Invigorating CBD Alleyways & Lanes

[Edgar]

I'd like to see Gawler Place closed to traffic between Grenfell and North Terrace.

You may have forgotten that there is the Gawler Place U-Park at Gawler Place North Terrace? You should come back to Adelaide sometime, just kidding.

[monotonehell]

jk1237, this is the only one of the first set you've posted that hasn't been developed in some way. Which I can understand as it has no building frontages opening to it.


Amazingly I know every one of these. I must walk around Adelaide too much
In your second set this one...

... (Francis street?) used to be a lot more alive but all the Gawler place traders have since closed their rear entrances (Chemist's, Allan's, Harris Scarfe's) the only trader open to that street now is Axel Beer's. There used to be another shop in the little side (something to do with bikes?) alley but they died. It gets a little traffic when Da Costa Arcade is open.

Topham Mall...

Always smells of urine. But is very alive due to the cross mall that connects into Westpac House (or whatever the naming rights to the old state bank tower is now) and the car park.

The two asked about and posted by Wayno, that lie either side of the abandoned Gerard's Building
Synagogue place...

And Tavistock lane...


Synagogue place should be opened up when (if?) the proposed tower development behind Freemason's Hall is completed. I image that will become less let's say "interesting" and more developed when it happens. Tavistock Lane is a health hazard! it's full of pigeon poo. I've taken a few photos in there for uni. One of the few abandoned lots left in Adelaide, we've seen a lot of development in the past few years!

This one:

is a private laneway, and is basically a private car park for one or both of the Stag or Sosta's. The barn at the back is a quaint little remnant of the old markets. Check out its back wall in Vardon Ave, the old weathered sandstone(?) wall is carved with decades of graffiti. It'd be great if someone made that laneway an alfresco area for a cafe' operating out of the barn space.

A lot of the little laneways service the backs of existing shops and couldn't be made into anything sanitary enough to be cafe's or similar without major changes to the insides of the businesses either side. Like Lindes Lane:

Which also smells of wee!!

I'd like to see Gawler Place closed to traffic between Grenfell and North Terrace.

Unfortunately Gawler Car Park needs the section between Rundle Mall and North Tce as its entrance. I'd like to see something done with the abandoned buildings either side of that section of Gawler Place. The empty building (Gawler Chambers?) behind Gawler Car Park and the entire empty shell that used to be that 3 level shopping centre that ran between Gawler Place, North Tce and the old John Martin's building. When DJ's built their new store they decided to shaft that centre and it subsequently closed (IIRC).

Adelaide is full of quaint little alley ways that are crying out for some love, and amazingly as some of jk1237's photos show, some have been given love. There's also some incredibly located abandoned buildings right in the middle of the CBD that are just empty shells that many people don't know are there. Many are slowly being developed, but others still lie empty after decades of neglect.

[Wayno]

<snip>
And Tavistock lane...

Where is tavistock lane - i love it! such opportunity...could be in any european city.

[monotonehell]

Where is tavistock lane - i love it! such opportunity...could be in any european city.

Start on Rundle Street, turn down Frome St toward North Tce, it's the little alley running parallel to Rundle St on the left. Take some shoes you don;t mind getting dirty. It's literally covered in pigeon poo.

It's all back yards of the shops on Rundle and what's left of the abandoned Goodman and Gerard building after it was part demolished to put that car park in there. Most of the buildings in that block are in poor condition and generally neglected.

I think the photo makes it look much nicer than it is in person. But I understand it's mostly being demolished to make way for the freemason's tower project if it goes ahead.

[monotonehell]

I just remembered a photo I took last year, it shows the interface between what's left of the old building and the new carpark that was just forced into that area...



I was crouched in a sea of pigeon poop to take that *shivers*

[Omicron]

Part of the reason our laneways are so under-utilised is because our main CBD streets are so wide and spacious compared to the likes of Melbourne and Sydney. Why would a business seek to open up shop on a tiny little laneway when so much of town is characterised by its wide boulevards and expansive footpaths?

[AtD]

You may have forgotten that there is the Gawler Place U-Park at Gawler Place North Terrace? You should come back to Adelaide sometime, just kidding.

There's also the Woolworths loading dock, a taxi rank and another service lane to the west. It'd take a clever design to get this area padestrian friendly.

[jk1237]

ok, after riding around many of our laneways, I will post my proposal of the 1st laneway that could be developed into something really good. Its called Lindes lane and comes off Rundle Mall, opposite the DJ's.

