Devonian Gardens - almost ready to reopen

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

bhw?

Brother here whines...

[Hack&Lube]

It's sad to think the classic Devonian Gardens which was there for almost 40 years is going to be one of those things relegated to "things I remember about Calgary" type threads. Like that other poster, when I think of the old one, I'm always going to think of my grandpa and parents who took me there often to run up the log steps and go skating in that rink.

I will always remember my first years of my early 20s working downtown and going to the Devonian Gardens to the "outside" pond full of flower petals and open to the sky (wire mesh) with the rubber mats on the side to relax on the same wooden benches I sat on since I was a kid as the cold air rushed in from above and you looked up at the black TD tower and nothing...I mean nothing has ever beaten that feeling for me. I'll always remember going through the door from the outside to the inside and the big whoosh of air as the pressure changed and how 1970s that entrance and everything else felt (in a good way). There's no place in this city that made me feel that comfortable and relaxed.

It's no surprise this makes me sad because I cling onto old things and memories like old gum to asphalt but at least the Core mall is pretty nice.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I turned the video off in disgust when you got a look at the white "metal" trees outside the window. I hate those things. Thank god they cut down real trees to put them up.

While I think that most would agree that those 'trees' are pretty ugly, there is a bit of reason to their design.

They were erected to cut down on the wind tunnel effect down that corridor. That's a big part of a reason why they look like hey do. You can see what their designers were thinking if you look closely at the tops of them.

Now could they have been made nicer with the same effect? Who knows, but probably. It would have to be some sort of marriage of art and engineering.

Anyway, at least when I found out why they were there and the thinking behind them I didn't hate them so much.

[Bill Bumface]

I see tourists taking pictures of them constantly. They can't be that bad.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I see tourists taking pictures of them constantly. They can't be that bad.

Rough Translation
Tourist 1: What the hell are those?!?
Tourist 2: Beats me, they sure are ugly though
Tourist 1: Let's take a picture, nobody will believe something this ugly is in such a nice city otherwise.
Tourist 2: Good idea, then we can walk down to the Unicorn for some more delicious Canadian beer.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Rough Translation
Tourist 1: What the hell are those?!?
Tourist 2: Beats me, they sure are ugly though
Tourist 1: Let's take a picture, nobody will believe something this ugly is in such a nice city otherwise.
Tourist 2: Good idea, then we can walk down to the Bear & Kilt for some more delicious Canadian beer.

fixed

[Joborule]

I don't mind the metal trees? Didn't know there would be people that dislike them.

[Bigtime]

Opening up at 12:15 today, anyone going to go down and check it out right away?

[GreatWhiteEbola]

I might head down there, I have nothing else to do with the rest of the day.

[bizaro86]

I went down and walked around this morning.

-Walkways are much wider, space feels more open. This also means that it feels much less lush. I would estimate 50% as much planted space as before, and what's there isn't nearly as "thick" if that makes any sense. Hopefully it fills out. I would be curious to know if they measured the planted space before/after.

-Feels very new, lots of dark tile. Fits into the mall seamlessly. The seating is all metal tables, I didn't see a single bench. The old Devonian gardens was a great place to read quietly for awhile, the new one won't be, imo. Hopefully they're going to add benches.

In general, I would say it feels like they prioritized wedding/restaurant use over the "garden" feel, which is too bad, as the skylight added a lot of light by itself.

I spent a lot of time in the gardens before it closed, I'm not likely to use the new one. Very disappointed.

[Bigtime]

In your first point do you mean if looks like 50% less planted space? I think that is what you were getting at.

Despite that I would hope as plants and such grow it will fill out more, I may check it out this weekend.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

In your first point do you mean if looks like 50% less planted space? I think that is what you were getting at.

Despite that I would hope as plants and such grow it will fill out more, I may check it out this weekend.

Yes, sorry if that wasn't clear. I meant I would estimate that the square footage devoted to plants is approximately 50% of what it was before they renovated.

I would be very curious to know the actual number, as it's hard to tell and I haven't been in the old one for 4+ years. (obviously)

[octothorp]

Yeah, I went down there today. The main issue that I suspected before it opened was that it would feel so much smaller because they were sacrificing a huge chunk of space in the middle to open the skylight down to the mall below. And this is indeed the case, but worse than simply feeling smaller, there's really only one loop around it that you can walk through. You could sort of get lost in the old one... (not literally lost, but you could just sort of meander the paths and not know where it was going to come out). Between the wide, simple paths and the relatively clear sight-lines, it's pretty boring as far as a walking experience.
Another aspect is that the beds are all so uniformly planted. One bed will be all hen-and-chicks or similar succulents, another will be all hostas. I'm not a guy who needs flowers in order for a garden to be visually appealling, I actually really like ground covers and greenery and such. But this is just so simple and minimalist, and not in the pleasant, Japanese zen garden sort of minimalist, nor in the English formal garden sort of way.
I'll try to go back when I have more time, and actually hang out there and see if it grows (haha, get it?) on me. But overall I was pretty disappointed.

I did, however, like that the big koi pond had this grey tile grid, which sort of made the koi look like they were floating through some vast tron environment.

[Misterpants]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Yeah, I went down there today. The main issue that I suspected before it opened was that it would feel so much smaller because they were sacrificing a huge chunk of space in the middle to open the skylight down to the mall below. And this is indeed the case, but worse than simply feeling smaller, there's really only one loop around it that you can walk through. You could sort of get lost in the old one... (not literally lost, but you could just sort of meander the paths and not know where it was going to come out). Between the wide, simple paths and the relatively clear sight-lines, it's pretty boring as far as a walking experience.
Another aspect is that the beds are all so uniformly planted. One bed will be all hen-and-chicks or similar succulents, another will be all hostas. I'm not a guy who needs flowers in order for a garden to be visually appealling, I actually really like ground covers and greenery and such. But this is just so simple and minimalist, and not in the pleasant, Japanese zen garden sort of minimalist, nor in the English formal garden sort of way.
I'll try to go back when I have more time, and actually hang out there and see if it grows (haha, get it?) on me. But overall I was pretty disappointed.

I did, however, like that the big koi pond had this grey tile grid, which sort of made the koi look like they were floating through some vast tron environment.

#gentletweets

Not sure if anyone follows Patton Oswalt on twitter...

[Bigtime]

Hmm, I'm almost tempted to try and go down there tonight and see this for myself...

I'd like to be pleasantly surprised by I have a feeling my fond memories of the original will not be met by the new version. Which would be too bad as the transformation of the Core has been nothing short of amazing so far.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

bhw?

Babes in Hot Water

[trumpethead]

Its laughable that the city spent 4 years and $37M to "renovate" an indoor park in the middle of a mall (and most react with a meh). Meanwhile, people lose their s#$t over the Peace Bridge which was $10M less to build, took less time to build and is used/seen by more people. I dont get it. I mean $37M to renovate a park!! why arent we pissed off about this??

[Northendzone]

Wow, I had no idea the Reno cost that much....that is outrageous!!

[Joborule]

37 mil for this?

Now that's something to start a poopstorm over. At least the Peace Bridge is artistic and standouts in a good way. (Or bad for some)

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by fotze

Now homeless people can wash their balls in style.

Actually saw a homeless guy washing his crotch in the sink many years ago at the bathroom at Devonian gardens.

you know what, for how nauseating the smell of some homeless people is when you walk past them, i'm surprisingly ok with this