Showing posts with label Ridge Centre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ridge Centre. Show all posts
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Evidence of trench warfare? Looking south into the ditch of the Arbutus Ridge development.[/caption]
By the looks of things today the battle for the Arbutus Ridge is finally over. Who lost is open to discussion but the developer, Cressey, definitely won. I can only hope it was a bloodless victory.
The decisions leading up to the redevelopment and demolition of the 63-year-old landmark Ridge shopping and recreational complex. located on Arbutus Street at 16th Avenue. were certainly cold-blooded, but it was just business after all, right?
The existing businesses tenants such as McDonald's and Ridge Garden which were all pointedly not given a opportunity to be involved in the new development might disagree.
Construction on the the 49- to 52-unit "Arbutus Ridge" condo is scheduled to be completed some time in 2015, with the single retail tenant opening soon afterwards.
Evidence of trench warfare? Looking south into the ditch of the Arbutus Ridge development.[/caption]By the looks of things today the battle for the Arbutus Ridge is finally over. Who lost is open to discussion but the developer, Cressey, definitely won. I can only hope it was a bloodless victory.
The decisions leading up to the redevelopment and demolition of the 63-year-old landmark Ridge shopping and recreational complex. located on Arbutus Street at 16th Avenue. were certainly cold-blooded, but it was just business after all, right?
The existing businesses tenants such as McDonald's and Ridge Garden which were all pointedly not given a opportunity to be involved in the new development might disagree.
Construction on the the 49- to 52-unit "Arbutus Ridge" condo is scheduled to be completed some time in 2015, with the single retail tenant opening soon afterwards.
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This is the back end which conveys the asphalt debris into a dump truck.[/caption]
This beast is a CMI PR-800-7/12 pavement profiler. Basically its used to plane the asphalt or concrete layer off of roadways, and parking lots -- like the one it's parked in, just across 15th Avenue from the demolition site that was the Ridge Centre. This lot was parking for the Ridge Centre. It's now been sold for development. Across Arbutus, is another Ridge parking lot. This one's the length of the block, straddling the alley. It has a development coming also. A slapped-together, temporary, sales centre, takes up half the lot, pre-selling imaginary condos.
This is the back end which conveys the asphalt debris into a dump truck.[/caption]This beast is a CMI PR-800-7/12 pavement profiler. Basically its used to plane the asphalt or concrete layer off of roadways, and parking lots -- like the one it's parked in, just across 15th Avenue from the demolition site that was the Ridge Centre. This lot was parking for the Ridge Centre. It's now been sold for development. Across Arbutus, is another Ridge parking lot. This one's the length of the block, straddling the alley. It has a development coming also. A slapped-together, temporary, sales centre, takes up half the lot, pre-selling imaginary condos.
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Spared from the wrecking ball![/caption]
A worker involved in the demolition of the Ridge Centre complex at 16th Avenue, and Arbutus Street, told me, for a September 26 post, that someone had taken away the iconic bowling pin. I didn't find out who had saved it from the wrecking ball until last night, when I was laying down a "bed" of newspaper pages for my wet bike, and trailer. According to this Vancouver Sun article, two well-to-do Vancouverites, Eric Cohen, and Yosef Wosk teamed up to preserve the landmark neighbourhood fixture which sat atop the North-East corner of the centre, advertising the 15-lane bowling alley, for 63 years.
Spared from the wrecking ball![/caption]A worker involved in the demolition of the Ridge Centre complex at 16th Avenue, and Arbutus Street, told me, for a September 26 post, that someone had taken away the iconic bowling pin. I didn't find out who had saved it from the wrecking ball until last night, when I was laying down a "bed" of newspaper pages for my wet bike, and trailer. According to this Vancouver Sun article, two well-to-do Vancouverites, Eric Cohen, and Yosef Wosk teamed up to preserve the landmark neighbourhood fixture which sat atop the North-East corner of the centre, advertising the 15-lane bowling alley, for 63 years.
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Arc du Cressey? Point of sale advertising for the developer, after a fashion.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_6053" align="alignright" width="180"]
Two months ago we'd be nearly in the alley looking at the yoga studio.[/caption]
The bowling alley still sits off in the North-West corner, and the facade of the former supermarket stands facing Arbutus like a remnant of the London Blitz; otherwise the former site of the old Ridge Centre is just a mess of rubble. The entire North-South alley behind the lot, between 15th, and 16th Avenue, is fenced off -- understandably, but this will be a big inconvenience for the residents along the first East-West block of 15th, and 16th directly behind the lot, which will continue for as long as the construction project does.
