Toronto 2 Queen West | 34.44m | 7s | Cadillac Fairview | Zeidler

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Can't wait - the current treatment is ugly as sin. Who thought that was a good idea?

AoD

 

[ProjectEnd]

It was our idea of heritage preservation in the 80s (1986 I believe). The 60s overcladding (below) was removed to reveal the 1897 Philip Jamieson Building beneath and additional office was added.

Interestingly, the 1897 building replaced one from 1867:

The overclad building in the early 70s:

And again in the early 80s:

 

[G.L.17]

A couple days ago:

 

[smably]

Can't wait - the current treatment is ugly as sin. Who thought that was a good idea?

I know your question was probably rhetorical, but in case anyone's actually curious, the architect was Lloyd Alter, now of Treehugger fame (and one of the best writers on architecture and sustainability in Toronto). He's been quoted as saying he avoided this corner for years because he couldn't bear to look at how the building turned out.

 

[ProjectEnd]

Disliking his own work seems to be a theme...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ugly-shopping-plaza-1.3530428

 

[LUVIT!]

The bigger shame is the destruction of all the heritage buildings for the Eaton centre in general.

 

[modernizt]

Disliking his own work seems to be a theme...

There are so many factors between vision and completed reality and many of those factors are largely out of even a talented architect's control. I think people would be surprised how many architects, even who are behind some stunning results, have a hard time looking at their own work. Also, the nature and scale of an architectural project means that things are almost never perfected; when you see your own work built, I think you notice all the flaws that most other people will likely never even notice. But I digress - I think the treatment of this corner was indeed not the ideal treatment of that heritage building.

 

[condovo]

Looks like that brick's in dire shape. I wonder what the condition is of the covered up parts.

 

[ProjectEnd]

Appendix 5 of the heritage impact assessment gives some more detail about this. Unfortunately ERA were only able to conduct a partial assessment of the underlying condition and were not able to examine 184-186 Yonge Street at all.

 

[enrigue8]

Does someone know when they will renovate the skybridge ?
The new skybridge will bring freshness and beauty to Queen street.
Thank you.

 

[maestro]

I still hope for the existing sky bridge to be removed and not replaced. I'm just not a fan of them.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Looks like that brick's dire shape. I wonder what the condition is of the covered up parts.

Appendix 5 of the heritage impact assessment gives some more detail about this. Unfortunately ERA were only able to conduct a partial assessment of the underlying condition and were not able to examine 184-186 Yonge Street at all.

Yup - from Appendix 5 of said report:

AoD

 

[condovo]

^^ Thanks for posting that.

 

[Skeezix]

I still hope for the existing sky bridge to be removed and not replaced. I'm just not a fan of them.

Never going to happen, but I too have general misgivings about skywalks, and like you would not describe myself as a fan. While I think that there have already been debates on UT between the merits of underground pedestrian networks like PATH versus the merits of +15 systems, and there is no need to rehash that debate on a thread about the NW corner of Yonge and Queen, I am glad that our downtown is not blighted by skywalks the way some other cities are. I am not fussed by a few, strategically placed skywalks, however. This one doesn't bother me. If we wanted to improve the public realm along this stretch of Queen West, I would get rid of the Sheraton-NPS pedestrian bridge before this one. Although the time has long passed since the City should have forced the replacement of the current Toronto Eaton Centre-Hudson's Bay skywalk with a new one.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Never going to happen, but I too have general misgivings about skywalks, and like you would not describe myself as a fan. While I think that there have already been debates on UT between the merits of underground pedestrian networks like PATH versus the merits of +15 systems, and there is no need to rehash that debate on a thread about the NW corner of Yonge and Queen, I am glad that our downtown is not blighted by skywalks the way some other cities are. I am not fussed by a few, strategically placed skywalks, however. This one doesn't bother me. If we wanted to improve the public realm along this stretch of Queen West, I would get rid of the Sheraton-NPS pedestrian bridge before this one. Although the time has long passed since the City should have forced the replacement of the current Toronto Eaton Centre-Hudson's Bay skywalk with a new one.

Besides, the problem in this case isn't the bridge per se (the new one should prove to be a significant improvement), but the generally lackadaisical urban realm around that stretch of Queen (or around Eaton Centre in general):

Look at that mess. The entrance itself is almost like an afterthought - for all the spectacle that is the galleria, it ends in a whimper at the south end. This is a design failure - compare and contrast with the Allan Lambert galleria at Brookfield Place.

AoD