Village Squire, 1978-11, Page 12own general contracting and thus was on the site a good deal
during the building process. He says he wanted each storefront
to be a little different.
On the interior of the store itself the owner provided four walls
a ceiling and carpeting on the floor and it was up to each tenant
to design the rest. There were some controls on such designs to
keep in with the basic concept of the building but generally little
guidance was needed for the tenants to come up with pleasing
interiors that fit in well with the rest of the development. Some
like Stephenson's made use of professional designers such as
architect Nick Hill who designed the central staircase which is
the focal point of the two-level shop.
The job of converting the old building to new uses meant
pretty well gutting the old buildings. The Gordon block, and
particularly the second floor was a rabbit warren of cut up stores
and offices that had to be cleared out to make room for the new
tenants. The brick load-bearing wails were left. A good deal of
structural work was needed in the Gordon block and the old
Eaton store necessitated by the poor state of repair of the
buildings. Water had leaked in over the years and weakened the
structure. In the basement where the Engine Shed is located, the
area was excavated and a good deal of structural steel added to
open up new space.
Mr. Wood says he has great future in the downtowns of small
and medium sized cities. He feels downtown is where the action
is going to be in retailing. He feels that most cities are
over-malled and over developed and that the action will swing
more downtown which will concentrate on specialty retailing
shops.
Comparing restoration compared to complete redevelopment
of downtown sites Mr. Wood says he still thinks it is cheaper to
restore than to build from scratch, even given the extensive
amount of work that had to be done in a project like Festival
Square. In terms of Festival Square the savings weren't large, he
says because virtually everything was new inside the shell of the
old building but he feels the value of the building will appreciate
and over the years become the focal point of the community more
than a new building might. He feels too that the architecture of
the building was attractive to the tenants making it easier to
rent. He feels it is one of the reasons the Bank of Nova Scotia was
interested in locating in Festival Square. He feels the bank liked
the idea of participating in the restoration of the landmark
building.
Ironically while the air of doom that was hung over the Gordon
Block for years has now been replaced with a new one of
excitment. other buildings in the area have been falling like
tenpins. Two of the other banks have announced plans to
demolish their current buildings and start new ones. Mr. Wood
has been critical of such plans.
"I haven't been too vocal about it." he says. "but I feel very
strongly that Stratford has something unique and that it's not
going to take much more to really destroy the character of the
street."
While he is critical particularly of the Toronto Dominion
Bank's plans for a new building of radical architecture. he is also
encouraged by what some of the other merchants are doing with
their properties. including those burned out in a recent fire on
Ontario Street.
He says he feels particularly strongly about the Toronto
Dominion bank because if it is lost the integrity of the whole of
Market Square is lost and Festival Square is "left sitting up here
like a sore thumb" with a bunch of new buildings separating it
from city hall. He feels Market Square at the moment has a great
feeling to it because everything is in scale and proportion to the
city hall.
I'm pleasantly surprised at the growing feeling of retaining the
character of downtown." he says. He notes the number of letters
to the editor in the local newspaper complaining about the bank
proposals.
He feels that the people who were sceptical about his
proposals for Festival Square in the first place are now very
positive about it. Part of the scepticism was because the
\Il
}
COUNTRY
CRAFTSMAN
1/2 mile west of Russeldale on Hwy. 83.
Phone 519-229-6429
'VQ COVnQ
to the country -shop
where the difference
is quality.
•Antiques
•Toys
•Country -look accessories -
custom orders a specialty!
*Refreshments
OPEN DAILY til DECEMBER 31ST.
CLOSED TUESDAY.
10The Village Squire November 1978