I had to sneak onto the site to take the photo of the supermarket facade without the fence getting in the way. Eventually security woke up to the fact that I was inside the perimeter and came over and insisted I stay behind the fence. I didn't press the point; it was a genuine security issue, and there was a sign indicating an asbestos "abatement" specialist was involved in the demolition of the 1950s structure. The security guard told me that the previous night a group of people had broken into the site -- I couldn't imagine why -- there was nothing left to take, and few surfaces worth tagging with graffiti. Police came with dogs, but the guard said he couldn't let even the police onto the site. I didn't know what to make of that story, but he was a very nice security guard, and, when he saw I was bottle-collecting binner, he emptied his car of a remarkable number of two-litre 7-Up bottles, Apparently his secret to staying alert was sugar. Click the images to enlarge them.
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="6056,6057,6058,6059,6060,6061,6062"]
Go back to my first post about the redevelopment of the Ridge Centre ►
Arc du Cressey? Point of sale advertising for the developer, after a fashion.[/caption][caption id="attachment_6053" align="alignright" width="180"]
Two months ago we'd be nearly in the alley looking at the yoga studio.[/caption]The bowling alley still sits off in the North-West corner, and the facade of the former supermarket stands facing Arbutus like a remnant of the London Blitz; otherwise the former site of the old Ridge Centre is just a mess of rubble. The entire North-South alley behind the lot, between 15th, and 16th Avenue, is fenced off -- understandably, but this will be a big inconvenience for the residents along the first East-West block of 15th, and 16th directly behind the lot, which will continue for as long as the construction project does.
I had to sneak onto the site to take the photo of the supermarket facade without the fence getting in the way. Eventually security woke up to the fact that I was inside the perimeter and came over and insisted I stay behind the fence. I didn't press the point; it was a genuine security issue, and there was a sign indicating an asbestos "abatement" specialist was involved in the demolition of the 1950s structure. The security guard told me that the previous night a group of people had broken into the site -- I couldn't imagine why -- there was nothing left to take, and few surfaces worth tagging with graffiti. Police came with dogs, but the guard said he couldn't let even the police onto the site. I didn't know what to make of that story, but he was a very nice security guard, and, when he saw I was bottle-collecting binner, he emptied his car of a remarkable number of two-litre 7-Up bottles, Apparently his secret to staying alert was sugar. Click the images to enlarge them.
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="6056,6057,6058,6059,6060,6061,6062"]
Go back to my first post about the redevelopment of the Ridge Centre ►
My post showing the demolition at the end of September ►
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The Ridge Theatre is open, but not for business.[/caption]
The Ridge Centre at 16th Avenue, and Arbutus Street, has been subjected to slow motion demolition for some weeks now, but the ordeal is nearly over.
At the time of my first post on the fate of the Ridge Centre, back on May 7, it was almost business as usual, with only the theatre shuttered, by my September 2 post, the Centre was closed, and the demolition process was already underway inside.
The block-long, 1950s era, shopping centre is clearly coming down. The three store fronts on the North-side of the Ridge Theatre are gone -- reduced to ruble and trucked wherever such construction debris goes. The giant bowling pin which stood on top of the North-most shop, the Ridge Garden Restaurant, was not destroyed. A worker today told me someone took it away intact. The entire front face of the theatre is gone -- cleanly sheared off -- leaving an open box. Strange effect. More than three-quarters of the structure appears to remain, but it's largely an empty shell; the time up till now has been spent gutting the structure. I would expect knocking down the remaining facade would be quick work. Click the images to enlarge them, except for the animated GIF.
[caption id="attachment_5822" align="alignnone" width="497"]
A big mess! As it looked today. spliced together from three photos,[/caption]
The Ridge Theatre is open, but not for business.[/caption]The Ridge Centre at 16th Avenue, and Arbutus Street, has been subjected to slow motion demolition for some weeks now, but the ordeal is nearly over.
At the time of my first post on the fate of the Ridge Centre, back on May 7, it was almost business as usual, with only the theatre shuttered, by my September 2 post, the Centre was closed, and the demolition process was already underway inside.
