Toronto Ontario Line 3 | ?m | ?s

Happening tomorrow. Link to the event registration:


View attachment 312044

So Steve Munro is now a NIMBY?
 
Province plans new transit hub for Ontario Line, including a ‘Union Station to the east’ - thestar.com


There's not a ton of 'there', there......

But I digress.

First, a link behind the paywall for those who require that:


The article doesn't tell UT'ers much that we didn't know, but I'll offer up the two renders that the Province even concedes are little more than placeholders.

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One gets a sense that this announcement of nothing substantial is merely a counter offensive against growing calls to implement planning protections for the First Parliament site.
 
Why won't the Province of Ontario do something special for Ontario's first parliament site? Can it be more than another non-descript parkette, station entrance, and community centre/library? Can one or more of those buildings be an architectural replica of the first parliament?

Reconstruction seems to be overkill and will be utterly inauthentic - especially for land that could be used more intensively. I can't imagine there is a lot there other than what remains of the original foundation and a smattering of broken artifacts.

Also remember, Toronto was only a town back then - this is what the original structure looked like:


AoD
 
Reconstruction seems to be overkill and will be utterly inauthentic - especially for land that could be used more intensively. I can't imagine there is a lot there other than what remains of the original foundation and a smattering of broken artifacts.

Also remember, Toronto was only a town back then - this is what the original structure looked like:


AoD
I hear you and I almost always agree with the inauthentic argument, but Toronto has a monoculture of steel and glass towers. 20,000 buildings have been demolished in the name of progress in the old city. A period piece would enhance the Distillery District as a destination. I'm sure it could have the usual coterie of towers behind it. I'm thinking of the Grange AGO here. One period building with a pretty square in front of it would be a nice terminus to the Esplanade. It could be the library or serve some other civic purpose and have an archival interpretive section showcasing artifacts and York's early history. Towers and vertical sprawl will further dominate the area. One architectural gesture wouldn't hurt. Our historic precincts are so small. We're building too many future St. Jamestowns.
 
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There's not a ton of 'there', there......

But I digress.

First, a link behind the paywall for those who require that:


The article doesn't tell UT'ers much that we didn't know, but I'll offer up the two renders that the Province even concedes are little more than placeholders.

View attachment 312068

View attachment 312069

And the associated blog post:

 
I hear you and I almost always agree with the inauthentic argument, but Toronto has a monoculture of steel and glass towers. 20,000 buildings have been demolished in the name of progress in the old city. A period piece would enhance the Distillery District as a destination. I'm sure it could have the usual coterie of towers behind it. I'm thinking of the Grange AGO here. One period building with a pretty square in front of it would be a nice terminus to the Esplanade. It could be the library or serve some other civic purpose and have an archival interpretive section showcasing artifacts and York's early history. Towers and vertical sprawl will further dominate the area. One architectural gesture wouldn't hurt. Our historic precincts are so small. We're building too many future St. Jamestowns.

Except this would be a fake piece in a setting of actual (if not contemporaneous to the First Parliament) heritage structures. I'd rather them put the effort in the architectural expression/community uses (and displaying what original fabric and artifact that remains) than faking a utilitarian building which would not have served well as a view-terminus anyways.

AoD
 
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RE: the MSF, the questions for the "live" consultation event are very telling - a pissed off local community annoyed about the potential loss of the mosque and community facilities.

Something I didn't realise - the event is due to be held just before Iftar (the breaking of the fast) during Ramadan - shows a complete lack of awareness or engagement with the community. Someone would have told them "ah, a better time/day would be X".
 

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