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One Young (née Mayfair Hotel) | 5 fl | Complete
(06-09-2015, 01:55 PM)tomh009 Wrote:
(06-09-2015, 01:04 PM)KWchick Wrote: remember the davids gourmet store, where the old farah food mart was on gaukel?
when david's went in there, after it being vacant for years, i knew it wouldnt last.
i guess they hoped that because of the 'lofts and condos' ppl would want a more upscale shopping place..
but i knew they wouldnt go there.  they likely dont shop downtown much at all.

David's Gourmet was too early: only the Kaufman Lofts was occupied then, as I recall, and that's not enough to make a difference.  Once City Centre and One Victoria are occupied (and Arrow Lofts already is), there will be a lot more people living in downtown Kitchener.  (But there is already competition for David's in the core, too much so, I think for them to succeed.)

As an aside, I'll be moving downtown soon -- and we plan to shop downtown as much as possible.  Between New City, Arcuense, Nougat and Vincenzo's, we won't need to go to Zehrs or Sobeys all that often.



(06-09-2015, 01:04 PM)KWchick Wrote: but i remember it being very busy and a fun place to go explore..

now it is just all being wiped out, one building at a time..

My old memories of downtown Kitchener are quite different from yours.  Back in the late 70s, when I was in high school, the downtown, apart from Market Square, seemed largely run down, partly abandoned and not so much fun at all.  When was it a busy and fun place?

vincenzo's isnt downtown.. or have i just missed it.. i thought that was on belmont.

anyhow i am glad you have a plan lol

we have no car.. so when we do go shopping it is usually a one-store trip. so it would be great to have one downtown and not have to take a cabload of groceries home.
anyhow.

yes i realize my memories, and places i liked to go are different than other ppl.

for me, it was a great time downtown starting in '98.
and alot of ppl i met and became friends with were all going downtown too then..
after work friday nights was the best time. ppl were everywhere.. nick's subs, cj's and yes tommys (though i doubt anyone would agree much with me there.), dandys was always busy and the owners were good ppl.. bargain shop, farah food, slices, hollywood diner..
i had a blast. was completely new to all of that.

lots of ppl, lots of bands...

i realize it has gotten worse now (in bars) and i dont go out anymore. but at the time, i had alot of fun.

i was one of these ppl who wouldnt have ever set foot in such a place before in my black and white life...
but i learned alot about ppl and that you can find good ppl anywhere.
and i did then.

so yes 98/99 is the time period i am talking about.
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(06-09-2015, 02:07 PM)KWchick Wrote: vincenzo's isnt downtown.. or have i just missed it.. i thought that was on belmont.
anyhow i am glad you have a plan lol
we have no car..  so when we do go shopping it is usually a one-store trip.  so it would be great to have one downtown and not have to take a cabload of groceries home.

Vincenzo's is now in Waterloo, next to Bauer Lofts.  It's a pretty long walk there from downtown Kitchener, but an easy bicycle ride on the Iron Horse Trail.  (And it's really a deli so we won't be buying so much that we can't carry it back in backpacks.)  None of New City, Arcuense, Nougat, Kitchener Market (or Shoppers Drug Mart) provide a complete grocery selection, but they have enough that full grocery store visits will be less frequent.  And once enough people move into downtown, I believe that we will see a full-line grocery store in downtown again.  Maybe within five years?

As for now, we'll still have a car but we are not intending to drive nearly as much once we move downtown.  (Yes, I'll be walking to work.)
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(06-09-2015, 01:41 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Meanwhile, at the Mayfair:

[Image: 2ahz0xf.jpg]

[Image: 2qw09a9.jpg]

Well.  That seems normal.
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It's the occasional eccentric and unexpected that gives Downtown much of its charm.

For anyone who doesn't recognize "All are punish'd", here's a clue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFHV7o4SSZ8
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(06-09-2015, 02:23 PM)tomh009 Wrote:
(06-09-2015, 02:07 PM)KWchick Wrote: vincenzo's isnt downtown.. or have i just missed it.. i thought that was on belmont.
anyhow i am glad you have a plan lol
we have no car..  so when we do go shopping it is usually a one-store trip.  so it would be great to have one downtown and not have to take a cabload of groceries home.

Vincenzo's is now in Waterloo, next to Bauer Lofts.  It's a pretty long walk there from downtown Kitchener, but an easy bicycle ride on the Iron Horse Trail.  (And it's really a deli so we won't be buying so much that we can't carry it back in backpacks.)  None of New City, Arcuense, Nougat, Kitchener Market (or Shoppers Drug Mart) provide a complete grocery selection, but they have enough that full grocery store visits will be less frequent.  And once enough people move into downtown, I believe that we will see a full-line grocery store in downtown again.  Maybe within five years?

