Toronto 46 Spadina Avenue | 100.76m | 30s | Capitol Buildings | Wallman Architects

urbandreamer said:
A perfect loft location! I'd hate to see those beautiful and aged buildings disappear; rather I look forward to the day when those two gas stations are redeveloped. It always seems weird to be walking along an urban st (wellington admittedly is kind of suburban--all that parking space between and in front of buildings for example, the Globe and Mail eyesore..) and suddenly being reminded of the dominance of the automobile and driver in downtown Toronto. It makes Toronto seem like a small town: what is valuable land doing being wasted on low density filling stations??? Sure a condo/building on top of the gas stn makes sense--but all that car oriented stuff? From a pedestrian's point of view, rather scary!
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You've gotta be kidding me. Spadina is a MAJOR commuter route into and out of downtown. I'd say nearly half of EVERYONE visiting downtown from the west side of downtown exits on spadina and disperses throughout the city. Those gas stations are essential. Have you ever seen Spadina during afternoon rush hour? It's jam packed with cars as far as the eyes can see.

Those gas stations are in a perfect location and I'd be shocked if they went anywhere. There would be nowhere else convienient to fill up with gas before hopping on the gardiner.
 
maestro said:
Costs & time are always a factor (renovations are far more complex/unpredictable) but I would probably put the city's parking requirements above all else for those warehouses with a high lot coverage.
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I wouldn't think the city would require any additional parking for renovating an existing building. Additions and new buildings yes, renovations no...that's how it works in Cobourg anyway, and I couldn't see Toronto requiring more parking than a small town.
 
It would be a huge disappointment to lose such a terrific older building. There's no reason why this couldn't be adapted to another use. I can't believe the city allows stuff like this.
 
I wouldn't think the city would require any additional parking for renovating an existing building.
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It's not just a renovation but also a change in use which, in my experience, must abide by today's zoning requirements
 
gei said:
You've gotta be kidding me. Spadina is a MAJOR commuter route into and out of downtown. I'd say nearly half of EVERYONE visiting downtown from the west side of downtown exits on spadina and disperses throughout the city. Those gas stations are essential. Have you ever seen Spadina during afternoon rush hour? It's jam packed with cars as far as the eyes can see.

Those gas stations are in a perfect location and I'd be shocked if they went anywhere. There would be nowhere else convienient to fill up with gas before hopping on the gardiner.
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They're rather incompatible with an urban city in their present form along Spadina. This isn't some freeway exit where the gas station has to be beside the interchange. If they're this essential and the land values are high, then a more compact design is necessary. Rome has some ideas.
 
^Form a capacity standpoint, I wonder if the Roman model is any more compact than these two service stations on Spadina (which I agree are ideally located for a greater downtown area with only sixteen stations left)
 
They are better than the current model in terms of capacity, because space isn't wasted for a store area or the random empty space that surrounds the structure, including the landscaping which could be scaled back. The Roman model could probably increase capacity by thirty percent. Ultimately though, the Roman model means that more of these can be built in different areas.
 
The topic of gas stations is pretty interesting has been discussed before on UT. I don't think it's easy for a gas station to be located within any type of a structure for safety issues, meaning that a free-standing location is the only possibility.

Perhaps one of the ways we could make gas stations more urban is by moving the gas station store to the street side of the site, on the corner or edge. By having the pumps behind it could help create a streetwall and minimise the scar on the landscape that a gas station creates.

But still, it's not that big a deal if we're just talking about one gas station. The Esso at Church and Dundas is pretty quick to walk by.
 
urbandreamer said:
Is anyone else a fan of Top Gear here? Did you see the episode where Jeremy Clarkson drives 800 miles on one tank of diesel fuel? (In a v8 Audi A8 to boot.)
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Great show, I'm a fan. I don't give a damn about cars but I watch it every time I'm in England. I should download some episodes.
 
They are better than the current model in terms of capacity, because space isn't wasted for a store area or the random empty space that surrounds the structure, including the landscaping which could be scaled back.
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My point was more related to storage capacity. How random is the "empty space" and what exactly lies beneath it? I don't find replacing a half dozen super gas stations on key corridors (I assume more downtown stations will close including one of these if an intersection is ever built) with many more Rome inspired fueling stations any more ideal.
 
maestro said:
It's not just a renovation but also a change in use which, in my experience, must abide by today's zoning requirements
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Not in mine. There are countless examples of owners either filling up vacant or underused space in the upper floors, or converting them from one use to another. The only difference here is of scale. I don't remember a lot of new parking for all the converted warehouses along King.
 
.. first photo from last year, second from this weekend.





Not sure what's going on with this site, but it seems the plans for the 2 tower condo redevelopment have either been postponed or canceled entirely.
 
cabeman said:
Not sure what's going on with this site, but it seems the plans for the 2 tower condo redevelopment have either been postponed or canceled entirely.
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Good, if that's the case. A conversion of this building would be much more desirable.
 
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