[NBR] A Moment in Vancouver History.

[.243racer]

I guess most of you might know this, but the over the last >75 years, the Woodwards building located in downtown Vancouver has been a landmark for this city. The recent developments were that the building, (which has sat abandoned for years) would be turned into appartments. The plan was to knock down the entire building except 50ft inwards from the east side (deemed a heritige site). This would mean the tower that holds the big red W would have to be demolished as well.

anyways, enough of that boring stuff... here is a small picture story of the removal of the Woodwards W.

I look outside my friend's gastown studio window... "hey it looks like they are taking the sign down today"
http://members.shaw.ca/roberts.co/signwindow.jpg

Go up onto the roof of the building and check the scene out

http://members.shaw.ca/roberts.co/signoutside.jpg

wait and wait in the hot sun, hoping they will get their act together and take the damn thing off already!

http://members.shaw.ca/roberts.co/jcruz.jpg

Friend couldn't wait any longer and had to run off to another shoot. So I decided to get out of the sun and see what was going on in the streets.

FINALY they take it off. (only one shot left on my roll of film too)

http://members.shaw.ca/roberts.co/signremoved.jpg


so there you go... a moment in Vancouver history.

if you feel the need to critique, by all means...

[AllShockedUp]

That fucking blows. They should stab whoever's idea it was to remove that.

I bet it was David Lang.

[StuKen]

At leas they didn't pull another BowMac. Fucking eh, that thing is god awful now. I blame David Lang as well.

[freakonaleash]

Dam, the w its gone :( It seems to me like the new apartments are sort of expanding west hastings. Thats good, I dont like the east side.

[frmstreetrider]

hmm yes... david lang indeed.

(I just want to fit in)

[Jaysin]

Nice shots Monsieur Critique.

[Islandrider]

I think the W will be back with a new building. I searched for a pic of the building you took shots of and saw this proposal on google
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3461/4323146hl.jpg
either way it's still david lang's fault they took the old one down

[AllShockedUp]

I think the W will be back with a new building. I searched for a pic of the building you took shots of and saw this proposal on google
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3461/4323146hl.jpg
either way it's still david lang's fault they took the old one down

That's even worse than if they had just taken it down for good.

Jesus hell. I hate David Lang.

[.243racer]

That's even worse than if they had just taken it down for good.

Instead of being so negative, why don't you tell us what you would have done with the building?

[slang]

freaking hell i hate david lang

[AllShockedUp]

Instead of being so negative, why don't you tell us what you would have done with the building?

I would have deconstructed it, brick by brick, and the rebuilt it as a factory that made hats with Ws on them.

Seriously though, if you're taking the thing down, bloodywell take it down. Don't tack it onto the side of some new building.

It's like the Bowmac. If you're building something new on it, don't cover the Bowmac sign with a semi transparent Toys R Us sign so that it looks ridiculous. Just take the damn thing down and be done with it.

[Couch_Surfer]

the W was an eyesore.

[M@M]

can anybody confirm or refute that it is a heritage building?

[.243racer]

can anybody confirm or refute that it is a heritage building?

Dude, I asked the construction workers. They couldn't tear down the east side and 50 feet in because it was a heritige site. You can even see the side of the original building in the internet mock-up. (bottom right, under the second highest tower)

[Troup]

O R I G I N A L Z P L Z !

[andyy]

david lang is an eyesore

[Troup]

david lang is an eyesorewhats with your obsession?

[SysCo.]

freaking hell i hate david lang

best post you've ever made.

ps...i thought you were a guy .243

[Furious]

can anybody confirm or refute that it is a heritage building?

It was not a hertiage building but it was noted on the City's Heritage Register as a Class A building - which means is considered the 'best' example of it's type or style of building.

I expect a good chunk of the exterior will be saved and for that the developer will probably receive some sort of tax abatement or allowance.

Protecting 'heritage' structures in Vancouver is rather funny, and heritage designation is (I believe?) limited to building exteriors - for example the boring old backside of the Orpheum (Seymour) is considered to have heritage elements, whereas the interior has no such designation. Unfortunately this leads to architectural taxidermy and sometimes funny looking buildings (like the Shaughnessy Mansions at 15th and Granville). Gair Williamson tends to do a decent job with updating old heritage buildings (Bowman Block on Beatty for example)

[.243racer]

best post you've ever made.

ps...i thought you were a guy .243

that is Jonathan Cruz. www.jonathancruz.com

I wish I had a Canon d1mkII with 70-200 2.8 IS-L glass.

[cameron]

god damn this david lang guy.

cool pictures!

[2cents]

http://www.woodwardsdistrict.com/

[DangerBoy]

why are you all making fun of dave lang?

[Team2K]

The 'W' will be put back. The unit I bought in that development looks out towards it. Kinda sad though... the W43 building will block the view of it from my loft on Abbott :(

[slang]

why are you all making fun of dave lang?

they just like to namedrop a lot. it's alright, keeps the fans happy.

[.243racer]

they just like to namedrop a lot. it's alright, keeps the fans happy.

yeah they just needed to satisfy their David Lang quota for the day.

[StuKen]

David Lang can satisfy me any day.

[.243racer]

any actual critiques?