now proposed to fill the vacant space. 
Pending city approval, the new building will abut the [url=http://www.waterloo.ca/en/contentresources/resources/government/heritage_property_old_post_office.pdf]historic post office
, its modern lines designed to play off against stone and brick. The two buildings near Dupont Street will connect inside. 
The historic post office and its neighbour will function as one complex. The new building will provide retail space at ground level.
Architecturally, the glass building is intended to complement the stone post office rather than compete with it. Passersby will be able to see the stone through the glass.
Coun. Mark Whaley is captivated. He was inside the post office a few months ago to see workers renovating it into brick-and-beam office space.
"The interior renovation is spectacular. And to put this beautiful gem of a building next door, this glass bubble next door, is going to be incredible," he said. "When you get that old look and have that new look and blend them together to make something brand new, it's going to be amazing." 
Brothers George and Nickolas Georghiades revealed their development proposal for the vacant space at a recent council meeting. They need council approval in part to trim the number of parking spaces at the new building from 29 to five. The site has never had more than five parking spaces.
The brothers, also known as Lexington Park Real Estate Capital, also redeveloped the former Royal Canadian Legion building at 19 Regina St. N. They argue their King Street development needs little parking because there's substantial parking nearby and people drive less in the area.
The downtown hole was left vacant after a fire in 2012 destroyed a restaurant, an empty storefront and apartments above the businesses at 37 to 41 King St. N. Police struggled to keep afternoon crowds behind the police line while firefighters battled the blaze. No one was hurt.
The fire did not affect the historic post office. It was built in 1913, expanded in 1944, and has been privately owned since 1967. Since then it's been an optometry school, a restaurant, and the first home of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics."

[Image: B8888733Z.1_20180312172418_000_GGS3SVON....rtrait.jpg]

[Image: B8888733Z.1_20180312172418_000_GGS3SVOQ....rtrait.jpg]
Reply


#2
Note this is the *old*, old post office, not to be confused with 70 King N, which is just the old post office.

Edit: I see the title was updated! Nice.
Reply
#3
I'm worried about this destroying the St Jacobs feel of uptown Waterloo.

The heritage of King Street in uptown Waterloo is short, brick buildings, many of them factories. Plopping an glass box in the middle of it is going to be disruptive.

I understand that the empty site is no gem, but it is not obtrusive in any way. It is just kind of there.

This building could be a pivotal moment in deciding whether we want to "preserve heritage" or have a vision for the future.

(Adapted from a post in the other post office thread ...)
Reply
#4
(03-12-2018, 09:29 PM)tomh009 Wrote: I'm worried about this destroying the St Jacobs feel of uptown Waterloo.

The heritage of King Street in uptown Waterloo is short, brick buildings, many of them factories. Plopping an glass box in the middle of it is going to be disruptive.

I understand that the empty site is no gem, but it is not obtrusive in any way. It is just kind of there.

This building could be a pivotal moment in deciding whether we want to "preserve heritage" or have a vision for the future.

(Adapted from a post in the other post office thread ...)

I recognize that comment. And it is missing the context of discussion of an 11 storey building. Tongue
Reply
#5
I like what I see here!
Reply
#6
This looks cool, but I feel bad for anyone living in the Dupont St apartments who will have their big picture windows just a few feet from the windows of this new building. I used to live in one of those apartments myself - if I still lived there I wouldn't be happy about this cutting off my entire view.
Reply
#7
This "old, old post office" project is the bees knees!! Look forward to seeing it move ahead.
Reply


#8
(03-13-2018, 09:07 AM)goggolor Wrote: This looks cool, but I feel bad for anyone living in the Dupont St apartments who will have their big picture windows just a few feet from the windows of this new building. I used to live in one of those apartments myself - if I still lived there I wouldn't be happy about this cutting off my entire view.

Sometimes, in cities, views are of other buildings. This is the centre of the City of Waterloo.
Reply
#9
(03-13-2018, 09:07 AM)goggolor Wrote: This looks cool, but I feel bad for anyone living in the Dupont St apartments who will have their big picture windows just a few feet from the windows of this new building. I used to live in one of those apartments myself - if I still lived there I wouldn't be happy about this cutting off my entire view.

