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Favourite Doors Open locations (past and present)?

seemsartless

seemsartless

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Doors Open Toronto 2010 is soon here - May 29th and 30th! I did a few searches here on Urban Toronto and didn't find a thread devoted to Doors Open, so I thought I'd start one.

"150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance open their doors to the public. Admission is FREE." from http://www.toronto.ca/doorsopen/

  • What were your favourite locations?
  • Pictures?
  • Where are you planning on going this year?
  • Sites to avoid?
 
I'll start with two photos from the Canada Permanent Trust building, designed by F. Hilton Wilkes. The Doors Open record for the building states:

Officially opened on April 7, 1930, the Canada Permanent Building is located in the heart of Toronto's financial district. It was constructed at the beginning of the Depression and the use of materials and sense of craftsmanship is very apparent. F. Hilton Wilkes' design for the skyscraper was influenced by classical architecture. Of particular note in the Corinthian columns are the Canadian symbols of wheat sheaves and fleurs-de-lys. The grand Romanesque entrance is magnificent with its coffered vault flanked by fluted pilasters. The Banking Hall was restored to its former grandeur by CIBC Mellon between May and December 2001. Recent additions include the chandeliers, designed as replicas of the originals. Their circular design is Art Deco, another example of the Art Deco style of the building.​


permanent-brass-door.jpg


permanent-brass-pattern.jpg


These photos were originally posted to my photoblog back in 2006 here and here
 
In terms of past Doors Open weekends, some memorable locations were the T-D Centre, Greenwood maintenance shops, Wychwood streetcar barns (before the Artscape conversion), the bell tower tour of St. James cathedral, the Carlu, and Little Trinity Church. There are always a lot of spectacular buildings. In terms of Little Trinity, the interior is plain because of a fire around 1960, but Timothy Eaton contributed towards the organ, you can ring the bell in the tower, and overall it's an interesting place with the fantastic old Toronto atmosphere in Corktown.
 
King Edward Hotel is on the list again this year... the abandoned ballroom is on the agenda again - quite neat, peeling paint and all.
 
The Hindu temple at Finch and the 427...I think the full name is something like the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha Shri Swaminarayan Mandir :) You kind of shuffle through gawking and chatting for an hour, like the lineup before a Disney ride, and don't get quite the same intimate/guided tour that you get in other Doors Open venues, but the temple is spectacular. Unfortunately, it's not Open this year.
 
I'd like to see Commerce Court West participate a future Doors Open. Everyone loves the TD Centre, but IM Pei's attention to detail was quite high as well and it's an impressive skyscraper. It gets only a tiny fraction of the attention of Mies' work across the street (which is, in fact, a more significant project) but it's nonetheless a product of one of the masters of Modernism.
 
I'm a fan of the City's Cathedrals/religious sites. So much history and the architecture/art is just fantastic. I brought a friend to St James on Wednesday and she couldn't believe how beautiful it was, particularly the stained glass. I think many people would be surprised to know we have such quality architecture/art within our religious sites. It's a shame St Paul's Basilica isn't on the Doors Open list because their refurbishment is absolutely stunning.
 
Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church on Broadview, built in the mid-60s, was part of Doors Open a few years ago and is well worth a visit if you get the chance.
 
Osgoode Hall and Commerce Court North were big ones for me back in '08. CCW definitely made a huge impression on me, kind of a spark for getting into business

OsgoodeHall-Library3.jpg


CommerceCourtNorth-Ceiling1.jpg
 
If BAPS Mandir was in Downtown Toronto it would have got worldwide attention and would have become one of our most iconic buildings. it's too bad it's built in the middle of nowhere because it's a building that I know they love to share and it currently flies under the radar.


Also, I second Osgoode Hall. It's an awesome building and one day if/when it's not longer needed for its current use it could be an amazing place for a museum. Imagine the experience of the Eaton Centre, Old City Hall Museum, Nathan Phillips Square and Osgoode Hall back-to-back if you're a visitor to the city.
 
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