CITY
Site
Archive
May 2004
Ex Cathedra
Guardian journalist Fiona MacCarthy expresses a dim view of Liverpool's
Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King:
"In Liverpool, instead of Paddy's wigwam and
Gibberd's gimcrack (and now sadly deteriorating) Roman Catholic cathedral,
we might have had the grand and wonderful Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ
the King by Lutyens"
in her comment on the Fantasy Architecture show in Sunderland.
[link]
Gimcrack?!
Deteriorating?!!
Met Cathedral: new Piazza 2004
Brunswick
Quay
The rumour mill suggests that elements within the city are not happy
with Ian Simpson's proposed 50-story tower on the South Docks.
Why is this?
A RIBA Award winning architect, £70m of investment, an underdeveloped
site, more people living in the city, more media attention for Liverpool...what
more needs to be brought to the table?
Would the last developer wanting to invest in Liverpool please turn off
the lights..
Patrick
Keiller at FACT for
Architecture Week
FACT centre
The marvellous filmmaker Patrick Keiller is
to introduce the screening of Robinson in Space - his eclectic
journey 'in search of England' taking in Cambridge, Oxford, Blackpool
and Liverpool.
Anyone interested in the idea of Englishness and the ideology of urban
space will enjoy this seminal film - Keiller's poignant take on Liverpool
is well worth watching.
24
June 2004 20:00
Why not go see it after DL's talk on
housing at the Bluecoat?
New Hall Street?
The new entrance to the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce is now complete
and adds another, smarter step along an increasingly vibrant street in
the city. Even more goodies inside though ...check out their website
to see the new and improved services the Chamber now offer.
No 1 Old Hall Street
Nothing
extrodinary - just build it!
Excitement greeted news today that permission is being sought to build
a 50 storey, mixed
use tower at Brunswick Quay. As we keep on saying...please don't truncate
the proposal, just ensure that it is beautiful? The initial designs (by
Ian Simpson) are quite classy and would grace our skyline.
All
that glistens!
City central BID are organising a clean up of the district in
May. Find out how you can
get involved.
Downtown
Stadium - images released
Has the comfort or capacity been compromised by this fixation with
making things exactly the same height as the Albert Dock? (19th Century
warehouse - 21st
C stadium!!!)
City
Tower
City Tower
in Old Hall Street after lying vacant is now back on the market again
after refurbishment. In time this bring even more life to a busier and
busier Old Hall Street.
DL was always of the opinion the original building was too small. If this,
Silkhouse Court on Tithebarn St, and the new St Paul's Square were all
upwards of 30 stories then what a central business district we might have?
The Albany Building too in Old Hall Street is slowly taking shape, as is Casartelli buiding on the corner of Duke and Hanover. Shepherd have raised their tower cranes at Tithebarn and work is starting on the former St Patrick's church site in Great Crosshall St.
By the way - when will we see Alsop's Cloud?!
Pevsner
in Liverpool
The long awaited Pevsner guide to Liverpool by Joseph Sharples is now
available - ISBN 0300102585
Liverpool architecture slowly getting the attention it deserves - but
when will any modern icons be built for our future?
Paradise
Street Development
Gets Green Light
The deputy Prime Minister has given the go-ahead for the £750m PSDA
extension to Liverpool's retail core. Work should start on site in weeks.
This is a major opportunity for the city -but let's ensure the density,
height, design quality and mix of uses is all thoroughly Metropolitan
in scale!
DOWNTOWN
'Heritage'
We are doing our bit for heritage in the city and are working with a group
of very dedicated downtown urbanists on a project to return the lavishly
ornate wrought iron gates that used to adorn the former Liverpool Sailors'
Home demolished in 1974.
The current owners are more than happy to reunite the piece. We will be
supporting the team to find a suitable site for placement.
Read this article from May 5 Liverpool Daily Post for an update
Building
tomorrow's downtown entrepreneurs
Merseyside Young Enterprise held their board finals at the Philharmonic
and called for firms to support their work. More
In
the Public Realm
At long last the fantastic ' Penelope'
a major sculpture by Jorge Pardo is officially opened in Wolstenholme
Square.
This is the type of bold intervention in the public realm from international
figures in contemporary art that really suits Liverpool's streets
and will help to ensure Liverpool stays the fascinating urban experience
it has always been.
International
Portland:
Oregon
has always been synonomous with excellent urban living and one of the
most popular of it's 'quality of life' factors is an excellent Saturday
market.
DL have raised the possibility of trying out a craft market like this
one, as well as a 'Green Fayre' with the relevant authorities as testers
during downtown week...Ropewalks or School Lane perhaps?
A 24-hour city economy is about much more than allowing the bars
to open throughout the night…much, much more
See how Atlanta does
it
Check out this US initiative to foster distinctive, attractive
communities with a strong sense of place:
Smartgrowth
The spectacular Grosse Freiheit in Hamburg -
Food for thought - at one time, Liverpool's downtown 'sailor town'
stretched from Park Lane in South to Union Street in the North to London
Road in the East.
Remember too in the 40's and 50's when Lime Street looked like London's
Piccadilly Circus?
What a 24 hour city we were..and still could be.
reproduced by permission from
Hamburg Tourismus GmbH
Bring
us dyamism not architecture!
The
Downtown Liverpool Organisation
info@downtownliverpool.org
mobile: 07951 049 095
| home | about us | enterprise | development | architecture | design plus | events | site archive | ideas central | comment | celebration | links |