There's been some public comment recently about the state of the old Thorndon Tavern, the 1960's era ex-watering hole that has spent the last 20 years falling into disrepair. The tavern site is owned by the Thai Government and has (finally) been slated for conversion to an embassy - not before time, according to some Thorndon residents.
But what about our very own Mt Victoria eyesore, on the corner of Pirie Street and Porritt Ave? Surely it's high time the Council got onto the owners and asked them to sort out the problem ....
I'm not advocating for demolition - but realistically, this place makes Brougham Street look like a palace.Hmmm, not so much Falling Water as falling poster site. I've always admired this little house - small but nicely proportioned - and looks like if it was done up it would be a good place to sell icecreams.So this is very much a demolish-and-rebuild candidate as there aren't any other practical options. My only point is that this outcome is the direct result of owner neglect over some decades.
My right-wing voice says, knock it down, tar-seal the site and rent it out for parking.
My left-wing voice says, the council should buy it and put some grass and trees there.
Either way, it'd be better than what's there now.
This is an icon of Mt Victoria. If it was in Venice for the bienniale it would be lauded as art. I love the way that the poster posters keep changing its appearance as they apply another layer to help strengthen its walls.
When I arrived in Mt Vic in 1980 there was a delicatessen where the dairy is now and the dairy was in this building on the corner. I think that the dairy people still own it and use it for storage. Perhaps someone should ask them about it.
The posters really add something to the neighbourhood - and I love the juxtaposition of all those freshly-printed posters advertising the event du jour with the decaying structure underneath. It's all very post-modern.
And I seem to recall the old shop (and its load of posters) featured in a Toyota TV ad a few years back. It provided the prefect gritty urban backdrop for the new car they were trying to sell.
As I understand it, this used to be a butcher shop. It would be a pokey and horrible place to live. It would be very difficult to build a new dwelling on that site, as anything over one storey would block windows in neighbouring properties. The site is only 101 sq metres in total. Someone is still paying $1200 a year in rates for this eyesore.
Can a community vote for a well overdue bulldozer???
This has to be the leading contender for demolition in the neighbourhood, but it does illustrate a real loophole in how the Council approves these things. One of the criteria used by the Council is "will repair be uneconomic?" - to which (in this case) the only answer can be "hell yeah!"
But this state of affairs is solely because the owners have allowed the building to fall into complete disrepair - deferred maintenance indeed! So it would seem that if you really really really want to demolish a pre-1930's building, all you have to do is let it crumble into squalor - whereupon the Council planners will agree it's uneconomic to repair and will grant you a consent to demolish.
It seems like a bit of a perverse incentive to me.
Demolish this and and scream murder about Brougham St demolition? Sheesh.
I'm not advocating for demolition - but realistically, this place makes Brougham Street look like a palace. There's clearly been water ingress into the structure, there will be rot in practically every piece of timber, and even if you're the biggest preservationist on the planet (which I'm not, btw) it would be difficult to get anything more than firewood out of the existing structure. (And probably wet firewood, at that.)
To bring it up to the modern building code, practically every stick of timber would need to be replaced. So this is very much a demolish-and-rebuild candidate as there aren't any other practical options. My only point is that this outcome is the direct result of owner neglect over some decades.
Say by demolishing it?
Hmmm, not so much Falling Water as falling poster site. I've always admired this little house - small but nicely proportioned - and looks like if it was done up it would be a good place to sell icecreams.
But who owns it? Why is it empty? Is it ever for sale?
For a knock down price perhaps?