A beach along the Trans-Canada Highway near Helmcken Road. A medieval castle paying homage to the tales of Robin Hood. Student residences on the campus of UVic that could have also stood somewhere in communist eastern Europe. An observation tower that resembles SeattleB次元官网网址檚 Space Needle.
These were just some of the unrealized building ideas that (perhaps thankfully) did not turn into reality. But they continue to live on in the pages of Unbuilt Victoria by architectural historian Dorothy Mindenhall. Published in 2012 by Dundurn Press, MindenhallB次元官网网址檚 book details a region that could have been, but never came to be.
Some of the plans were rough, others quite sophisticated, said Mindenhall. Ultimately, none of the proposals came to fruition because they either ran into money problems or public opposition with residents fearing environmental damage, the loss of heritage buildings, or the perceived loss of viewscapes, as in the case of the proposed Skydeck, which bears an eerie resemblance to SeattleB次元官网网址檚 Space Needle.
The building would have stood near the Legislative Assembly, said Mindenhall. B次元官网网址淭his [location] would have been one of the main problems with this one. It would have ruined the arrangement of the Empress [Hotel], the parliament building, and the Old Post Office.B次元官网网址�
So what animated these projects? B次元官网网址淚 think they all wanted to improve Victoria,B次元官网网址� said Mindenhall. Victoria, especially in the 1960s, was stagnating as part of a longer decline relative to Vancouver, which had long emerged as B.C.B次元官网网址檚 primary city. At that time, tourism was the economic driver, and urban leaders, inspired by re-construction efforts in post-war Europe, were looking to restore VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 appeal to outsiders.
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Victoria, in other words, might have been suffering from a case of status anxiety in the post-war period.
B次元官网网址淚 think so,B次元官网网址� said Mindenhall. B次元官网网址淚t had been so important for the first forty years of its life. On the West Coast, there was nothing like between here and San Francisco.B次元官网网址� Things, however, changed with the emergence of Vancouver, which eventually surpassed Victoria.
Three specific Saanich-specific proposals stand out. One would have created a large viewing platform on Mount Tolmie. Opposition from residents and environmentalists fearing the loss of Arbutus trees killed that idea. Another one would have created a fake-Elizabethan village in the Royal Oak neighbourhood around the pre-existing building that now hosts the Fireside Grill. Finally, one proposal from the United States called for a replica castle (inclusive fake torture chamber) and encampment near the Gorge Bridge where visitors could have tried their hands at medieval craft or shake in their shoes at the sight of a fake Viking longboat.
In short, Saanich could have been the site of a tourist theme park that would have drawn on a distorted version of the past for future urban revitalization and private profit. B次元官网网址淚f you think, this is what Disney is about,B次元官网网址� she said.
The emergence of the heritage preservation movement, coupled with financial concerns, eventually stopped these various projects, including plans by star architect Arthur Erickson to re-design UVicB次元官网网址檚 campus.
Opposition from the university community, as well as neighbouring Oak Bay, eventually forced UVic to reconsider.
Mindenhall, for her, sounds generally glad that most of these project never got off the drawing board.
B次元官网网址淚 think there are very few I regret that they didnB次元官网网址檛 get finished,B次元官网网址� she said.
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