taal
Senior Member
I had never heard of "Portage and Main" before - I just looked at some pictures, I don't understand what's so special?
I read somewhere pedestrians are banned from it?
I read somewhere pedestrians are banned from it?
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Edward
Senior Member
They built a short wall at the corners so people can't cross the street. A tunnel under the street is the only way to cross.
taal
Senior Member
hmm...
Can someone post some pics, maybe the ones I've been looking at were on the bland side but again I don't see what's even remotly special about it.
cassius
Active Member
There's nothing special about the Portage + Main intersection. I didn't even realize it was a main or popular until hearing about it later. It's an absolutely terrible intersection for pedestrians.
caltrane74
Senior Member
I think the intersection is special because it has something to do with the expansion of Canada into the west..or maybe it has something to do with fur trading - or indian trading.
As for what stands at the intersection now, its nothing remarkable, except it does look a little "too international" to be in Winnipeg. (especially when viewed from the air)
Here is picture of the Underground Walkway...
As for what stands at the intersection now, its nothing remarkable, except it does look a little "too international" to be in Winnipeg. (especially when viewed from the air)
Here is picture of the Underground Walkway...
urbandreamer
recession proof
That reminds me I haven't been in the 'peg since November 2003: really really cold but my roots are there so something about me is drawn to that intersection. Only in Winnipeg would an underground tunnel at the "main" interesection make sense: to keep the locals warm!
If I become a total pauper I'll just buy a $10k dump in Win's north end. Besides, I'd rather just live in a trailer--cuz i'm kinda trashy
If I become a total pauper I'll just buy a $10k dump in Win's north end. Besides, I'd rather just live in a trailer--cuz i'm kinda trashy
RJR123
Active Member
I think the intersection is special because it has something to do with the expansion of Canada into the west..or maybe it has something to do with fur trading - or indian trading.
As for what stands at the intersection now, its nothing remarkable, except it does look a little "too international" to be in Winnipeg. (especially when viewed from the air)
Here is picture of the Underground Walkway...
This place SCREAMS 1970's.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
...and it looks exactly the same as when I was last there in May of 1994! My lasting impression of Portage & Main was it was always very windy at that intersection.
RJR123
Active Member
I've been to Winnipeg twice. Once in the summer (swarms of mosquitos everywhere, even downtown) and once in the winter (warnings not to venture outside due to the cold). Can't say I've ever returned.
ShonTron
Moderator
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Hmm. I'm strangely unable to move posts around, but this is certainly a discussion worthy of its own thread, and really getting off-topic. (It will be moved!)
It is a very windy intersection, and a shame you can't cross it without going underground (and surprisingly easy to get lost in that tiny little PATH thing they've got set up).
I've maintained a very good impression of Winnipeg - more interesting and nice than one might think but has its problems - the North End, or the Eaton's destruction, or the massive parking lots to the south of Portage. I'll see what Guy Maddin does to that impression tonight.
It is a very windy intersection, and a shame you can't cross it without going underground (and surprisingly easy to get lost in that tiny little PATH thing they've got set up).
I've maintained a very good impression of Winnipeg - more interesting and nice than one might think but has its problems - the North End, or the Eaton's destruction, or the massive parking lots to the south of Portage. I'll see what Guy Maddin does to that impression tonight.
caltrane74
Senior Member
yeah, lets get the topic back on our potential Toronto supertall... 1 Bloor East!!!!!
Winnipegers read it and weep!!!
Winnipegers read it and weep!!!
wyliepoon
Senior Member
Sorry... just have to get back to that photo of the underground walkway. It reminds me so much of the Spadina Subway part of Spadina Station.
So who copied who?
So who copied who?
casaguy
Senior Member
Some more marketing hype from newdreamhomes.ca
Again, there's that unfortunate quote about how wonderful it is to see all the way to Buffalo on a clear day.
