Corktown

[chriskayTO]

Not to mention that they illegally resell TTC tokens individually, and charge a markup on them.

 

[GraphicMatt]

Little mention of the King & Sackville property in today's Star. Sounds very cool:

Vertical, 100 King St. W., and Weezie’s, 354 King St. E.

Grower: Tawfik Shehata, chef at Vertical and Jamie McAuley, chef at Weezie’s. The 3,000 square-foot garden is on top of a building at King and Sackville Sts. that McAuley is turning into a local grocery store.

What they grow: Hard-to-find heirloom varieties of tomatoes, eggplant, hot peppers, peas, beans, and Swiss chard. Shehata is particularly proud of the more than 40 varieties of heirloom lettuce.

How he grows it: McAuley trawls construction sites for leftover wood hoarding, which he builds into bins. The upcycled greenhouse is entirely made from found and salvaged windows and doors.

Challenges: “This year we went full tilt and failed,” said Shehata. “Which is fine.” Blasting heat wilted many of the plants, a problem exacerbated by a spongy soil mixture that didn’t allow fledgling plants to properly root.

Joys: Shehata started his farming experiments four years ago, after reading about rare heirloom vegetables that don’t yield enough for big producers. “I want to work with these things, so I’ll grow them myself,” he said.

Next up: The duo has already sourced organic soil that will hopefully nurture their plants better during next year’s growing season.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/856960--above-the-concrete-jungle-green-roofs-you-can-eat

 

[DSC]

Little Trinity Church (on King at Trinity) has just put in its planning application for fixing up their two derilict houses - details of their plans are several pages back.
Ward 28
- Tor & E.York Site Plan Approval 10 251759 STE 28 SA Sep 2, 2010 ---
Site Plan Approval application to convert 2 dwelling buildings (399 and 401 King St E) - 1 dwelling unit per building - into administrative office and conference rooms for Little Trinity Church at 425 King St E. Existing Administrative office for church in 417 King St E. - New Construction. - See 10 152473 ZPR for PPR,

 

[junctionist]

That's great. They can only save the exteriors, but I want to see as much of Georgian Toronto preserved as possible. Knowing that there was a Toronto before Queen Victoria makes the city seem richer in history and more interesting.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Yes, as Terence Conran said recently, "Why do you think practically every architect lives in a Georgian house? It’s because they have perfect proportions.”

 

[DSC]

Yes, as Terence Conran said recently, "Why do you think practically every architect lives in a Georgian house? It’s because they have perfect proportions.”

The architects, the houses or both?

 

[Towered]

From Monday - a couple of interesting things I spotted on my walking tour through Corktown, but didn't know about. Does anyone have more information on any of these projects?

 

[Towered]

One more addition, this little development on Queen street. I don't know what it's called, but it caught my eye because although faux, it has a level of detail that is rarely seen, although one can't really tell from the pics.

 

[JayBee]

Thanks for all the pics, Towered.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

One more addition, this little development on Queen street. I don't know what it's called, but it caught my eye because although faux, it has a level of detail that is rarely seen, although one can't really tell from the pics.

This is across from the complex where Librairie Champlain used to be. My daughters and I scouted it out one day while buying them books. There's a tiny little playground in behind as well -- a neat little urban development.

 

[DSC]

Little Trinity Church is having a 'community consultation' on their plans for the two derilict houses on King @ Parliament on Sunday 21 November. The sign says they will be starting restoration/building in 2011, info on their perrmit application is a few posts up this thread. Their website describes the plans as:

The Shape of Renewal
The building at 399 King Street east is the central focus of our redevelopment plans. Idle for many years, the building has the potential to provide us with the additional space we need to serve the current congregation and its ministries as well as make room for future growth. Our plans call for a redeveloped and enlarged two-story building which will maintain the historic King Street façade. Located on the ground floor will be a meeting room, a reception area and administrative offices, and a small kitchen. The second floor will provide us with a large multi-functional conference room, a kitchen and a reception space that overlooks the adjacent park. Finally, the basement will feature a dedicated gathering space for youth, lockers and showers for guests and needy visitors, along with some storage space.

The church building, our spiritual home, will receive some important renovations and updates. The toddler and nursery spaces will receive significant upgrades in order to better meet the needs of our youngest members. At the same time the church basement, which is our primary social space, will be refurbished with new finishes, lighting, ventilation and storage in order to provide a modern, inviting community hall.

The outdoor space behind 399 King Street will also be renewed, resulting in a more accessible and friendly site that includes an enclosed lawn and hard surfaced courtyard.

The third building on the property, Little Trinity House, will receive minor renovations as offices are moved into the new building at 399 King Street, making room for more Sunday school rooms and small group meeting spaces.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[junctionist]

It's about time. The fact that they're keeping the facades is great. The buildings are in a very advanced state of decay, but putting in a new building seemlessly behind the facades will allow King Street to maintain that glimpse into a pre-Victorian Toronto streetscape. I always enjoy coming across a Georgian building the east end of downtown. When we think of 19th century heritage buildings, Victorian structures tend to come to mind, but seeing a Georgian building opens up another interesting dimension to our history.

 

[DSC]

This permit application just appeared, 445 King East is the empty building between Trinity Street and Gilead Place on the south side of King. Presumably they want to knock it down and start again but no sign of a demolition permit.

Application: Partial Permit Status: Not Started

Location: 445 KING ST E
TORONTO ON M5A 1L5

Ward 28: Toronto Centre-Rosedale

Application#: 10 208871 SHO 00 PP Accepted Date: Oct 22, 2010

Project: Multiple Use/Non Residential Partial Permit - Shoring

Description: Part Permit - This is a new three(3) storey mixed use/non residential building. The building will be used for a furniture showroom and office. The basement will be for storage, the first and second floors will be a showroom area and the third floor will be an office area. There is also a mechanical penthouse on the roof of the building.

They have an earkier permit for same project which is Under Review:

Application: New Building Status: Under Review

Location: 445 KING ST E
TORONTO ON M5A 1L5

Ward 28: Toronto Centre-Rosedale

Application#: 10 208871 BLD 00 NB Accepted Date: Jul 26, 2010

Project: Multiple Use/Non Residential New Building

Description: This is a new three(3) storey mixed use/non residential building. The building will be used for a furniture showroom and office. The basement will be for storage, the first and second floors will be a showroom area and the third floor will be an office area. There is also a mechanical penthouse on the roof of the building.

 

[299 bloor call control.]

That is apparently going to be the new home for Italinteriors (which is currently at the corner of King and Berkeley).

Further east along King, the old BGM studios building has been sold. An eyesore of a building that is compounded by the fact that it's set back further than the other buildings on that strip. It'll be interesting to see what comes from that.

 

[GraphicMatt]

This has probably been said before, but I will marry the person who gives me contraflow bike lanes on Sumach street.