Tuesday, April 14, 2009

#11: Circular Structure

And so it goes. The Expositor reported that City Hall has agreed on a proposal of what to do with the south side of Colburne, and the best idea is to rip is all down and build a YMCA/WLU complex center. The heritage committed has raised its concern for the facades of the older buildings, but it was reported that the concern is largely on the heritage committee, and not the council. For Brantford, the way of renewal is not through thought and good design, but rather just to destroy and start again. So in that regard it's a fitting project.

However, every instance within the last 20 years of them doing such projects have resulted in total failure. A superbock was created for the Eaton's Mall, and is now largely occupied by branches of the City Hall. The parking garage that almost spans two blocks is mostly vacant, and offered no resurgence to the downtown (as was its intention), but rather a reason to not visit the area. Both of these projects required the change of Market Street from a through way, to a T-intersection that stops in front of the Eaton's. Market street was once the gateway to downtown but now causes most drivers take roads that circle around the core, instead of driving through it. Limiting the access to any area will diminish its success.

Avoiding downtown, however, is exactly what most of the resdients want. It's depressing to see an area of heritage loose to decay and neglect. I can understand why they would circumvent Dalhousie and Colborne.

Most recently, the City tore down a brownfield site and rejected a proposed hotel (one that would have been right next to the casino) and instead approved a strip mall and Price Choppers. I'm certain the Blockbuster is a major draw to many of that area - and certainly provides more revenue then a hotel next to the casino. Hmm, no wait, I can go to a Blockbusters anywhere (and usually choose not to). The development was most likley created to provide easy commerce opportunities to the people within Eagle Place (name for the surronding area), but any of the the corporate boxes built could have easily been reworked into South Colborne (one-two blocks away).

Now with the Y complex proposal, they again make a building that requires you to drive there. Homes are being removed, and instead yet another destination place is being created. Now of the previous destination places have worked; I'm not sure why they think this place will.
What that area needs is to think of a village. Provide mix-used housing, medium density, and keep as much of the heritage buildings as possible. Reworking a site creates more jobs and costs less then building brand new.

This is all very negative, but it's disappointing to see people try to do their best and fall completely short of their ambitions. It's just frustrating seeing all this happen, and not having the voice to convince people that what they are doing is wrong.

Throughout this blog I've shown the history of my Brantford. How the canning factory in Simcoe reminded me of my roots here, and why the Downtown area is truly a site of what could be. The industrial artitechture is clearly something that I'm most drawn to - not only becuase they are wonders of artitechture but also becuase of the vast importance to our heritage, our very definition of the City of Brantford, and our overall community ideology. From the start I was just gathering single elements and pieces of what I liked, and it was the City itself that created a narrative structure.

The encouragement and passionate comments I received after my presentation was more then I've ever recieved in my planning classes; proving that everyone is concerned about what happens to a city - even if it's not theirs. I plan to continue this blog and to showcase the areas of forgotten Brantford. They hold more to me then any of the sites focused on for tourists.

Monday, April 6, 2009

#10: Revitalized Railway Bridge: Putting it All Together


Brant's Landing


Revitalized Railway Bridge: Putting it All Together


Brownfield redevelopment doesn't necessarily have to be turning abandoned factories into lofts. Here is a fantastic example of taking unused industrial structure and making it a useful and incredibly popular piece.

The bridge is connected to now defunt railway lines (some still exist, but it's clear they are no longer used) that traveled to the Cockshutt plant and the industrial sector along Greenwich St (which I learned is the old Massey Ferguson factory). Adding this bridge is a great way to finish my collection, as it not only is a piece of fantastic industrial readaptaion but also make a physical link to my first posts. Without the building of this bridge much of the industrial sectors of Brantford would not have been able to connect with the rest of Ontario. Aditionally, this is the site plaqued as where Chief Joesph Brant forded the river. Thus, the name of the City and it's very reason for prosperity exsist within these two photos.

While taking these shots I had to wait for people to leave the bridge, as it was constantly being used by byclists, families on a walk, and an elderly man checking out the younger women. -Signs of pedestrian traffic is a definitive sign of a complete success.

#9: Via Rail

Via Rail Station
Brantford

It's amazing how the aspects of collecting individual pieces over the past months have created their own narrative structure. One of my first pieces was the Yates Castle and within that post I commented on how it was built from the wealth gathered by being a railway mogul. Taken cues from the newspaper's report on the sale of Yates Castle, it really only is logical to focus on the piece of industry that made the Yates' Mansion.




This station is the heart of what formed Brantford - the railway and industry. As a sign of what Brantford could be (or at least, what is once was) the Via Rail station is a clear stature of connected heritage among the residents (and within this collection). Classic industrial design and a great introduction to the City of Brantford by anyone coming in by the train. Great pride is still taken within this station. The lines of the building are sharp and bold, the bricks have aged accordingly - blackened by the soot and exhaust of first coal trains and now disel. It's a beautiful mess that doesn't require cleaning; making this station shine would be a horse of a different colour.

As a sign of architecture, and to reinforce my comments within my Expositor article, the Via Rail station is something that can never be replaced and is, esstentially, snap-shot of an era. The work gone into building this piece, all the little details, are some that now cost too much and ones that many people just don't seem to care about anymore.

The Harmony Square (a set of buildings constructed downtown to increase pedistrian traffic flow and interactions) was designed to immitate the styles of the trainstations. Sharp lines, blend into a few curved places and the trim (though not wood trim like the station here) is a lighter brick. The Square is something I may post later, but it's absolutly the opposite of this thesis - faux brownfield (new urbanist).