As for now, we'll still have a car but we are not intending to drive nearly as much once we move downtown.  (Yes, I'll be walking to work.)

sounds like you have a good plan..

i hardly get any deli stuff myself.

bargain shop was good for canned stuff and spices though, and a few things like that.

well perhaps in 5 years.
but who even knows what will happen in 5 years..
i have been through MANY many things in just a couple months.. so it is very hard to think about anything
long term.
i guess that is the city's 'long term plan'
but it doesnt do much at the moment.

it is great to be able to walk to work. i used to as well, when i was at maple leaf.
now i dont know of anywhere near enough to walk to, as far as work..

well unless it is white collar stuff. there seems to be alot of that kind of thing..
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(06-09-2015, 02:29 PM)notmyfriends Wrote:
(06-09-2015, 01:41 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Meanwhile, at the Mayfair:

[Image: 2ahz0xf.jpg]

[Image: 2qw09a9.jpg]

Well.  That seems normal.

lol
it was, for the mayfair....

but either way, 'normal' has changed an awful lot.
it would have been considered very strange years ago, for example, to have just about everyone at work on breaktime sitting beside one another yet texting to them on some device.

to me that is nowhere near 'normal'..
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You might have enjoyed the guy standing out in front of the CBC today in a teddy bear suit offering free hugs.
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King St in front of the Mayfair has finally re-opened.
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To bring this back to the Mayfair Hotel...here is an alternate timeline that I would have loved to see: what if the Mayfair Hotel had been salvageable and had ended up like one of these 'reclaimed' hotels:
- The Heuther Hotel - eg predominantly a restaurant with some short-term apartments (not to mention the Original Princess)
- The Waterloo Hotel - eg a boutique hotel with restaurant space
- The Drake Hotel - every hipster's fantasy.

Could it have redefined the Downtown? Would we imagine downtown Waterloo without the Heuther or a similar establishment?
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It looks like the steel support brace that was added at street level to support the corner of the Weber Chambers building is going to be left in place. If so, it's going to look odd after the fencing comes down.
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(06-22-2015, 01:50 PM)nms Wrote: To bring this back to the Mayfair Hotel...here is an alternate timeline that I would have loved to see: what if the Mayfair Hotel had been salvageable and had ended up like one of these 'reclaimed' hotels:
- The Heuther Hotel - eg predominantly a restaurant with some short-term apartments (not to mention the Original Princess)
- The Waterloo Hotel - eg a boutique hotel with restaurant space
- The Drake Hotel - every hipster's fantasy.

Could it have redefined the Downtown? Would we imagine downtown Waterloo without the Heuther or a similar establishment?

There was a window of over 30 years for this conversion to happen and it didn't take place. Finally, with a lot of incentives someone stepped in, but unfortunately it was too late. So many years of neglect had taken its toll. In terms of redefining downtown, while the Huether would be sorely missed if it were to be gone (knock on wood), I don't think it would make much of a difference in the long run. There are so many bars, coffee shops and breweries already. 
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(06-22-2015, 02:46 PM)BuildingScout Wrote:
(06-22-2015, 01:50 PM)nms Wrote: To bring this back to the Mayfair Hotel...here is an alternate timeline that I would have loved to see: what if the Mayfair Hotel had been salvageable and had ended up like one of these 'reclaimed' hotels:
- The Heuther Hotel - eg predominantly a restaurant with some short-term apartments (not to mention the Original Princess)
- The Waterloo Hotel - eg a boutique hotel with restaurant space
- The Drake Hotel - every hipster's fantasy.

Could it have redefined the Downtown? Would we imagine downtown Waterloo without the Heuther or a similar establishment?

There was a window of over 30 years for this conversion to happen and it didn't take place. Finally, with a lot of incentives someone stepped in, but unfortunately it was too late. So many years of neglect had taken its toll. In terms of redefining downtown, while the Huether would be sorely missed if it were to be gone (knock on wood), I don't think it would make much of a difference in the long run. There are so many bars, coffee shops and breweries already. 

Don't forget that Downtown still has the Walper.  The old hotel building at King and Queen (I've forgotten - was it the American Hotel?) also has lots of potential, although I worry that it too might succumb to "demolition by neglect" - the mess at the end that had the fire is not looking very promising.
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(06-22-2015, 02:53 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Don't forget that Downtown still has the Walper.  The old hotel building at King and Queen (I've forgotten - was it the American Hotel?) also has lots of potential, although I worry that it too might succumb to "demolition by neglect" - the mess at the end that had the fire is not looking very promising.

Isn't it being done by Revel group, the same ones that left a mess on David Street, illegally painted the heritage houses on Weber Street, and have gotten into a bunch of other disputes with the city? I'm not sure I trust them to maintain a heritage building.
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Is it Revel? I thought it was one of the other usual players.
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(06-22-2015, 07:25 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Is it Revel?  I thought it was one of the other usual players.

It is indeed Revel, or at least was.
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