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Artscape Youngplace (Shaw St School Redevelopment, 180 Shaw, Artscape, 3s, Teeple)

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Givins-Shaw? Ooh, I hope they save the building...

Built in 1915 i sure hope so.

Shaw School Building – Toronto, Canada
Artscape was engaged by the Toronto District School Board in 2006 to undertake a preliminary feasibility study of transforming the former 1915 Givins-Shaw Public School into a community-based arts and cultural centre. Artscape’s community engagement strategy established a strong vision based on the intersection of community, creativity and learning. This study provided the clients with a successful pilot process to addressing the repurposing of surplus school properties.

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgu...7&prev=/images?q=Givins-Shaw&gbv=2&hl=en&sa=G

research_givins_shaw111507_1044431.jpg
 
As for the former Shaw school and others of its age and style, they are examples of propeties which might be "repurposed" with some imaginative thinking. But this building is pretty large for many uses. It would be an awfully large daycare indeed that would require this much space. In addition, I suspect it's energy-inefficient (large old windows, high ceilings, possibly poorly insulated) and would be expensive to operate. These buildings are part of Toronto's history, and you'd hate to see them torn down, but I suspect several of them will be.

I good developer just might retrofit this building into some nice lofts of an overall new development for this land.This area is sure getting trendy.
 
Built in 1915 i sure hope so.

Shaw School Building – Toronto, Canada
Artscape was engaged by the Toronto District School Board in 2006 to undertake a preliminary feasibility study of transforming the former 1915 Givins-Shaw Public School into a community-based arts and cultural centre. Artscape’s community engagement strategy established a strong vision based on the intersection of community, creativity and learning. This study provided the clients with a successful pilot process to addressing the repurposing of surplus school properties.

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgu...7&prev=/images?q=Givins-Shaw&gbv=2&hl=en&sa=G

research_givins_shaw111507_1044431.jpg

Apparently active negotiations are under way with Artscape for "the sale and repurposing" of this building (quote from Toronto Lands Corporation). A closing for the sale of the property is expected in May 2010. Looks like it will probably be saved.
 
Apparently active negotiations are under way with Artscape for "the sale and repurposing" of this building (quote from Toronto Lands Corporation). A closing for the sale of the property is expected in May 2010. Looks like it will probably be saved.

Well this is great news....http://www.thestar.com/unassigned/a...or-shaw-st-school-as-studios-for-artists?bn=1

A local arts organization is about to breathe new life into a historic Toronto school that has stood silent for a decade.

The non-profit organization Artscape has purchased the Shaw Street School for an undisclosed amount from the Toronto District School Board and will turn the 1915 building into affordable non-residential condominiums and rental studios for arts groups.

"Our vision is to create a community arts hub, and we're hoping this has a strong educational focus," said Tim Jones, Artscape's president and CEO. To be called the Artscape Shaw Street Centre, the 70,000-square-foot building will be used to promote the arts and provide community programming with a focus on youth.

"I'm not in favour of selling off school lands, but this one is different," said Chris Bolton, trustee for Ward 10.

"In this one we're actually gaining by the sale, and it remains in the community. It's going to offer services to the community and will enhance (it)," Bolton said.

It's expected the arts groups who buy condos or rent space will collaborate with neighbourhood schools.

The three-storey sandstone school on Shaw St., just north of Queen St., was closed years ago because of declining enrolment. The students were moved next door to Givins Shaw Public School.

"It was a grand old school with stained glass," said Bolton, who used to teach there. But "there were problems around the façade for many years and the feeling was that we couldn't keep both buildings open."

Even now, scaffolding on the east side props up the brickwork that supports many special architectural details and decorations. Refurbishing the building will cost millions of dollars, expected to come from the sale of units, philanthropic contributions, government donations and a mortgage, Jones said.

A condo developer offered to purchase the school about five years ago, but Bolton said it wasn't a good fit for the area. The school is on a side street without services or parking and the condominium would have towered over the adjacent school.

Instead, in 2006, the board hired Artscape to study how the building could be reused. Residents were in full support of community arts programming. The Queen St. W. area is known for its alternative arts scene and is home to about 50 to 60 independent galleries, Jones said.

In the next few months, Artscape will contact other non-profit arts organizations and hold information sessions before asking for formal programming proposals from prospective tenants.

Jones estimated it will be about two years before the centre is occupied.
 
