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91 King Street East (Albany Club, 25s, WZMH Architects)

There's a theme to this issue that I've noticed: in Toronto, elites rarely stand up for the city's heritage and historical architecture. There's too little leadership on the part the people who are powerful and influential to preserve heritage architecture. In the 1960s, they let some of our finest buildings in the Financial District be demolished. It's one thing for some greedy nouveau riche developer to be indifferent towards heritage, but when influential, successful people don't care, then we have a serious problem.
 
The inside of the building is attractive, verging on elegant especially in some of the upper rooms, but a little shabby, at least to my eye. It looks as if it could do with an infusion of cash to touch the place up. This does not mean that the building itself is unsound or in need of structural repairs. I don't know whether or not that is the case. It does look as if it would be better for some new paint.

What is truly outstanding, IMO, is the collection of framed political posters and a number of the portraits. Those are, of course, transferable to other locations. On the whole, I would say it should be preserved, not so much for intrinsic architectural merit, as for its historical associations.

I think it is reasonable to build tall structures in an area so very close to the CBD and to proposed developments like 88 Scott St. I hope this building is one that can be saved, however. (And the preliminary renders are ugly, IMO.)
 
Don't forget that the members of the RCMI have been using the Albany Club since their own club was demolished for a that new apartment building on University. They have been sitting about with their brandy and cigars telling the Albany Club members how to get a lot of money in quickly. Hence this proposal.
 
^Let the lobbying begin. If the powers that be in Albany Club really, really want to block Council enforcing a heritage designation (either to move ahead on the redevelopment, or simply to preserve the resale value of their property) they certainly will know the right phone numbers to call.
 
There's no reason to lobby for the demolition of this heritage building. That is not the respectable conduct expected from an exclusive club of the privileged members of our society.
 
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junctionist said:
It's one thing for some greedy nouveau riche developer to be indifferent towards heritage, but when influential, successful people don't care, then we have a serious problem.
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It's not exactly Disraeli and the Prince of Wales in there. Just a bunch of political hacks and public relations people. Their president has a fraud conviction, I believe.
 
Not as if John Graves Simcoe and his lot weren't a bunch of political hacks, either...
 
adma said:
Not as if John Graves Simcoe and his lot weren't a bunch of political hacks, either...
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That hack pushed through the first anti-slavery act in the British Empire and the second in the world, after Denmark, I believe. He did this in the first Legislative session of the firstLegislative Assembly of Upper Canada. He succeeded in achieving what was admittedly a compromise bill, over the objections of at least six of the sixteen members who owned slaves.

Oh, and he moved the capital of the colony to a little village on the north shore of the lake, one of the first causes of the growth of the community.
 
Looks like the old Albany Club proposal has been modified.

Mods - I can't seem to find the old thread about this location? The database entry seems to have been deleted.

Rezoning application for 79-91 King St E to permit a 25-storey (77m in height excluding mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building with a 4-storey podium and 3 levels of underground parking. The podium component occupies the entire footprint of the site. Tower floorplate is 625 sq. metres. The proposal includes 169 dwelling units on floors 5-25, a private club (Albany Club) spanning floors 1-4, and ground floor retail.
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There's also a new development billboard on the site.
 
ddi4at.jpg
 
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