Roy G Biv
Senior Member
If this turns into a parking lot, we've learned nothing.
Toronto Bathurst Quay Revitalization | ?m | 2s | City of Toronto | Kearns Mancini
taal
Senior Member
Maybe ...
No one is talking about a surface parking lot here, it's be part of a larger project - whether it be underground or not
No one is talking about a surface parking lot here, it's be part of a larger project - whether it be underground or not
Automation Gallery
Superstar
Silly and fairly young.
I dont know about that, Paul Anka, Bobby Curtola, Oscar Peterson, Niel Young, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Steppenwolf, The Guess Who,.......the list can go on forever.
Music of Canada.............http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Canada
alklay
Senior Member
Matrix, thank you for your great post.
I have to agree with everything Tewder states. A modern art museum would be the best use of the site (very unlikely as the private 'art' money in the city has spent, and continues to spend, their sums elsewhere). As well, the site and the silos are invaluable to the waterfront and thus it would be tragic if replaced by a condo or parking lot (a lot more likely).
Music museum? ahahahahahahahahahahahaha
I have to agree with everything Tewder states. A modern art museum would be the best use of the site (very unlikely as the private 'art' money in the city has spent, and continues to spend, their sums elsewhere). As well, the site and the silos are invaluable to the waterfront and thus it would be tragic if replaced by a condo or parking lot (a lot more likely).
Music museum? ahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Tewder
Senior Member
Silly and fairly young.
The Canadian music industry is excellent, rich and important, and I sincerely don't mean to imply otherwise... but there really isn't much in terms of an industry that goes back before the 1950s/60s. I just question how compelling this exhibit would be at this time of its relative infancy.
grey
Senior Member
Someone should put together an 5-10 minute emotionally-driven powerpoint show about the destruction of heritage landmarks in Toronto and play it at the start of these meetings. It could use photos from the Miscellany Toronto: Then & Now thread and some deep voiced actor to dictate in a really symathetic manner (someone who you'd hear talking about volcanoes destroying remote villages on the Discovery channel). Then see how many people cheer at the suggestion of demolishing things like this. They seem like boneheaded idiots to most of us, but I'm optimistic that a little education would go a long way.
I'm serious, we should pool some resources and put that together and send it to Adam Vaughan. I bet he'd get a kick out of it.
I'm serious, we should pool some resources and put that together and send it to Adam Vaughan. I bet he'd get a kick out of it.
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TrickyRicky
Senior Member
I'm for adaptive re-use of the silos. However, one thing I think is interesting is that because this forum is so building and architecture centric there seems to be this notion that a museum of contemporary art or canadian music can be plopped in as a reason for architecture. This can and has worked but really architecture flows from the needs of the client it serves, not the other way around. It is the institutions, individuals and organizations that matter. A new modern or contemporary art museum or Canadian music museum will be built when the institutions behind them grow and become empowered. At the point that this happens the stars will align and a convergence of money, initiative, location and design will emerge.
Roy G Biv
Senior Member
Good points, but this grassroots, bottom-up approach is the reason our city (and country) lags a large portion of the 1st world (and 2nd world) when it comes to technology, environment, and arts. We just got our first Opera House...
Vision come from the top-down, and I think a museum of modern art would be an unbelievable gift to the city. Yes, it may take some unkown philanthropist to get it done, but if it's possible, we'd be stupid to say no.
As far as architecture, a lot of the wordy "justification" for modern design (and art) is so abstract and indirect that you just believe what you're told, so who cares. Let's be honest and say, "we had this cool old complex of silos, and we turned it into a museum". It would be a great example of hertiage preservation, and the interior could be an example of functional design in the face of severe limitations.
I'm surprised that so many people at the meeting actively want to see it torn down. I'd love to discuss it with them...
Tewder
Senior Member
Is the AGO's modern collection substantial enough to serve as a foundation for a new branch of the museum? Is there a large enough part of their collection they cannot display despite the expansion?
jn_12
Senior Member
Thanks matrix. I live in the area but couldn't attend because of class, but it's good to hear there was a large turn out. I understand completely some of the concerns about retail, restaurants and pubs. It's really the only downer of living on the waterfront.