When I was a kid, someone told my Mom that I had an old soul. I think that my connection to buildings like these really shows that even though I'm younger then those on city council I seem to appreciate, or understand, the importance of heritage to the city. They always seem to confuse new with good. Luckily the railway line is ingrained into the image of Brantford, it's not a piece I'll have to fight for.

Monday, March 16, 2009

8b: Yates on Paper

Man's home really is castle

EXTRA! Yates Castle, a piece of local history, is for sale

Posted By SUSAN GAMBLE, EXPOSITOR STAFF

Updated 1 day ago

Just two families have owned the remarkable house called Wynarden in the past 145 years.

But now there's a chance for a third person to own the stuff of dreams: a "castle."

The remarkable Wynarden property up for sale -- commonly known as Yates Castle -- is one of the most unusual homes in the city, but also a bit of a mystery.

The Talos family, owners for the last 80 years, avoided publicity to some degree.

They declined home and garden tours because of the number of tenants who live on the property and, except for a massive renovation that took place in the 1980s, the home has rarely been brought to the public's attention.

Painters and photographers have found the allure of the house and it has been written about in architectural books. But the best way of discovering Yates Castle has been serendipitously -- getting lost behind Terrace Hill Street on Usher Street and gasping at the startling sight of the mansion sitting across from the train tracks.

Henry Rushton Yates was the railway magnate who built the house and spared no expense.

His legacy was raved about in The Expositor of 1865: "It has splendid suites of rooms for all

Yours for $1,855,000


continued within:

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1478182


#8: Update on Yates

Opening the Saturday paper this week was a shocking surprise; the Yates mansion is up for sale. The very same mansion that I posted a month ago is now ready to buy for the asking price of 1.8 million. That is more money then I will ever see, but seems like a fair price to ask for such a fantastic piece.
The article was big talk at work. It was actually the most talked about non-political article and it was great to see non-Brantford residents know of the place. Even better, was to see that the life-long residents of Brantford had no idea what we were talking about.
The paper actually reminded me that I've met the owners of this place, as they are friends of my parents and have been for years. Clearly I should take him up on his offer to give me a tour of the place, before it's sold to someone not as open.

I've posted a section of the newspaper (8b) and some great pictures taken for the paper, and a link to the actual article.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1478182

April 16th 2009: I've taken off the photos I orginally added, as they were not mine. They can, however, be viewed by following the above link to the Brantford Expositor.)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

#7: Letter to the Editor

Being completely outraged by the lack of respect Brantford has for itself, I had to vent in a public forum. The response was generally positive, but my grandmother was concerned about how I attacked the one council member. 
An interesting side note, two days after the paper printed the following letter I attended a public planning session about the Grand River. Everyone had to wear the traditional name tag, and during the many group sessions I noticed other people pointing at my name. I was very confused because, at that time, had not realized my letter had been published.


Here is the letter published in the Brantford Expositor:

Living in and around the City of Brantford for that past 30 years I really should be surprised to hear another downtown building is labeled as unsuitable and scheduled for demolition – this is a city obsessed with the notion that through destruction we’ll find our salvation. Yet, I read last week that the Esquire Theatre, a marvel in art deco design, is to be torn down. Councilor Richard Carpenter is even quoted as saying he’d agree with a plan to “demolish every building on the south side of Colbourn”. What has this city done to deserve such disrespect to its physical history? How has Brantford wronged you Mr. Carpenter? Perhaps the most important rhetorical question: “Why does this always happen in Brantford?”
As a planning student I’ve taken special interest in Brantford and learned one very important aspect of heritage buildings: once they’re gone, they’re gone. If only this building had fur and big cute eyes it would be regarded as the true urban endangered species it really is.
Destroying the south side of Colborne (starting with this building) will be the culmination of failure that is the City Council. The ideology behind urban renewal – the act of city planning via demolition and rebuilding – doesn’t work and has never truly worked. The Eaton’s Mall, Market Street reconstruction, and the parking plaza are example of renewal attempts and all complete failures in architecture, cultural, and social concerns. Council should be looking into why downtown is not success, why it’s vacant and not allow classic brick to be replaced with steel and glass.

#6: Esquire Theatre


Esquire Theatre
Brantford, On

Clearly, I've been lacking the weekly posting - but I have been gathering a lot of pictures of the area. A lot of developments have also happened within the area, and they fit this project's idiom perfectly.

  

   I can't remember ever being in this building, but it is a symbol for how things in Brantford are done wrong.

   The Esquire is a (former) theatre built in 1934, designed during a period of art deco. Art deco, by-the-way, is my person favourite style of architecture and one that seems to be sacrificed more then any others in this area. The style is usually very different from surrounding buildings, and it sticks out. Currently, the building is vacant due a fire that happened within the last 10 years. Stating that, I have to state the obvious: this building hasn't been used in 10 years. How do we subject timeless pieces of art to such disregard and allow massive construction of completely disposable retail strips? Too many times does free parking come out as the only answer.

  My first introduction to this piece was within the Brantford Expositor. City Council is currently judging if this piece is even worth saving, or if it's better to completely demolish and leave a gapping hole until some 'better' idea comes about. The city's heritage community is asking to keep the falc
onish statue that adorns the tops...but they haven’t said anything about how simple it is to keep the facade. It's all rather disappointing.