Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance

I'll say for myself that taking a look along Bloor East, a lot of those planes *do* look like they're nailed to their perch, unfortunately.
 
When construction started on Bloor all the vendors were kicked out and were supposed to be relocated. That hasn't happened yet but this hot dog vendor got their spot back, albeit temporarily. I was told that they will only be there until October when a piece of artwork will be installed at that corner. Anyone have more info?

bloorvendor.jpg
 
DSC said:
Oh, sometimes one must put aesthetics aside; the watering bags serve an essential purpose - ensuring the newly planted trees get regular watering. True they do not look great but if they were not being used (finally in Toronto) the trees would probably die and THAT hardly looks great either. (Read the hysteria above about possibly dead trees!) Usually they only use the bags in Year 1 so by next year ..... Patience, US.
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Given how much money's been spent on this project, surely they could send around a few gardeners with watering cans on a regular basis? And aesthetics is core to the appeal of the long, low planters, yet they've chosen fairly high maintenance plantings ( those tulips, for instance, which have now been standing as bare stalks for longer than they stood as flowers ) and failed to keep them perky and attractive by replanting them.
 
Anybody have any clue as to what the Colonnade is planning for their Bloor Street plaza? They've removed the water fountain and that Chinese Restaurant on the second floor is gone.

More upscale retail tenants?
 
androiduk said:
When construction started on Bloor all the vendors were kicked out and were supposed to be relocated. That hasn't happened yet but this hot dog vendor got their spot back, albeit temporarily. I was told that they will only be there until October when a piece of artwork will be installed at that corner. Anyone have more info?

bloorvendor.jpg
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That has to be one of the ugliest corners in all of Toronto. Why the hell would they put such an unfriendly bank bunker there? There should be a great restaurant/patio or something pedestrian-friendly on such a prominent corner. The Bay's slab is also so wrong.
 
THE awnings with these banks r butt ugly! Can't they use nicer more elegant awnings?? It would make a world of difference.
 
androiduk said:
When construction started on Bloor all the vendors were kicked out and were supposed to be relocated. That hasn't happened yet but this hot dog vendor got their spot back, albeit temporarily. I was told that they will only be there until October when a piece of artwork will be installed at that corner. Anyone have more info?
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That hot dog vendor must have just returned recently, I hadn't noticed it until I saw this photo. It's got to go, this is a busy corner and it will leave behind grease stains and runs on the granite, just as it did before on the concrete sidewalk. Plus it adds to the unsightliness of the corner.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
That hot dog vendor must have just returned recently, I hadn't noticed it until I saw this photo. It's got to go, this is a busy corner and it will leave behind grease stains and runs on the granite, just as it did before on the concrete sidewalk. Plus it adds to the unsightliness of the corner.
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The aesthetic issues of the cart can be addressed. I like the presence of the cart for maintaining a sort of 'every man's' urbanity that caters to diverse people rather than just the most wealthy. It's one of those amenities that acknowledges that not everyone passing by is wealthy enough to patronize the street's elite retail and restaurants. I strongly dislike the conservative revitalization schemes that try to repel less affluent people by eliminating amenities like bicycle parking or street vendors. Bloor will be most enjoyable with a beautifully designed and maintained public realm and an atmosphere that encourages diversity.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
That hot dog vendor must have just returned recently, I hadn't noticed it until I saw this photo. It's got to go, this is a busy corner and it will leave behind grease stains and runs on the granite, just as it did before on the concrete sidewalk. Plus it adds to the unsightliness of the corner.
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A busy downtown sidewalk sounds like a perfectly appropriate place for a hot dog cart.
 
For what is perhaps Canada's best known intersection it is visually quite dull, with the NE corner being somewhat ugly with that 70's concrete bank bunker. Portage and Main has more going for it aesthetically. As a gateway to the subway and underground shopping it is very uninviting- it reads keep out rather than come on in.

Pretty indifferent about the aesthetics of hotdog carts.
 
I emailed the Yorkville BIA to try and get more info on the artwork and below is the response.


Hello Andrew,



Yes there will be art installed near Yonge and Bloor later this year. The information regarding the art will be released to the public in the Fall.



Thank you,



Kelly Newell

Office Administrator

Bloor-Yorkville BIA
 
Last night, as we drove west from Church Street along the Bicycle Courier Highway of Heroes to the ROM bash, I noticed that the beds of forlorn tulip stalks have now been replaced with austere beds of mud. What comes next, I wonder?
 
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