____________________________
It is unquestionably the best address in Canada. 1 Bloor – the very heart of Toronto’s bustling downtown. And Bazis International is about to turn the corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets into an international showplace.
This fall, the company is beginning work on an 80-storey tower which will offer top quality retail, a 120-room boutique hotel and, rising from the 23rd floor, 58 stories of magnificent urban condominiums. These will be superb city homes for anyone who loves the excitement of downtown living.
“Bazis has won an international reputation for creating signature projects across Europe,†says Veronika Belovich, director of sales and marketing. “But we believe [that] with 1 Bloor, we are creating something quite exceptional.â€
Exceptional indeed. The slim, elegant tower will be Canada’s tallest residential structure. Designed by Roy Varacalli, director of design and construction for Bazis, it is a monument to his creative energy and the company’s innovative approach to urban development.
The over-100,000 square feet of retail in the three-level central podium will be home to flagship stores of major national and international brands. The boutique hotel will be five-star quality and offer not just elegant accommodation, but fine dining and a spa that promises to top anything else in the city.
All will be available to the residents in the 450 condominium suites that occupy the upper floors of the tower.
“The views alone will be unbeatable,†Belovich says. “On a clear day, you can almost see Buffalo, New York from your 1 Bloor suite. There will be absolutely nothing else in the city that compares.â€
While no details of the suites themselves are available, Belovich says they will range from 500-square-foot one-bedroom units to nearly 10,000 square feet for the remarkable penthouse suites. Prices will start in the $300,000 range and rise to over $2 million.
“One of the main attractions for many buyers will be the amenities and services of the hotel,†she adds. “1 Bloor brings back the heady days of cities like New York in the 20s and 30s, where anyone who was anyone lived in a top-notch hotel.â€
Amenities announced to date include a double-height gym, aerobics and yoga studios, as well as a party room which opens onto an impressive outdoor terrace half way up the building. Complementing the building amenities will be those of the hotel spa with its infinity pool, saunas, change rooms, juice bar and relaxation room - all available for the residents of 1 Bloor.
Residents will have their own private lobby and elevators while being greeted by a dedicated 24-hour concierge staff and parking valets. They will also have access to the hotel’s housekeeping staff, room service for dining ensuite and all the grace notes that go with five-star hotel life.
“One of the incomparable features of 1 Bloor is its proximity to all the best Toronto has to offer,†Belovich says. “There is Bloor Street and Yorkville with the best shopping in Canada, including Holt Renfrew, Chanel, Tiffany’s and Manulife. There are restaurants and bistros just steps in any direction.â€
The University of Toronto and its manicured grounds are minutes away. Both the east-west and north-south subway lines are at 1 Bloor’s doorstep. In fact, residents of 1 Bloor will have direct access to the subway.
“1 Bloor is truly one of those exceptional opportunities that must be seen to be appreciated,†Belovich says. “There is nothing else like it in all of Canada, nor is there ever likely to be.â€
Demolition of the existing structures on the site begins later this year and completion is set for 2011.
Again, there's that unfortunate quote about how wonderful it is to see all the way to Buffalo on a clear day.
____________________________
It is unquestionably the best address in Canada. 1 Bloor – the very heart of Toronto’s bustling downtown. And Bazis International is about to turn the corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets into an international showplace.
This fall, the company is beginning work on an 80-storey tower which will offer top quality retail, a 120-room boutique hotel and, rising from the 23rd floor, 58 stories of magnificent urban condominiums. These will be superb city homes for anyone who loves the excitement of downtown living.
“Bazis has won an international reputation for creating signature projects across Europe,†says Veronika Belovich, director of sales and marketing. “But we believe [that] with 1 Bloor, we are creating something quite exceptional.â€
Exceptional indeed. The slim, elegant tower will be Canada’s tallest residential structure. Designed by Roy Varacalli, director of design and construction for Bazis, it is a monument to his creative energy and the company’s innovative approach to urban development.
