Toronto St Lawrence Market North | 25.3m | 5s | City of Toronto | Rogers Stirk Harbour

Surely something like the floors at Somerset House in London wouldn't break the bank- http://londonhistorygroup.com/archives/listings/somerset-house-archaeology-room

Perhaps if just a small portion of the excavation where exposed with a few of the more interesting artifacts included. Terrible waste just to dig it all up, it's a rare thing for Toronto to get historical opportunities like this.
 
What I don't understand is, isn't the entire footprint being excavated for four floors of underground working anyway? That's what the architectural plans have always shown as best I know…

…so is the drain to be reconstructed?

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Bogtrotter said:
Surely something like the floors at Somerset House in London wouldn't break the bank- http://londonhistorygroup.com/archives/listings/somerset-house-archaeology-room

Perhaps if just a small portion of the excavation where exposed with a few of the more interesting artifacts included. Terrible waste just to dig it all up, it's a rare thing for Toronto to get historical opportunities like this.
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I studied at Somerset House almost every day for a time, and never knew this exists.
 
It's a wonderful looking project which I have yet to see in person. I gather for this to work at North Market part of the excavation would have to be removed and then reconstructed on top of the multi-story garage. The artifacts would no longer truly be in situ, but I think it would still make for a more interesting and appropriate means of display. I think a long glass floor displaying the historical ruins of the old market place along the open atrium above with views looking up to the cupola of St. Lawrence hall would be quite amazing- really open up the space to the city's history both above and below.
 
Two million dollars?? Billion dollar Loblaws or the Weston's themselves could pick up the tab for this and not even notice it on their balance sheets. I mention Loblaws only because they are in the grocery / marketing business but any of the city's billion dollar corporations could foot the relatively small cost for his and get a healthy tax break to boot. Civic pride anyone?
 
To put $2 Million in perspective, my wild guess is that whopping sum would cover the cost of building something major like a whole house, and a huge house at that. Probably a mansion with bathrooms and fancy kitchen and a full basement. Land is excluded from my comparison since the City already owns the site. So if I'm right, we the citizens of Hogtown could have either a 2 storey mansion or a glass cover on a old drain.

I'm reminded of the overdue $65,000 park staircase some geezer went and built himself for $550. Course it sucked, but still it got the City off it's collective arse and it built a proper one. I think Tory is right. I think $2 Million to save, install and cover a drain with glass is obscene. Especially if they look immediately next door to the park between this site and Market Square. It's down right spooky. City spent $3 Million down the street in creating a new Berczy Park. Now that's attracting serious attention and praise. I'd rather the City invest the $2 Million and create a drop dead gorgeous park beside St. Lawrence Market North and if there's change left over, put up a permanent pictorial history on the west wall showing the evolution of the site, the neighborhood and yes, even a picture of the drain.
 
jozl said:
Two million dollars?? Billion dollar Loblaws or the Weston's themselves could pick up the tab for this and not even notice it on their balance sheets. I mention Loblaws only because they are in the grocery / marketing business but any of the city's billion dollar corporations could foot the relatively small cost for his and get a healthy tax break to boot. Civic pride anyone?
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The reason they are a billion dollar corporation which, because of competition, must fight every day to continue to be a billion dollar corporation is they are not in the business of deliberately pouring $ Millions down the drain, on Front Street or anywhere else.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Recognizing the value in the drain
It is wrong for Mayor John Tory to reject preserving an archeological find at St. Lawrence Market in the name of reducing costs.
More.....https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/09/25/recognizing-the-value-in-the-drain.html
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If this is the best defense of the drain we can pull together, then we should not be wasting money on saving the drain. The example of Rome (which Lorinc notes is not a great example) as well as the belief that saving the drain will lead to untold millions due to archeological tourism (?) is ridiculous. Toronto has a HORRIBLE record of saving its history; however, this drain is not the hill we should be dying on. Declaring, that "the 19th century drain is gold", without proof or more tangible examples of archeologoical tourism are not a great defense of this additional expenditure.
 
This is more about municipal politics, lack of vision and most certainly undervaluing Toronto history. Why do we need tangible archaeological examples elsewhere to prove anything? This is about preserving and honouring an important part of Toronto's history, a focal point for several centuries in the heart of old town. It's about creating a unique space to showcase that history for future generations of Torontonians. It's about showing that we care and are proud of that history . This city gets very few such 'hills' to climb and it keeps bulldozing them. If not this then what exactly is worthy of such a modest additional expenditure?
 
At the Government Management Committee today staff were asked to go back and bring forward alternatives for displaying the 'archaeological remains"

"Refer the item to the Chief Planner to request review of options to showcase the archeology of the site".
 
Bogtrotter said:
This is more about municipal politics, lack of vision and most certainly undervaluing Toronto history. Why do we need tangible archaeological examples elsewhere to prove anything? This is about preserving and honouring an important part of Toronto's history, a focal point for several centuries in the heart of old town. It's about creating a unique space to showcase that history for future generations of Torontonians. It's about showing that we care and are proud of that history . This city gets very few such 'hills' to climb and it keeps bulldozing them. If not this then what exactly is worthy of such a modest additional expenditure?
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EXACTLY! I'm glad to see some people on this site get it!
 
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