Walper Hotel

[KevinL]

Even if there is a step, people wtih canes, walkers, strollers etc can stil navigate a sliding door much better than a revolving door.

[panamaniac]

A sliding door will also take up a lot less space.

You'd think, but not really - there will need to be a second set of sliding doors inside the vestibule to keep winter weather out of the lobby - the end result may improve accessibility, but I don't think there will be any saving of space.

[panamaniac]

Even if there is a step, people wtih canes, walkers, strollers etc can stil navigate a sliding door much better than a revolving door.

Although it is a bit surprising that they couldn't have incorporated a ramp along with all the other changes being made.

[tomh009]

If it's only a single step, a ramp is probably not required. (Admittedly I'm too lazy to check at the moment ...)

[kwliving]

If it's only a single step, a ramp is probably not required.  (Admittedly I'm too lazy to check at the moment ...)

An electric wheelchair cannot go up one step.

[ijmorlan]

If it's only a single step, a ramp is probably not required.  (Admittedly I'm too lazy to check at the moment ...)

An electric wheelchair cannot go up one step.

Indeed. My comment would be that if it’s only a single step, it’s hard to see how installing a ramp could be infeasible. If it’s many steps, a lack of accessibility may simply be an unavoidable side-effect of an old building.

This is why I think accessibility should be graded on two scales: roughly speaking, effort, and accomplishment. For example, a business with plenty of space out front and a single 10cm step would get a big fat F for failing to put in an easy accessibility measure, whereas a business on the second floor of a small heritage house (requiring a flight of stairs to get up) would get some sort of designation that basically means “part of our city is heritage and isn’t ever going to be accessible, so it’s not their fault (but we’re never ever going to build anything like that in the future)”.

[KevinL]

I beleive the Walper lobby can be accessed step-free from a second door closer to King (it also serves the cafe).

[MacBerry]

I believe the Walper lobby can be accessed step-free from a second door closer to King (it also serves the cafe).

There used to be a street level access point down Queen. I admit I haven't been by in a long time.

[tomh009]

The lobby entrance is indeed off Queen.

The entrance off King (or the single step of the Queen entrance) may well satisfy the legislation, even if it's not optimal. Verification of this is left as an exercise for the reader.

[REnerd]

They also have a custom removable ramp that they employ at the Queen entrance.

[panamaniac]

A big truck load of air conditioning equipment was being hoisted up onto the roof of the Walper today. Good time for Queen St to be closed to through traffic!

[KevinL]

A big truck load of air conditioning equipment was being hoisted up onto the roof of the Walper today.  Good time for Queen St to be closed to through traffic!

Indeed, I got a shot of the rather impressive crane this morning.



I would not be surprised if the work was indeed deliberately coordinated with the known road closure dates.

[panamaniac]

I continue to wonder when/whether we are going to see exterior restoration work on the Walper? Perhaps they are concentrating on the interior to get things up and running for now. Has anyone seen anything to show what's planned (or when) for the exterior. At a minimum, there is brickwork required, along with repairs to one of the cornices on an upper floor. I would have thought that replacement windows would be part of the project as well.

[panamaniac]

A piece at CBC today about the renovations at the Walper:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-...-1.3601512

[tomh009]

Opening now delayed to September. I just had a pair of reservations for the last week of August cancelled.