Toronto Eaton Centre (Ongoing Renewal) | ?m | ?s | Cadillac Fairview | Zeidler

ahmad.m.atiya said:
Sorry Adma. I didn't realize you would contribute to this topic. Had I known, I would've kept my mouth shut, since we've determined before that your opinion alone has no equivalent on this forum.
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Let the link I offered speak for itself re the aesthetic mentality we're dealing with.
 
adma said:
Let the link I offered speak for itself re the aesthetic mentality we're dealing with.
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Those buildings are functional, and they really do add a lot to the neighbourhood. Also, IN MY OPINION (unlike your "FACTS"), they are not as disastrous or even as distasteful as you seem to suggest.

Torontovibe said:
You've made your point. lol
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The point that his opinion is more valid than any other opinion on this forum? I think he also seems to be leading a pack of followers.
 
Those buildings are functional, and they really do add a lot to the neighbourhood. Also, IN MY OPINION (unlike your "FACTS"), they are not as disastrous or even as distasteful as you seem to suggest.
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But let's not confuse function with aesthetics.

Functionally, the NYT development does add density where it is sorely needed. But Daniels is not known for any aesthetic prowess. They have been guilty of some of the most laughable, historicist attempts in the GTA. They are purely market driven, which is why they try to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

My advice would be to not spend so much energy trying to defend your position on this, but instead use it as an opportunity to grow by questioning your beliefs instead.

We can start by being logical about it....you might ask yourself why most of the people who like this stuff have the least amount of knowledge and experience with architecture and design, while the people who have the most knowledge and experience with architecture and design will be almost unanimous in being of the opposite opinion? The biggest mistake people make is that they assume such things are purely subjective "opinion", when in fact, an empirical position can be applied. Not to say I'd want to get into a debate of good art vs bad art here.
 
And, you know, some of the more high-minded aesthetic biases which *do* infiltrate UT can act as a smokescreen...making ahmad.m.atiya's dismissals initially appear to be from a design/style-snob POV, simply because UT's assumed to be full of ClewesFreed-lovers. But the sheer spitefulness indicates otherwise...and sure enough, scratch the surface, and you find a McMansion-mentality philistine and a reflection of the perils of "have your say" message-board democracy.

Great houses!
 
I for one am grateful for ahmad's postings here as they are an important constant reminder of how the vast uninformed majority in Toronto think and feel about architecture, design, urban planning and heritage preservation... which is to say they don't. UT can feel somewhat closed and insular at times so maybe this shot of 'reality' is useful.
 
For those who haven't see it, Bravo has made available online the excellent documentary Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories. It covers the part that clubs in this part of the strip played in the development of rock and roll in Toronto in the '60s.

In the context of the current debate, I think it also adds a little history to what was lost with the development of the Eaton Centre. One can't of course undo the past, and the Eaton Centre arguably has its own aesthetic that many argue is important to preserve. But it is also sobering to see how much of the physical history of that period in this area has been destroyed for redevelopment. (I suppose one almost always courts irony with historical urban preservation, since the structures being protected so often have themselves replaced older buildings, sometimes with their own significant history.)
 
Queen St. entrance redo?

I vaguely recall that the Queen St. entrance was to receive a facelift. Does anybody know if that's still in the works?

The grand entrance @ Yonge + Dundas is in complete contradiction to the main entrance at the other end of the mall, this one on Queen. The tiny entrance under grimy windows and an ugly skybridge simply undermines what should be a grand entrance into the mall, where one is greeted by Eaton Centre's famous flock of Canada geese.
 
...and, in its offering nothing more than the H&M backside to the actual intersection. (The old glasshouse actually *addressed* the intersection.)
 
I'd argue that the main problem is that the property owners see this in an either-or light, much to the detriment of the new structure.

If renovating had to be done, it was always open to Cadillac-Fairview to one-up the old glasshouse. Probably could've led to greater profits for them too.....
 
At the time it was built, TEC was geared mostly towards grown-ups. Now it is geared towards juveniles. That is why something as moronic as H&M takes precedent over architecture. Remember how they used to have numerous "sit-down" restaurants there? Kids don't eat in restaurants...that's why it is all about food courts and crap fast food.

Having children should be illegal.
 
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