What do you think of this project?

  • I like it a lot

    Votes: 70 80.5%

  • I like it

    Votes: 13 14.9%

  • I neither like nor dislike it

    Votes: 4 4.6%

  • I dislike it

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I dislike it a lot

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    87
IanO said:
I'd love to know why this might be 'the nicest'...

When ALL of the surface lots are built upon and ALL of the buildings occupied, I'd be happy to chat.
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I don't think I need to justify my opinions and hatred for strip malls to anyone, or the fact that I'll never understand North America's fetish with them.
 
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I used to shop here consistently when I lived at the hendrix. I agree with most arguments made on both sides above. Would it be great for it to not be low rise, car centric...sure. Does it still serve many walking and transit using residents? Yes. Is it valuable to the community? Very. Could a condo and retail development in the future be amazing here? Totally. Are there other lots easier to develop sooner, yes. Will this be redeveloped soon? Doubt it.
 
There is sometimes an evolution in developments. Before the strip mall with a parking lot, it was a rail yard, an empty lot and a parking lot. While it might not be the best place for a suburban style strip mall, it does serve the community around it both for people who can walk or take transit and those who drive. I actually lived across the street before it was developed and it was very bleak, so whatever one might think about strip malls it was quite an improvement. I suspect eventually it will be redeveloped to better fit the area, but probably not any time soon as the return and value of the land do not justify the cost to do so yet.

There are many other spaces that are under utilized nearby, including I think the Parks, which would do a a lot to improve the area. One step at a time.
 
I really wish the El Mirador could be saved. It's such a unique building with a great history that you don't see much of in Edmonton. The Parks development will be a huge addition to the downtown core, but it's a shame that it will be at the expense of an architectural rarity here :/
 
JayYEG said:
I really wish the El Mirador could be saved. It's such a unique building with a great history that you don't see much of in Edmonton. The Parks development will be a huge addition to the downtown core, but it's a shame that it will be at the expense of an architectural rarity here :/
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What is the great history?
 
^Probably its relation to an important, if forgotten architect, its application of a rare architectural style nigh unseen in Edmonton, its notoriety as the city's premier example of a Great Depression-era 'home-to-apartment' conversion project, its near unrivalled sense of community owing to its welcoming layout, or very its sense of place as downtown's weird Spanish oddity.
 
Solace lies in the fact that there are (sans the Churrigueresque detailing found in SoCal) over 1,000 similar period-style buildings in Los Angeles and San Diego -- same courtyard, same adobe roof tiles, same Spanish arches, same white plaster walls. I suspect that Ralph Henry Trouth the builder who designed the Edmonton structure was so enamored with the "neighborliness" of the style that he thought that it would be a breath of fresh air for Edmonton.
 
So what makes it historical? Did Marshal McLuhan live there? How about Robert Goulet? was it a land mark in architectural design? No it was a knock off. Will people be calling Manchester square historical in 50 years? It may or may not be a good example but of no historical value to say it is of great historical value is so much . hyperbole
 
Baronmine said:
Just received our 3 month notice to vacate El Mirador. We have until the end of June. I will miss this place more than I can say. I imagine it will be coming down shortly afterwards. Good bye El Mirador, it's been a great 16 years.
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Interesting...seems fast to me? I assumed they would wait till 22'. Aren't the retail bays still teeming with a....Money Mart and Queen Donair?
 
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