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Post by Fan2 on Dec 8, 2004 13:27:50 GMT -5
There are plans in the works to put some new luxury condos downtown on Assiniboine Ave where Dubrovnik's restaurant is located. winnipeg.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=mb_dubrovnik20041207This is definitely a step in the right direction. Getting more people downtown is what this city needs, and it won't be low income people either, these are supposed to be high end condos, so it will be people with cash living downtown. I really hope the Hertitage Committee doesn't get any support.
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Post by Laurier on Dec 8, 2004 15:29:36 GMT -5
Do you know how big these apartments are going to be? All it says is highrise.
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Post by Fan2 on Dec 8, 2004 15:33:38 GMT -5
I read something somewhere about 16 stories...but I'm not sure.
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Post by Ducky on Dec 25, 2004 2:23:53 GMT -5
Style Manitoba Winter 2004 On the Mark By Kelly Gray
Restaurant Dubrovnik is slated to make a move this spring giving up its downtown river lot for an exciting new condo development.
Early next year, one Winnipeg landmark will come down to make way for another. New will be the Residence Dubrovnik, a 16-storey luxury condominium development slated to break ground on Assiniboine this coming March on the site of the renowned Restaurant Dubrovnik. Altogether, the project, a concept spearheaded by developers Robert Rindahl and Milan Bodiroga, will feature 15 stories of condos that will total 60 units.
(Photograph. Pictured in front of the Restaurant Dubrovnik, from left to right, developers Robert Rindahl and Milan Bodiroga, with architect Giovanni Geremia.)
“It’s a fabulous location that is set along the river in the very heart of downtown,” says architect Giovanni Geremia, the project designer who will work with proposed general contractors Bird Construction on the structure. Geremia knows the area well. For the past 15 years, his studio and offices have been located on Assiniboine Avenue almost adjacent to Restaurant Dubrovnik, a fine dining locale that has consistently rated high on the lists of the country’s top tables.
“Here, you are close to The Forks, the business and government centres, as well as the shopping and entertainment areas of downtown Winnipeg. Really, this location is so central, a car is not a day to day necessity,” he says, adding that the type of lifestyle afforded by a property such as Residence Dubrovnik is not common to Winnipeg, where people tend to live outside the central core.
Plans are for each floor to house four units. “There will be two facing the river and two facing the downtown,” says Geremia, reporting that his plans offer large wraparound balconies that afford expansive views and access from bedrooms as well as living rooms.
According to the architect, the idea is to bring in as much natural light as possible with a design theme that stresses the exterior environment as much as possible. “We have used the riverfront and its attributes to our advantage in as many areas as we could. We will try to blend in with the riverbank through low impact landscaping and have included design elements that provide sightlines of the river from the streetside. This building will not be a wall that blocks the river. I think we have come up with a design that celebrates the river and maintains its presence to the street.”<br> Inside, the finishes and materials will be in keeping with the luxury aspect of the property. Geremia reports that they want to create a structure that exudes a sense of permanence. Towards this end, a combination of masonary and acrylic will be used on the exterior to add colour. There may even be some elements recycled from the classic three-storey riverfront mansion that currently houses the restaurant on the building site.
Floor plans are set for two bedroom units that will feature layouts of 1,650 square feet to 2,000 square feet. “We are going for a fairly open floor plan to allow for more natural lighting and a feeling of space in each condo,” he says, adding that there is some flexibility for custom touches for purchasers who get in at the early design stages.
Each suite will have separate HVAC (Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning) to allow a more customized environmental control. As well, Gerimia has drawn plenty of soundproofing into the plans to ensure the maximum in privacy for each condo.
“The residents will likely be urban professional baby boomers,” says Christopher Laing, an agent with ComSmart Realty who will exclusively market the units for the developers. [953-4777] “These are people who tend to have sophisticated needs and demands that are sharpened by travel and education. We are striving to offer a worry free living environment that features all the upscale contemporary design attributes common to world class downtown living,” he says, noting that the prices for the units will start at $350,000.
According to Geremia, the goal is to accommodate everything in what is a unique and challenging riverfront lot. However, he suggests that in architecture it is often the challenging site that pushes the design into interesting areas.
“There is an incredible excitement about this project that is running through the neighbourhood. People can quickly see how it will enhance the overall atmosphere and raise the level of what is possibly one of the best locations in the downtown. I don’t think there is any doubt that this property will become a leading landmark and a symbol of gracious urban living for Winnipegers.” -------------------------------------------------
Web Posted | December 7 2004 03:04 PM CST CBC Winnipeg Dubrovnik's 'going down' for condos: developer
WINNIPEG - A Winnipeg real estate developer is going ahead with plans to build a high-rise condominium on the current site of Dubrovnik's restaurant. An article in the current issue of Style Manitoba magazine outlines the project and advertises to potential condo owners. Robert Rindahl says despite earlier reports, he does have a verbal agreement with the owner of the building, Milan Bodiroga. He says the project will offer luxury homes for people who want to live downtown. There are conflicting reports about the Dubrovnik condos, however, and the restaurant's owner Milan Bodiroga says he has no agreement to move forward with the project. Rindahl is not concerned the project may be derailed by heritage building advocates. He says much of the Dubrovnik building has been changed, leaving little that's original from the house built in 1903. "That sucker's going down. That's it," he says. "I'm not worried about it. The city doesn't have a problem with it. It's the heritage committee, that's it." "It's a building that's been changed so many times and altered. It's not a heritage building. The front isn't original. The rear isn't original. It's not even close to being original." • Building should be preserved: heritage group • Heritage Winnipeg plans to fight any plans to demolish Dubrovnik restaurant and build high-rise condominiums. Cindy Tugwell is executive director of Heritage Winnipeg and says Winnipeggers should lobby councillors to prevent the project from going ahead. "This home was built in 1903 and even though it's not designated, it's an important part of our heritage and should be preserved," she says. "I'm quite surprised that an owner that's been part of the community for many years and reaped many benefits is willing to do this." Tugwell says there are plans to demolish other buildings on Assiniboine and her group is going to fight to save the building. "It will alter the streetscape and it will forever wipe that part of our history out," she says. "Chelsey Courts is also in jeopardy of demolition on Assiniboine Avenue. So it looks like the whole face of Assiniboine Avenue is going to be changing in the next six months and we have to make it perfectly clear that we won't stand for this." But Rindahl says he has already met with city officials, adding Mayor Sam Katz is aware of the project. "Why didn't they save the buildings across the street from Dubrovnik's, which is some big eyesore of a building? Or how did they ever let a credit union get put on a street like this and then gets turned into a City of Winnipeg community service building? How does this happen?" he says. "How do they have a college on this street? I just don't understand it," he says. "There's buildings down at the end, Chelsey Court, like they're an eyesore. If somebody wants to preserve them then they should buy them and restore them." Rindahl says he still has a few issues to sort out with the restaurant owner, such as where a new eatery could open, but he expects construction to begin next March and expects Dubrovnik's restaurant will reopen at a nearby location. The architect quoted in the magazine article has declined comment.
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