Is this much different in size than the building that was there before?
Reply
#10
(03-13-2018, 10:12 AM)timc Wrote:
(03-13-2018, 09:07 AM)goggolor Wrote: This looks cool, but I feel bad for anyone living in the Dupont St apartments who will have their big picture windows just a few feet from the windows of this new building. I used to live in one of those apartments myself - if I still lived there I wouldn't be happy about this cutting off my entire view.

Is this much different in size than the building that was there before?


This is *way* bigger than the old building - 37-41 King used to have a large parking lot in back, this is filling the entire footprint of the lot and the parking lot on the Dupont side as well. Which is a really cool use of space, but there are some folks who are going to lose all the natural light to their apartments and be staring into an office building. (Yes, I agree this is the cost of living in the city... but some people will still have the right to be disappointed. Just like I was disappointed when the 37-41 King St owners chainsawed all the old mature trees in the back of their property which used to keep the Dupont St building cool in the summer).
Reply
#11
(03-13-2018, 10:12 AM)timc Wrote:
(03-13-2018, 09:07 AM)goggolor Wrote: This looks cool, but I feel bad for anyone living in the Dupont St apartments who will have their big picture windows just a few feet from the windows of this new building. I used to live in one of those apartments myself - if I still lived there I wouldn't be happy about this cutting off my entire view.

Is this much different in size than the building that was there before?

Here's a satellite photo of the from 2012 showing the building that later burned down.

   
Reply
#12
(03-13-2018, 11:46 AM)goggolor Wrote:
(03-13-2018, 10:12 AM)timc Wrote: Is this much different in size than the building that was there before?


This is *way* bigger than the old building - 37-41 King used to have a large parking lot in back, this is filling the entire footprint of the lot and the parking lot on the Dupont side as well. Which is a really cool use of space, but there are some folks who are going to lose all the natural light to their apartments and be staring into an office building. (Yes, I agree this is the cost of living in the city... but some people will still have the right to be disappointed. Just like I was disappointed when the 37-41 King St owners chainsawed all the old mature trees in the back of their property which used to keep the Dupont St building cool in the summer).

City of Waterloo needs to increase the surface parking minimums to prevent these kinds of problems! At least 50% of every new development should be surface parking!
Reply
#13
(03-13-2018, 12:00 PM)UrbanCanoe Wrote: Here's a satellite photo of the from 2012 showing the building that later burned down.

Ah, OK. That would be a bit disappointing for the neighbours.
Reply


#14
(03-13-2018, 01:25 PM)tomh009 Wrote:
(03-13-2018, 11:46 AM)goggolor Wrote: This is *way* bigger than the old building - 37-41 King used to have a large parking lot in back, this is filling the entire footprint of the lot and the parking lot on the Dupont side as well. Which is a really cool use of space, but there are some folks who are going to lose all the natural light to their apartments and be staring into an office building. (Yes, I agree this is the cost of living in the city... but some people will still have the right to be disappointed. Just like I was disappointed when the 37-41 King St owners chainsawed all the old mature trees in the back of their property which used to keep the Dupont St building cool in the summer).

City of Waterloo needs to increase the surface parking minimums to prevent these kinds of problems! At least 50% of every new development should be surface parking!
 
NO! Count on and take the LRT and reduce the surface parking ... the future starts now in 2018
Reply
#15
(03-13-2018, 08:42 PM)MacBerry Wrote:
(03-13-2018, 01:25 PM)tomh009 Wrote: City of Waterloo needs to increase the surface parking minimums to prevent these kinds of problems! At least 50% of every new development should be surface parking!
 
NO! Count on and take the LRT and reduce the surface parking ... the future starts now in 2018

I guess I should have posted with the sarcasm clearly flagged!
Reply
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »



Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

About Waterloo Region Connected

Launched in August 2014, Waterloo Region Connected is an online community that brings together all the things that make Waterloo Region great. Waterloo Region Connected provides user-driven content fueled by a lively discussion forum covering topics like urban development, transportation projects, heritage issues, businesses and other issues of interest to those in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the four Townships - North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich.

              User Links