The over-100,000 square feet of retail in the three-level central podium will be home to flagship stores of major national and international brands. The boutique hotel will be five-star quality and offer not just elegant accommodation, but fine dining and a spa that promises to top anything else in the city.
All will be available to the residents in the 450 condominium suites that occupy the upper floors of the tower.
“The views alone will be unbeatable,†Belovich says. “On a clear day, you can almost see Buffalo, New York from your 1 Bloor suite. There will be absolutely nothing else in the city that compares.â€
While no details of the suites themselves are available, Belovich says they will range from 500-square-foot one-bedroom units to nearly 10,000 square feet for the remarkable penthouse suites. Prices will start in the $300,000 range and rise to over $2 million.
“One of the main attractions for many buyers will be the amenities and services of the hotel,†she adds. “1 Bloor brings back the heady days of cities like New York in the 20s and 30s, where anyone who was anyone lived in a top-notch hotel.â€
Amenities announced to date include a double-height gym, aerobics and yoga studios, as well as a party room which opens onto an impressive outdoor terrace half way up the building. Complementing the building amenities will be those of the hotel spa with its infinity pool, saunas, change rooms, juice bar and relaxation room - all available for the residents of 1 Bloor.
Residents will have their own private lobby and elevators while being greeted by a dedicated 24-hour concierge staff and parking valets. They will also have access to the hotel’s housekeeping staff, room service for dining ensuite and all the grace notes that go with five-star hotel life.
“One of the incomparable features of 1 Bloor is its proximity to all the best Toronto has to offer,†Belovich says. “There is Bloor Street and Yorkville with the best shopping in Canada, including Holt Renfrew, Chanel, Tiffany’s and Manulife. There are restaurants and bistros just steps in any direction.â€
The University of Toronto and its manicured grounds are minutes away. Both the east-west and north-south subway lines are at 1 Bloor’s doorstep. In fact, residents of 1 Bloor will have direct access to the subway.
“1 Bloor is truly one of those exceptional opportunities that must be seen to be appreciated,†Belovich says. “There is nothing else like it in all of Canada, nor is there ever likely to be.â€
Demolition of the existing structures on the site begins later this year and completion is set for 2011.
casaguy
Senior Member
I think it'll be such a great addition.
The curving effect in this render is quite deceiving though... I wonder if it'll have any curve at all or if this is just for effect.
The curving effect in this render is quite deceiving though... I wonder if it'll have any curve at all or if this is just for effect.
casaguy
Senior Member
Regarding the Yonge/Bloor Portage/Main comparison:
From blog.uwinnipeg.ca/ ius/archives/2007_02.html
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Take a look at the photo above and you'll see that Portage & Main is -- as the heart of the financial district -- an intersection dominated by skyscrapers. It is also an immensely wide crossing -- 8 lanes of cars busses and trucks, all driven by people accustomed to unimpeded movement. Should one actually be able to cross past the rows of waiting vehicles, there is little to do in the plaza on the northeast corner, and apart from from the neo-classical Bank of Montreal building pictured above, with its World War I memorial, there is no desireable destination, such as an outdoor cafe or a sociopetally configured outdoor gathering area are there to humanize the intersection. The entrances to the intersection's skyscrapers are also oriented away from the intersection, and the tower at the southwest corner is built so close to the street that the only thing keeping the pedestrian environment on the sidewalks at all safe is the barrier. The barriers are also more than concrete: look closely and you'll see that they include seats and planters, so they do more than keep pedestrians and traffic separate.
Essentially, what we see at Portage & Main represents a series urban design fiascoes compounding one another, and I don't believe there is a lot that tree planting, light poles and a crosswalk can do to make it an aesthetically pleasing pedestrian destination.
That might have to wait until the oil runs out and we can once more turn the whole thing over to pedestrians, cyclists and oxcarts.
(Photo credits: MartiniTheAce; Ataradrac [Flickr.com])
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