Shaw Street School Redevelopment

http://www.torontoartscape.on.ca

Artscape to Repurpose Historic Shaw Street School into 70,000 Square Foot Multi-Dimensional Centre


Thursday, January 28, 2010

TORONTO, ON -- Artscape is thrilled to announce it has come to an agreement with Toronto Lands Corporation (TLC, as agent for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), to purchase the century-old inner city Shaw Street School and repurpose it as Artscape Shaw Street Centre, a centre for arts and community programming with a focus on youth. Artscape has signed a letter of intent with TLC, with an expected closing date of late Summer 2010. In early February 2010, Artscape will be issuing a Request for Expressions of Interest(REOI) for artists and non-profit arts and community organizations to identify their interest in purchase or rental opportunities at Artscape Shaw Street Centre.

The Shaw Street School was declared surplus to the educational needs of the Toronto District School Board in 2001. Located on Shaw Street north of Queen Street West, the building is in the heart of an area long associated with Toronto’s creative community and home to many artists.

“Artscape is thrilled to be leading the redevelopment of this project so brilliantly located in the heart of Toronto’s arts scene,†said Tim Jones, President and CEO of Artscape. “We are very grateful for the leadership of Toronto Lands Corporation, Toronto District School Board, City of Toronto and local community members who are helping to make this possible.â€

Artscape Shaw Street Centre will include non-profit arts and community organizational space and artist studios. A number of the units will be sold to non-profit arts and community organizations and artists on a below-market non-residential condominium ownership program and the remainder will be rented as below-market non-residential work spaces. This mix will allow Artscape to continue to address the needs of the arts community for long-term affordable rental space while also offering some artists and non-profit organizations the opportunity to own their work space permanently and be a part of a vibrant artists’ community.

The REOI will be issued in early February 2010. Interested artists and organizations can currently sign-up to receive the REOI announcement as well as updates on the project by filling out an online subscriber form available here.

Media Contact:
Liz Kohn, Director of Communications
Artscape
T: 416-392-1038 ext. 25
E: liz@torontoartscape.on.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Shaw Street School and Surrounding Neighbourhood
The Shaw Street School is a 70,000 sq ft. building located within the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood, adjacent to West Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods Park, just north of Queen Street West on Shaw Street. The 1915 Shaw building’s historic role as a platform for learning, community engagement and connectivity ceased. While the school operations formerly located within the Shaw building continue within an adjacent facility, the heritage building has remained vacant for ten years. The area is recognized as one of Canada’s most important neighbourhoods for artists and creative workers, attracted by the dense concentration of cultural venues and lifestyle businesses located throughout the community. Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Theatre Centre, the Gladstone Hotel and Camera illustrate the richness of the area. While creatively vibrant, the area is also experiencing significant gentrification pressure as the pace of upmarket residential redevelopment challenges the affordability and diversity of the community’s cultural organizations and individual artists.

In 2006, Toronto District School Board hired Artscape to conduct a feasibility study of the potential reuse of the former school, which included extensive community consultation. The study demonstrated strong community support for repurposing the site as a centre for arts and community programming with a focus on youth. In addition, it indicated that cultural assets, heritage preservation, environmental leadership, educational programming and community partnerships can be brought together in a unique way to transform the Shaw Street School into a dynamic centre of creative activity and learning.
 
Kent school and Bloor Collegiate are both located at the SW corner of Bloor and Dufferin. It's literally across the street from the subway. I think the plan is to close both buildings. The best use for a property in this location and of this size would be a complete redevelopment with a condo tower or two, hopefully with commercial space at street level.
 
I'd say a collegiate is a better use for a location right on the subway than a condo.

I certainly hope those great, solid old buildings aren't demolished for a condo tower. I wouldn't particularly mind an adaptive reuse with a tower in the back, sort of like the "Alex" or Alexandra School conversion in Waterloo (or Loretto Abbey).
 
Unimaginative, to a great extent it's about the money. The school board is now trying to maximize the return on their surplus assets. A location on the subway demands a high-intensity use, meaning that it will command a high price, and I think this will turn into a straight business decision. It's also sensible land-use planning, in line with the City's policy of intensifying uses along major streets.

Assuming Kent school and Bloor Collegiate are both demolished, the block actually would still include a secondary school, the former Brockton school on the southwest part of the block, facing Croatia Street. This building is newer than the other two, probably in better shape, and has been vacant for the past several years. (Although it was used recently for about two years, I think, by the Royal Conservatory of Music while their permanent building was being reno'd.)
 
I get what you're saying. Obviously the School Board wants to maximize its returns. I just think that building should be heritage protected, if anything, and it should be converted rather than demolished as part of any redevelopment. If there need to be towers, there's plenty of room on the site for several.
 
A great project. I see many more mixed use spaces popping up on Shaw Street.

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My new favourite café perch. I like how this building has the potential to change the pedestrian flows around it by elevating the importance of what was an insignificant entrance to Trinity Bellwoods. Maybe a competition for a western gate? The new café on the northeast corner of Shaw and Lobb.

iphone%20images%20481_1-XL.jpg
 

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