The block-long, 1950s era, shopping centre is clearly coming down. The three store fronts on the North-side of the Ridge Theatre are gone -- reduced to ruble and trucked wherever such construction debris goes. The giant bowling pin which stood on top of the North-most shop, the Ridge Garden Restaurant, was not destroyed. A worker today told me someone took it away intact. The entire front face of the theatre is gone -- cleanly sheared off -- leaving an open box. Strange effect. More than three-quarters of the structure appears to remain, but it's largely an empty shell; the time up till now has been spent gutting the structure. I would expect knocking down the remaining facade would be quick work. Click the images to enlarge them, except for the animated GIF.
[caption id="attachment_5822" align="alignnone" width="497"]
A big mess! As it looked today. spliced together from three photos,[/caption]
Almost all gone, but not quite ►
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For the first time in over 60 years the iconic "RIDGE" sign is nowhere to be seen![/caption]
Work appears to be well underway on gutting the various interiors of the Ridge Centre, the 1950s-era, block long, strip mall at 16th Avenue, and Arbutus Street, which is making way for a new Cressey condo development to be called Arbutus Ridge, as detailed in an earlier post. ►
The most visible sign the Centre is coming down is the one you can't see -- the big red "RIDGE" sign, which has sat atop the movie theatre for over 60 years, is gone. It will be restored, or recreated, to add a decorative "historical" detail to the new development. However, the bowling alley's equally iconic bowling pin is still there. Are there really no plans to save it?
The McDonalds restaurant on the North-West corner of 16th, and Arbutus has been stripped bare. The franchise owner, John Marsh, will have moved everything useful to his other McDonalds locations, numbering four or five. Every window shows a view of demolition in progress. That progress may be slow given the age of the building, and the possibility that it contains nasty old things like asbestos insulation.
On the Sunday afternoon I came by to see the "progress," the only activity at the Ridge Centre was in the restaurant on the South-West corner of 15th, and Arbutus. The owner of the Ridge Garden Restaurant, an anchor tenant in the Ridge Centre for 24 years, was there for the last time ever. He was a little emotional when I spoke to him, and, it seemed more than a little "unhappy" at the way things had turned out. He told me none of the residents in the area wanted this redevelopment -- not one. I asked him if he'd been been offered the option of coming back, when the new development was finished. He said flatly he was given no option. He told me McDonalds wouldn't be back either (a McDonalds manager at the Broadway and Granville location confirmed this).
The Ridge Garden's owner told me he was still three weeks away from opening his new location on 24th Avenue, and Macdonald Street -- a good location, I suggested, in the heart of Kitsilano, and not far at all for his regular clientele, this was certainly what he was hoping, he said. Click on the images to enlarge them.
For the first time in over 60 years the iconic "RIDGE" sign is nowhere to be seen![/caption]Work appears to be well underway on gutting the various interiors of the Ridge Centre, the 1950s-era, block long, strip mall at 16th Avenue, and Arbutus Street, which is making way for a new Cressey condo development to be called Arbutus Ridge, as detailed in an earlier post. ►
The most visible sign the Centre is coming down is the one you can't see -- the big red "RIDGE" sign, which has sat atop the movie theatre for over 60 years, is gone. It will be restored, or recreated, to add a decorative "historical" detail to the new development. However, the bowling alley's equally iconic bowling pin is still there. Are there really no plans to save it?
The McDonalds restaurant on the North-West corner of 16th, and Arbutus has been stripped bare. The franchise owner, John Marsh, will have moved everything useful to his other McDonalds locations, numbering four or five. Every window shows a view of demolition in progress. That progress may be slow given the age of the building, and the possibility that it contains nasty old things like asbestos insulation.
On the Sunday afternoon I came by to see the "progress," the only activity at the Ridge Centre was in the restaurant on the South-West corner of 15th, and Arbutus. The owner of the Ridge Garden Restaurant, an anchor tenant in the Ridge Centre for 24 years, was there for the last time ever. He was a little emotional when I spoke to him, and, it seemed more than a little "unhappy" at the way things had turned out. He told me none of the residents in the area wanted this redevelopment -- not one. I asked him if he'd been been offered the option of coming back, when the new development was finished. He said flatly he was given no option. He told me McDonalds wouldn't be back either (a McDonalds manager at the Broadway and Granville location confirmed this).
The Ridge Garden's owner told me he was still three weeks away from opening his new location on 24th Avenue, and Macdonald Street -- a good location, I suggested, in the heart of Kitsilano, and not far at all for his regular clientele, this was certainly what he was hoping, he said. Click on the images to enlarge them.
September 26 update: no more bowling pin! ►
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