A couple of things I noticed while biking around downtown Charlottetown with my boys this evening. First, the Pownal Parkade is undergoing a small but important facelift. This parking garage is notoriously dark and dingy, and that is reflected in its generally poor occupancy. But CADC is using lots of white paint and brighter lights to create a more inviting atmosphere. I think the results are good.
A brighter, cleaner Pownal Parkade
Secondly, I was sad to see that Burke’s Gas Bar, operating from the old Irving station at Queen and Euston, has apparently closed shop. This has been for years my usual place to fill up. The pumps are gone and a sign directs customers to other Irving stations around town. I’ve heard this old building variously described around City Hall as a “disgrace”, and as an important heritage building. In fact, I believe it is a designated heritage resource.
Gas pumps gone.
Too bad. I love that Irving Station. Over the years, it sure helped out in a pinch when I had a flat tire or was half-way through mowing the lawn. It is a rare architectural style from an bygone era of which I don’t think there are many other examples in Ch’town (but maybe Jim MacNutt or Catherine Hennessey could explain more about such architecture). Even if the gas pumps are gone, I hope the building can stay as some kind of automotive-related place.
The depressing news is that LaCache, Katherine’s and Pinocchios are all closing. That will leave that poor mall half empty. Great that the Pownal Parkade is being fixed up…but fewer and fewer people will want to go downtown.
Sad, sad state of affairs.