Toronto Minto Midtown | 160.01m | 52s | Minto Group | Zeidler

Are these chairs bolted down Mary?


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ROFL, no, they are not that I can tell! I keep telling all the Starbucks people how comfortable, though a tad cold now hehe, they are and they go try them on their breaks lol.

The turnover meeting is Dec 9, I'll have to tell the board they may have a problem with the chairs disappearing :D
 
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Squaring away controversy
November 21, 2008

Christopher Hume

Suddenly it seems the public realm is everywhere.

There's nothing new about that, of course, but lately Toronto has been on something of a tear, with new squares, plazas and parks appearing regularly.

The most recent example, the Anne Johnston Courtyard, was officially unveiled earlier this month. Located on the east side of Yonge St., just south of Eglinton Ave., it occupies the space between two tall residential towers (39 and 54 storeys) that have generated no end of controversy in North Toronto.

Architecturally, the towers themselves are much better than average, and the height is less of an issue than one might imagine in this overwhelmingly low-rise neighbourhood. That's because they sit atop a five-storey podium that directly addresses the sidewalk and brings the complex down to human scale.

Though not entirely successful, Anne Johnston Courtyard exerts a decidedly civilizing influence on the surroundings. It connects with a lane that runs north-south between Eglinton and Soudan Ave., and provides a shortcut for pedestrians heading for the subway station across the road on Yonge. Indeed, foot traffic has reached the point where the promised tunnel (between the towers and the station) should be constructed, or lights installed.

Created by two sets of double curved walls, the courtyard offers chairs and couches as well as two rows of oversized flower pots, a couple of arbours and some very nice limestone facades. It has the feel of a living room, a place to stretch out, read the paper or chat. Put a roof over it, it would become domestic space. True, the climate might present a bit of a problem, but the offer stands for those hardy enough to accept.

Though things will change when the weather improves – months and months from now – the courtyard may end up more a way to get from one place to another than a destination in its own right. There's nothing wrong with this, though perhaps the design would have turned out differently if the space had been viewed differently. The area in the middle of the plaza – now the site of the "living room" – might have been left empty and amenities arranged along the perimeter. The fact the courtyard is flanked by two skyscrapers also means it will be in perpetual shadow, another reason to want to keep moving.

Regardless, the courtyard is a wholly positive addition to the streetscape; it creates greater porosity, a boon to pedestrians, and helps knit the recently completed residential complex into the neighbourhood. This is something critics said would never happen; fixated on height, they ignored the most important issue: what the complex does at street level. That's what determines how we relate to a building.

Despite the controversy, it turns out that this particular development contributes more than its fair share to the streetscape. It has filled in what was formerly a dead zone in a district recognized as one of Toronto's most cosmopolitan.

Interesting, too, that the developer, Minto, named the courtyard after the now-retired veteran North Toronto councillor Anne Johnston. It was she who stared down the NIMBYs and supported the project from the start. The electorate retired her as a result, but clearly this gives her the last laugh.

What's more important, however, is the urban impact of the scheme. Toronto has reached a point where there's general agreement on the need to integrate a complex such as this into the larger entity, namely, the city. In that regard, it is a success, fully engaged and on the way.

Getting there has never been so much fun.

From The Star
 
Good looking towers. Thanks for the pics.


I’ve heard that the north tower is practically empty because most of the units are held by investors who are having difficulty selling them in the current market.
 
Good looking towers. Thanks for the pics.


I’ve heard that the north tower is practically empty because most of the units are held by investors who are having difficulty selling them in the current market.


Ouch - that's got to be bad.
On the bright side - makes for good bargains in the next 2 years !!!
 
Reminds me of a shortened version of New Jersey's 30 Hudson Street (Goldman Sachs Building).
Still wish the OMB allowed them to proceed with the originally planned 590ft height.
 
Check out mls.ca and zoom in on Yonge and Englinton - there were 59 units for sale when I checked the other day.
 
Check out mls.ca and zoom in on Yonge and Englinton - there were 59 units for sale when I checked the other day.


Sh*t ... I just did a search and found 35 - 1 bedroom units for sale ranging from $240K - $400K; and 7 - 2 bedrooms units from $415K - $500K for Minto Midtown alone !

I suspect there will be many more units coming on market in the spring since it seems RE agents are recommending sellers to hold off until then.
 

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