Wednesday 6 February 2008

Upper Fort Gary: apartments will not destroy gate

With people like Gordon Sinclare saying things like "save the fort", a person might be forgiven for thinking that the condo project proposed by Crystal Developers (no, not the software guys) for 100 Main St. would plow under the historical structure and plop high-rise directly on top of it. That is not the case. I just want to take a moment to clarify that point. The gate is going nowhere.

The Crystal development would preserve the gate, include a garden, an interpretive center and a farmers market, and would look something like this:






























The Friends of Upper Fort Garry proposal would include a "symbolic representation of the fort and the buildings that were once enclosed within its walls", installations of art and other creative works, an interpretive center, and looks something like this:

While you're thinking about this, remember that the Crystal proposal will generate tax dollars and encourage more people to live downtown, while the Friends proposal will consume tax dollars -- something that Gary Doer seems anxious to get started.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Nice find. Where are the sketches of the apartment development from?

cherenkov said...

I don't know the original source, but I pulled them off of here: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=426040&page=15

Unapologetic Ex-Winnipegger said...

Nice drawings. I bet the developers spent a pretty penny on them prior to being the unfortunate beneficiaries of Sinclair's wrath. Perhaps the Sinclairs of the world should advise what sites are of historical importance BEFORE anyone decides to sink personal money into improving the city?

Why is it that sites like UFG sit neglected for decades before anyone feels compelled to recognize their historical significance? Developers and historical societies should come up with a list of The Untouchables - sites of such historical importance to the city that they are beyond commercial development. That would save everyone a lot of headaches AND money.

 
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