First of all heres some pics and then I'll say what I think











Yes it needs a clean, but this is a cool laneway, the red brickwork is great and I forsee a line of chairs and tables against the brick wall. Not boring chairs/tables, but a bit bohemian, like old couches, crates, art deco tables, bean bags, whatever. I also forsee some arms coming out of the brickwork, to hold up hanging flower boxes filled with ferns and nice plants, to give some colour. In the last photo you will see an empty shop for lease on the white side. This is where the kitchen, toilets, order area or inside tables will be.
I wouldnt change the ground caus its looks cool and would add to the atmosphere. Its a narrow laneway so it would give that Melb feel, and despite being off Rundle Mall, its a secret little spot. If the ACC were serious they could put a glass atrium roof along the whole laneway, but that may detract from that gritty, bohemian feel. Maybe just some awnings coming from that great brick facade may do.
Because there is an empty, for lease shop, I wonder how we get the ACC to have a look fairly quickly. No traffic comes up this laneway, so there is no issue about being a service lane for any shops.
Because the Harris Scarfe end gets closed at night, it could even be turned into a bar at night. A laneway disco perhaps, oooh what other cities have a "laneway disco"

What ya reckon guys?

[Omicron]

I think it's a fine idea, and one that will be covered in urine and vomit on Sunday morning.

[jk1237]

I think it's a fine idea, and one that will be covered in urine and vomit on Sunday morning.

I went up there today and it didnt smell at all, but thats prob caus I have a blocked nose . Hopefully when it gets people in it, you wont see ferals pissing infront of diners

[Omicron]

I think it's a fine idea, and one that will be covered in urine and vomit on Sunday morning.

I went up there today and it didnt smell at all, but thats prob caus I have a blocked nose . Hopefully when it gets people in it, you wont see ferals pissing infront of diners

I was once standing out in front of David Jones' Rundle Mall entrance, when a security guard came over and told me not to rest my bag on the ground because of what generally ends up on the pavers after the weekend.

[monotonehell]

jk1237 I've been eyeing this off for a while with similar plans. Lindes Lane is a good candidate for a number of reasons:

• It's a passageway to the Northern lift/stair well for Grenfell UPark. (Although that UPark needs a lot of TLC - is disgustingly run down)
• It's a passageway to Harris Scarfe's (Although they've limited access from that door, but you can still get in via UPark's entrance so WTF?)
• The red brick building is Harris Scarfe's who are currently leasing out a lot of floor space. So it's possible they could be convinced to lease a narrow bit of floor space along that wall that would form the indoor part of cafes etc in the currently boarded doorways (Instead of 'wasting' the white walled retail tenancy opposite)
• There's similar tenancy opportunities on the other side
• It's easy to cover (against rain) because of the two walls.

There's a number of challenges regarding refurbishment, but the walls of the buildings are interesting in a visual sense and would make a nice backdrop for a long and thin cafe` down one side, with pedestrian way along the other.

[Cruise]

I think it's a fine idea, and one that will be covered in urine and vomit on Sunday morning.

Brendan Fevola is in town?

[Wayno]

Perhaps the ACC could ask these guys to do 2-3 walls in city alleyways?

The Art Gallery of SA's courtyard got a makeover last Friday night by a bunch of young people armed with aerosol cans.

But it was all ok - the group of artists, known as ex-a-sketch, was there by special invitation to perform ''live art'' at the gallery's depARTure event last Friday (May 2).

The group built a special wall out of cardboard boxes and created a funky graffitti mural as partygoers looked on.

Not only could this be done to improve 1-2 alleyways, but the ACC could also sell tickets to the event!
[edit] i tried to attach this youtube video but no luck ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH68HKpFKdQ [/edit]

[monotonehell]

Perhaps the ACC could ask these guys to do 2-3 walls in city alleyways?

The Art Gallery of SA's courtyard got a makeover last Friday night by a bunch of young people armed with aerosol cans.

But it was all ok - the group of artists, known as ex-a-sketch, was there by special invitation to perform ''live art'' at the gallery's depARTure event last Friday (May 2).

The group built a special wall out of cardboard boxes and created a funky graffitti mural as partygoers looked on.

Not only could this be done to improve 1-2 alleyways, but the ACC could also sell tickets to the event!
[edit] i tried to attach this youtube video but no luck ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH68HKpFKdQ [/edit]

I know some of the guys involved in ex-a-sketch, bunch of miscreants

The problem with any public art of this type is that it's quickly over painted by (less talented) vandals. The ex-a-sketch guys build a wall of cardboard boxes first - they don't tend to paint on walls. There's several alleyways in Melbourne where this kind of thing goes on, and I do like it. As long as you can attract more attention from talented people than from dickhead tagers.