Martin Segger articulated a rationale, in the Nov. 29 Islander, for abandoning the proposal for a development squatting atop the Northern Junk buildings, based on heritage guidelines for Victoria’s Old Town precinct.
His final plea? “Go away.”
Unlikely, don’t you think, Martin?
Reliance Properties are the present owners. (Reliance also redeveloped the Janion Building.) And, they are the recent purchasers of the Capital Iron properties.
I suspect this may be a good time to revisit the fate of the two Northern Junk buildings. A few points:
1. The Inner Harbour is a visual treasure that should not be walled off. Viewscapes are a vital part of our heritage, too.
2. The allure of Old Town Victoria is in good part due to the variety of its architecture.
3. Wharf Street is a vital part of Victoria’s heritage precinct. The waterfront warehouses are a reminder — increasingly scarce — of its maritime history.
Respect for heritage requires two basics: Preservation and presentation. The current proposal really promises neither. (Nor does its design even hint at “future heritage.”)
So, rather than proceeding with any kind of proposal to cocoon the two buildings, why not consider this?
1. The city could purchase the property from Reliance and have the two building exteriors restored. Reliance could be granted some sort of bonus density, which they might need, on their Capital Iron properties in exchange for a reduced price on the Northern Junk site. (I understand Capital Iron will continue to operate, which is very gratifying.)
2. The interior of the buildings could be restored and adapted for use as offices and/or meeting space for Victoria-sponsored arts, culture and heritage organizations. (Perhaps even as an adjunct to City Hall, only two blocks up Pandora?) Such organizations could pay some rent to the city.
3. The parking lot between the buildings and the bridge could be a small arts-display plaza for the arts-and-culture associations that would use the two buildings. In the middle of the main intersection, there is already the “canoe in the reeds” installation and a small statue of Michael Williams, to whose vision Old Town Victoria owes so much. (At present, this area on the north side is “reserved” parking for all 18 spaces — part flat and part sloping. Some of those cars regularly get a lovely harbour view.)
4. This alternative scenario would allow the David Foster Walkway to incorporate an access into that new arts-display plaza, and then eventually meander under the bridge and beyond, passing through the Upper Harbour and Rock Bay to Selkirk Waterfront.
5. B.C. is receiving funds from the federal government in infrastructure money. Victoria should allocate, or reserve, some of that money for this project.
6. Those interested in the issue can refer to the city’s design guidelines for Old Town and the waterfront, page 7. (It is on the internet at tinyurl.com/ya2q9rqk.)
Roger Wheelock is a former president of the Victoria Heritage Foundation and former chair of B.C. Heritage Trust.