Tewder - If not the AGO, the ROM has a substantial amount of "stuff" that is in storage that could be used. I guess it depends what kind of art we want to put on display. Another option is simply loaning material from other museums around the world. Work in a partnership with MOMA or the Louvre and bring in some of their excess work.
As you can tell I'm all for an art museum. Music museums don't really work. Other than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Graceland or even less so The Beatles Museum in liverpool there aren't many examples of really successful music museums, and its mostly because the art is in the music that is meant to be heard, not in the instruments that were played. People can listen to the music in their home if they want to experience it or even better they can go and experience many of their favourites live and in person.
The city certainly can use another art museum, and considering this sites location on the waterfront, it would have a lot of potential to act as a jewel on the waterfront, whether it includes the silos or not.
Tewder - If not the AGO, the ROM has a substantial amount of "stuff" that is in storage that could be used. I guess it depends what kind of art we want to put on display. Another option is simply loaning material from other museums around the world. Work in a partnership with MOMA or the Louvre and bring in some of their excess work.
As you can tell I'm all for an art museum. Music museums don't really work. Other than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Graceland or even less so The Beatles Museum in liverpool there aren't many examples of really successful music museums, and its mostly because the art is in the music that is meant to be heard, not in the instruments that were played. People can listen to the music in their home if they want to experience it or even better they can go and experience many of their favourites live and in person.
The city certainly can use another art museum, and considering this sites location on the waterfront, it would have a lot of potential to act as a jewel on the waterfront, whether it includes the silos or not.
SP!RE
°°°°°°
Why is the title of this thread "Toronto Museum" if one of the few facts we are sure of is that a Toronto museum is not going into the Canada Malting Silos?
MatrixElement
Active Member
Yes, it was odd. I'd always just assumed that the Bathurst Quay area had a lot of artists, CBC types, humanities profs etc. who would be really into this sort of thing, but some of the crowd was really no different than your typical angry, grumpy middle-class voters. However, reading between the lines, I think deep down they weren't really opposed to the silos per se, they were just fed up with talking about them for so many years. The silos also seemed to be a scapegoat for other frustrations like the airport and a perceived lack of public amenities. I don't know the history of the place, but I got the impression they felt that Harbourfront Community Centre had originally been promised to be more elaborate years ago but then got scaled back, and they've been waiting for it to be expanded ever since. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of the local area can fill this in.
One person speaking for the tear-them-down side did graciously say he didn't understand the historical significance but was willing to be educated and the heritage expert happily agreed to distribute the historical report.
There was no discussion about anything as specific or grand as a modern art museum. The immediate issue, almost an emergency, is to just decide whether to tear them down or stabilize them for future use.
Tewder
Senior Member
It would be great if some of our talented forumers could play with some design ideas for the silo site as a glorious waterfront modern art museum with gardens and promenade etc....
I agree with the above points about the difficulty of a music museum. The music itself can't really be on display in any visual way and why would anybody travel to look at pictures of faded rock stars that we could just as easily google? I just don't see there much being much of a revenue stream for what would likely be a very pricey project.
A modern art museum here would get international attention and would definitely be a draw.
I agree with the above points about the difficulty of a music museum. The music itself can't really be on display in any visual way and why would anybody travel to look at pictures of faded rock stars that we could just as easily google? I just don't see there much being much of a revenue stream for what would likely be a very pricey project.
A modern art museum here would get international attention and would definitely be a draw.
Automation Gallery
Superstar
True, you might get a couple more people to an art museum in Toronto than a music museum, but come on... if you really want international attention build a world class waterfront aquarium or casino.
old boy
Senior Member
What's wrong with a Toronto Museum of Natural and Historical Heritage on this site ? There's about 11000 years of recordable history in and around this site. I'm sure the ROM and the AGO have some artifacts hanging around that would find an appropriate home in a facility like this.