1 Bloor East, DEAD AND BURIED (Bazis, -2s, Varacalli)

[299 bloor call control.]

As said before, I don't think the City would have granted the demolition permit if the process for the other permits weren't going smoothly. It's a process and you go step-by-step. This is a massive project, not home reno.

 

[cdr108]

As said before, I don't think the City would have granted the demolition permit if the process for the other permits weren't going smoothly. It's a process and you go step-by-step. This is a massive project, not home reno.

If it was 'Extreme Makeover - the Home Edition' with Ty, it would have been completed in a week ...

 

[Chuck]

I know a property manager of a nearby office tower, and they stated that to their knowledge, funding has dried up and the project is temporarily on hold. I don't know who their source is, therefore at this point it's just gossip.

 

[Ryuinfinity]

And I know myself, and he says you're very likely wrong.

 

[UrbanAffair]

Ok, seriously, can we all please move past rumours of on hold and cancelled. Lets talk about the attributes, the effect on the nbhd, the tower itself, architecture, and everything else. Please, please, please!


Thanks y'all

M

 

[Solaris]

good call mckarisma ... I'll try ~

1BE's effect on nbhd = postive, new life, more shadows, added residents synergy, and structure of significant height + density in TO

1BE's architecture = ugly, vertical glass box with no profile articulation, the fins at the top are an 'attempt' of doing something

1BE's attributes = it would extend/continue the Bloor retail frontage easterly from Yorkville, and provide what would hopefully be a top notch hotel at a significant Toronto intersection

 

[Quanttrader]

As said before, I don't think the City would have granted the demolition permit if the process for the other permits weren't going smoothly. It's a process and you go step-by-step. This is a massive project, not home reno.

Good tax reasons to demo. They can deduct a big chunk of the price they paid for the land. I guess they'd need income to take advantage of the loss and it doesn't look like these guys know how to make money in this town!

 

[Urban_Frog]

1BE's architect = ugly, vertical glass box with no profile articulation, the fins at the top are an 'attempt' of doing something

Couldn't agree more. Not just the fins are an "attempt" to doing something phony, those slide-able balconies are a purely marketing decision. It's an "attempt" to sell you more finished area. I can hear the sale person saying to the potential purchasers, "close the slider in the winter, and put a portable heater in the balcony, then you will have yourself an extra X square feet of Solarium space...."

Another interesting thing I have observed since I joined this group is, I see a lot of people are bashing the design of Burka Varacalli Architects. So why all of a sudden everyone seems to like this building so much! It's designed by Varacalli!

 

[urbandreamer]

^Liking this design? Are you kidding? We HATE it! It's 3rd World garbage.

 

[Urban_Frog]

haha! Thanks Urbandreamer for clarifying... I always thought I am the only one who hate the design!

 

[Quanttrader]

I don't mind it myself but it's sad that but for the greed of the developer and the army of rabid flippers it would have gotten built before the crash. It's truly emblematic of the disease that's infected the planet.

Anybody else remember when people bought apartments to live in? What's wrong with that idea? We got away from it as a society and look what's happening to the world.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

Yeah the current design is uninspiring.
Im starting to think it just might be better if this thing doesn't get built…

No matter what happens, something tall is definitely going to be built on that site.

-If it’s 1 bloor in its current form we get a another boring box-like building, but a tall one and we get it in 3-4 years.

-If 1 bloor fails, for whatever reason. We get a parking lot for a few years and then another proposal for a tall tower on the site. There is just no way a prime lot like this would sit vacant for long after the current financial crises comes to pass. The new purposely would more than likely still be the tallest building in the area - taller than 4 seasons.
And we'll probably get something better architecturally.

so which is better?

 

[Solaris]

If a proposal with better architecture would come in 3-4 years, I would be happy seeing the current 1BE fail and the site sitting as interim parking lot ...

it would be a small price to pay to avoid seeing Bazis' ugly glass box for many years to come ... that is of course IMO

 

[Ramako]

I don't get all the complaints about boxes. Boxes are our thing. We do them well, and they give our skyline a definable feature.

In fact, I like seeing more boxes added to the skyline so long as they're interesting and contribute something to our boxy architecture.

1 Bloor is a box, granted, but it's not just your basic four corners. I like how the roof element cuts this box down the middle. Looks like a box being sliced. I like the statement.

 

[Uncle Teddy]

-If 1 bloor fails, for whatever reason. We get a parking lot for a few years and then another proposal for a tall tower on the site. There is just no way a prime lot like this would sit vacant for long after the current financial crises comes to pass.

I know its not Yonge and Bloor but Yonge and Sheppard has had two empty corners for decades now.