According to the Design Talks Institute, Lacey Court on 12th Avenue S.W. is a rare example in Calgary of a West Coast modern style of architecture.
People who care about Calgary’s built environment would like to know if there is anything in the story of Lacey Court to help us understand why this city seems to struggle so much when it comes to keeping nice things.Lacey Court in better days. According to the Design Talks Institute, the small office building on 12th Avenue S.W. is a rare example in Calgary of a West Coast modern style of architecture. On Nov.
Many people who care about Calgary's built environment, and many fans of that "unassuming but cherished" building, would like to know how that happened, and whether there's anything in the story of Lacey Court to help us understand why this city seems to struggle so much when it comes to keeping nice things.
"And one morning, one of our staff members came to the office and said, 'Hey, did you guys notice that Lacey Court is up for lease?' And I said, this is amazing, we have to get on that. So I called the landlord right away," he said.When asked what it was about Lacey Court that attracted him so much, Klumper said, "It's an architect's building."
Dale Taylor, who has been an architect for over 50 years, is one admirer of the building. He's the past-president of the Alberta Association of Architects and served as head of the architecture and industrial design programs at the University of Calgary. "The spaces inside were excellent because of lots of actual light, because there's lots of glass, and then the structure just floated."Palm Springs vibe"It's a very Palm Springs-esque style of architecture that was popular in the 1950s.""Slender steel columns, timber beams, strong horizontal lines, with clearly defined module pattern designed all around, and a courtyard.
Nav Sidhu was the purchaser of Lacey Court. He says his plans to turn the building into a daycare have run into a series of roadblocks and unforeseen delays. "And what can we do? The police have said they're not allowed to go in because there's been so many calls now. They won't go in and clear the building anymore. We just have to get it boarded up, every single time.""It was in the top floor. Some people had broken in and then they had lit a fire to stay warm, and it kinda got out of control."
"Until the city comes forward with more incentives, both on the financial but also on the planning side, I think we're going to see more of these types of demolitions." "It's actually interesting, at the time the application was initially applied for we did have the one-time funding that council had provided for that program. So we did make them aware that they would be eligible for up to $1 million in matching grants if they wanted to designate," Harper said.
"So, if you don't have a property owner who is willing to designate and protect the building, we have very little purview to insert ourselves and be involved in how to maintain that building," he said. "So that, when people are looking at what to do with their property, when they're trying to envision its next hundred years of life, they have some tools and incentives that make it worth their while to consider protecting the heritage," he said.
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