News   Apr 03, 2020
From the Editor: A Message to Our Readers
 9.2K     3 
News   Apr 02, 2020
Topping Off March 2020: What's Hot on SkyriseEdmonton
 10K     0 
News   Apr 02, 2020
News Roundup for April 2, 2020
 3.3K     0 

Edmonton City Centre Mall (Renovations) | ?m | 2s | LaSalle Investment Management

Barnaby said:
Do you have something to to with ECC? I see alot of columns on the roof that could maybe be turned into a tower, or something shorter like Stationlands?
Click to expand...
I have no direct connection to ECC but it’s my understanding the project was to include a number of office towers so those kinds of provisions could well have been made. What is now the Delta was to have been the first office tower until the office market collapsed and it was converted to a hotel (which explains the “too deep for a hotel” floor plate, poor lobby and street access for a hotel, insufficient meeting rooms and food service options for a hotel etc.).
 
KreationYEG said:
They cleaned up the vinyl that’s covering the old Bay windows. I think they painted over the old design, looks better than the state the original vinyl was in. But is quite hard on the eyes.
View attachment 585932
Click to expand...
I suppose it is better than unpainted boarded up plywood, but it does still give a sort of permanently abandoned vibe.

Paradoxically, more people walking on the street in front here now with the Valley Line LRT line finally in operation, but I suppose to late to save this store location.

Although to be fair, I feel the Bay has its own serious problems that extend way beyond downtown Edmonton. Hopefully something else will fill this space eventually.
 
kcantor said:
I have no direct connection to ECC but it’s my understanding the project was to include a number of office towers so those kinds of provisions could well have been made. What is now the Delta was to have been the first office tower until the office market collapsed and it was converted to a hotel (which explains the “too deep for a hotel” floor plate, poor lobby and street access for a hotel, insufficient meeting rooms and food service options for a hotel etc.).
Click to expand...
When I spoke to a planner back in the early days of Eaton Centre being open and operational, that person told me that ZERO infrastructure for towers, multi-res or office, had been built when the mall was first built. There were acknowledgments from this person that the grand scheme proposed by 555 was just that, a scheme. It was just another mall.
 
The way the Delta is built strongly leads one to believe it was intended to be a base for a much larger building. Maybe that is actually not the case, but it sure looks like it.

However, maybe after 40 years the point is somewhat moot. There doesn't ever seem to have been much interest in a tower here, other than the initial scheme which did seem to have a bait and switch feel to it.
 
David A said:
I suppose it is better than unpainted boarded up plywood, but it does still give a sort of permanently abandoned vibe.

Paradoxically, more people walking on the street in front here now with the Valley Line LRT line finally in operation, but I suppose to late to save this store location.

Although to be fair, I feel the Bay has its own serious problems that extend way beyond downtown Edmonton. Hopefully something else will fill this space eventually.
Click to expand...
The downtown location was a bit more poorly run than others. I was genuinely surprised when I went to the Southgate location and staff were actually present and helpful, and their inventories weren't terrible. But they've certainly been taking the axe to locations across the country and their attempts to "revive Zellers" and "go online" have been weird and disjointed. That they never had a strategy for the latter until it was at the "OH SHIT WE HAD BETTER DO THIS" point is especially weird given that they were one of those companies with a long history of catalog order fulfilment.
 
David A said:
The way the Delta is built strongly leads one to believe it was intended to be a base for a much larger building. Maybe that is actually not the case, but it sure looks like it.

However, maybe after 40 years the point is somewhat moot. There doesn't ever seem to have been much interest in a tower here, other than the initial scheme which did seem to have a bait and switch feel to it.
Click to expand...

I've inquired about this with many folks over the years and have a variety of opinions and beliefs; this included folks who worked for the previous owner.

My general understanding is that no considerations were made for any of the 'planned' 40 storey towers. I like to think there is, but have no substantive evidence to say otherwise.
 
Are there any Edmonton examples of returning years later to actually build a proposed tower on top of a completed development where infrastructure was put in place? I know Canada Place was planned similarly, any other uncompleted ones? With so many empty lots it seems unnecessarily expensive and disruptive to actually follow through on. It's this reason I doubt we will ever see the 3rd Ice District tower.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top