Planning at Distillery

[AndreaPalladio]

Da. Property is a crime, comrade.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Nothing of historical importance ever happen here, other than the brewing of lots of booze by a private commercial enterprise. It isn't hallowed ground where people fought and died for our freedoms. The buildings have been preserved and reused for further commercial purposes by businesses, which seems entirely appropriate - as does a second phase of this commercial venture, which includes the construction of attractively designed condominiums for people looking for somewhere to live.

 

[RJR123]

Could you imagine if New Yorkers, way back when, had this mortal fear of height?

 

[syn]

Could you imagine if New Yorkers, way back when, had this mortal fear of height?

Do you realize how much opposition their was to the WTC Towers?

This has nothing to do with a fear of height. It has to do with context.

 

[AndreaPalladio]

When the distillery was built, it was a dark satanic mill in an area of dark, satanic mills, train tracks, and polluted water. Should we restore that context?

 

[syn]

When the distillery was built, it was a dark satanic mill in an area of dark, satanic mills, train tracks, and polluted water. Should we restore that context?

That was then.

What it is now is a collection of relatively low-rise historical structures. 50-storey and 40-storey glass and steel condos in the middle isn't a great fit with the current context of the site.

 

[AndreaPalladio]

So you want to preserve a fake context - vacant lots (because the surrounding industrial area are gone) with the distillery isolated in the middle? Who benefits from that?

 

[Edward Skira]

Is this in context or not?

 

[RJR123]

That was then.

What it is now is a collection of relatively low-rise historical structures. 50-storey and 40-storey glass and steel condos in the middle isn't a great fit with the current context of the site.

But why not? I don't see what the incongruency here.

 

[syn]

So you want to preserve a fake context - vacant lots (because the surrounding industrial area are gone) with the distillery isolated in the middle?

There isn't anything fake about the current physical configuration of the district. The West Donlands plan should integrate the Distillery very nicely into the surrounding area without the need for giant condos in the middle of it.

Who benefits from that?

We do.

 

[syn]

Is this in context or not?

Hard to say without seeing more.

I don't think you can apply the same standard to every example either. How many Distillery District's do we have in Toronto? How many districts of continuous, intact historical structures do we have?

 

[AndreaPalladio]

Oh, quite a few. The Distillery, Front Street (horrors! skyscrapers all around), much of Queen east and west, Cabbagetown to name but a few.

 

[AndreaPalladio]

There isn't anything fake about the current physical configuration of the district. The West Donlands plan should integrate the Distillery very nicely into the surrounding area without the need for giant condos in the middle of it.




We do.

How?

 

[Jarrek]

Classic example of out of context construction.

 

[RJR123]

So do you think the first skyscraper that was built in Manhattan was a huge mistake, and led to the downfall of the city? Or was it simply the evolution of a city?