Lost Opportunities

[Drake]

Mass transit champions ignore. I cite the ring road/expressway as a lost opportunity. Does anyone have access to a blueprint or fantasy map of the route this thing was going to take?

[neonjoe]

I believe I saw a map or read an article in the Record fifteen years ago regarding this.
If my recollection is correct I think it that it had the route approximately following Bridgeport -> Erb -> University -> Fischer Hallman and then back onto the current alignment. You can somewhat see the shape in the right-of-ways of all of these roads.

Doing this would have destroyed Uptown Waterloo.

[Drake]

Or perhaps forced the amalgamation of the two cities into one. I had always thought Northfield Dr would have been the northern border of the road. Thanks for the information NJ.

[Viewfromthe42]

Wasn't sure where to post this, but...

http://www.demilked.com/icelandic-archit...d-statues/

Can we call this a lost opportunity?

[Section ThirtyOne]

Wasn't sure where to post this, but...

http://www.demilked.com/icelandic-archit...d-statues/

Can we call this a lost opportunity?

That looks amazing! But judging from the amount of guywires required for the tower that is "walking", it could also get incredibly expensive.

[rangersfan]

I almost feel like Sixo should be listed here but is that premature?

[ijmorlan]

I almost feel like Sixo should be listed here but is that premature?

I’d say wait until we see what happens instead. Who knows, maybe it won’t be a lost opportunity at all!

[jamincan]

Ii was never completely sold on the plan for Sixo. The adjusted plans could be an improvement.

[Canard]

I'll be crushed if it's anything less than what was shown. My dream would to have also eliminated the old house they were going to try and keep.

[panamaniac]

Retention of the Kaufman mansion is a given, whatever the new plan involves.  Part of me would like to see the chapel extension saved as well, as I think it could be made into a good serious music venue.  That will not happen, obviously, if the property remains in the hands of a private developer.  I always thought the original SIXO plan was too ambitious (and I wasn't pleased when they "dumbed down" the original design concept) , so it won't surprise me if the new proposal is more modest.  Depending on what the new proponents paid for the site (was the price disclosed?), I  might be overly pessimistic.

Anyway, to keep things somewhat on topic, I wouldn't see this as a "lost opportunity", as it is common for development proposals to change over time.

[clasher]

One lost opportunity came to mind today... the still-empty lot beside 35 David Street once had a 19 storey slender condo all rendered up for that location but it fell through like every other plan for that site has.

[tomh009]

One lost opportunity came to mind today... the still-empty lot beside 35 David Street once had a 19 storey slender condo all rendered up for that location but it fell through like every other plan for that site has.

51 David St, now known as OTIS?
http://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/s...hp?tid=245

I can't see that a developer would be able to get approval for a 19-storey building on a property that small, given our FAR restrictions. Revel originally proposed 12 floors, but I think even that was a stretch, and required a complex parking system.

[Jacquie]

I was walking on Roy Street the other day, and noticed how close the back of the old Zion United Church's Sunday School Room is to the yard of the house on 41 Roy Street. A friend and I were researching the history, whether the house or the church extension came first. I suspect the house came first, based on my rudimentary knowledge of architectural periods. Anyway, as my friend and I endeavoured to research this question, she stumbled across this thesis in architecture on the internet, devoted to the old abandoned church buildings DTK. I thought it suitable to upload here because as of now, we know that at least one of the churches  (Trinity United previously located at Duke and Frederick) studied has been demolished in favour of a high rise condo building. It's a lost opportunity because it could've gone to much more creative use of the space, while preserving the heritage of the downtown, instead of doing away with it forever. (I also cross posted in the "Doors Closed Waterloo" thread. Here is the link: https://curve.carleton.ca/system/files/e...wntown.pdf

[panamaniac]

I thought it was unfortunate that Trinity was unable to reach agreement with a developer to incorporate a new sanctuary and office into a redevelopment of the site. A big missed opportunity, istm.

[tomh009]

I thought it was unfortunate that Trinity was unable to reach agreement with a developer to incorporate a new sanctuary and office into a redevelopment of the site.  A big missed opportunity, istm.

I suspect their arrangement with St Matthew's Lutheran is much more cost-effective. And may end up saving St Matthew's, too.