Toronto 619 Yonge | 237.99m | 70s | YI Developments | Core Architects

DtTO said:
Finally some action on this hideous stretch of Yonge. Yes, yes, I'm an insane, right wing lunatic for wanting the "destruction" (development) of this crap retail strip some of you are calling part of our city's "heritage." It's going to be interesting for the next generation with suburbs and low end retailer structures making the transition to "heritage" as they cross the 50 year old threshold some members are using as a criteria of inclusion.
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Ignoring the fact that the majority of the suburbs are nowhere as initally well built as most of the buildings on Yonge, have you even taken a look at the proposed building? The podium is awful and antiurban, hosting two retail units instead of six and looks like it was plucked out of an 905-area office park. It's not leftist or anti-development to ask for some facadetomy of the buildings on the corner (which were probably much better looking before being stripped and painted over), or at least a better design for the podium.

Pictures here: http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/showth...pments-40s-P-S-IBI-Group)?p=684891#post684891
 
Another souless, street destroying proposal. It's impossible to know what condition the brick is in under decades of paint, murals and the horrific tile job on the warehouses in the 00's but I'd still take it over what is proposed. 9 Isabella was pretty much destroyed with the stucco job when it was converted to a Rabba store in the mid-90's but it's still a valuable asset to the neighbourhood.
 
calling a rabba a valuable asset to the neighborhood is crazy. especially considering it there will likely be one in the new development.

as for this proposal, while I like the idea of tearing down the insigificant buildings on yonge (the E.G. Lennox ones across the street should stay, but basic brick buildings like this should go) I must say this proposal is abysmal. Belongs in Mississauga.
 
Just to shove aside the whole paranoia-inducing "heritage question". I think this is a matter of how one prefers to butter one's urban bread. In one corner, there are those who'd thumb-up even a defective scheme, as long as it eliminates the "old ugly eyesores" presently on-site. In the other corner, there are those who're more than content with maintaining the existing "old ugly eyesore" status quo, as long as it wards off apparently defective schemes such as this one. Again: "heritage" to one side. Just the whole buttering-bread matter...
 
I don't see much significant on the exterior of the building at the corner on Yonge and Isabella except the retail spaces, massive potential for the spaces above and how it continues south toward the better of the two buildings. The building to the south (#625/627/629?) could be attractive again if the brick survived and paint could be removed, the Rabba building (#9 Isabella?) is probably junk now. That's how I would butter my bread, if I ate bread. There's also the issue of shadowing one of the few green spaces in the neighbourhood on the other side of the laneway, but no one seems to care about that.
 
It's definitely been a schlocky few years for P+S with another awful design in the pipeline. The entire proposal needs a revamp, especially the lifeless podium.
 
From tonight meeting. Have requested a copy of the presentation.

The 3 orphan buildings are a killer for this project at this time and the developer is still trying to buy them.

Miss getting a good rendering shot.
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They really need to split into multiple retail units on the ground floor. If that is done, I think it won't be too bad.
 
The massing of this thing looks so awkward and clunky to me. Blech.

"Heavy handed" is perhaps the way I would describe it.
 
I find the massing to be a welcome change from the typical Toronto "tower in the podium" (a play on "tower in the park") concept
 
DtTO said:
I find the massing to be a welcome change from the typical Toronto "tower in the podium" (a play on "tower in the park") concept
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A "welcome change"?! How is this any different from a typical tower on a podium format?

I would argue that it is the very essence of what a tower-on-podium is, but done in a more clunky and clumsy way than usual.
 
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I actually don't mind the design. Is this an example of Page+Steele at least trying to design something with architectural merit? It's a start.
 
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