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

marsh said:
Having nothing to do along the strip at night can also contribute to safety issues. One thing that helped keep Bloor vibrant was Yorkville -w ith its restaurants and bars - you had people walking along Bloor going to and from Yorkville. I fear with continuing condo development, and the slow takeover of retail, that even Yorkville become dead at night.
Click to expand...

Doubt it ... restaurants do and can succeed in the bottom of condos. Moreover, have a look at every single current condo proposal in the Yorkville area, other then one (the Cumberland building, where they put up the mural) no restaurants are in danger of being replaced.

There a few lounges and night clubs in Yorkville already.


I think this is a silly concern and I foresee Yorkville proper getting busier and busier (as it has over the least 5 years).

Bloor it self, has always been dead after 10 (even earlier on the weekend) for the last 10+ years and that has nothing to do with the influx of condos.

Its rather simple, the rental rates on Bloor cannot support restaurants (its too high), have you seen other similar high end streets in American cities, they're identical. If you argue, oh the mink mile in Chicago is more mixed, not true, sections that have the highest end stores don't mix at all. You see the same in New York and the like.

We have opposite examples in Toronto, take King West / Queen West, here retail and restaurants intermix quite well. Heck even Yonge street is a good example, and more so as it gentrifies, there are more and more restaurants.

I see nothing wrong with Bloor, not every street needs to be vibrant 24x7, it serves its purpose.
 
I think the problem is folks see Bloor as one of the nicest streets do to the revitalization and what it show cased more. Which I understand, but the real solution is more and more streets need to do the same. Namely Yorkville proper and Yonge, that would be a start at the very least.
 
Walked on Bloor last night too. Lots and lots of cracked, loose pieces of granite along the whole length, from Avenue to Church.
 
It's also bad around driveways, where vehicle traffic cracks the pavers. There's (or was?) a noticeable patch right behind the Club Monaco building.

Hope they have money to continue upkeep of the sidewalk.
 
jje1000 said:
It's also bad around driveways, where vehicle traffic cracks the pavers. There's (or was?) a noticeable patch right behind the Club Monaco building. Hope they have money to continue upkeep of the sidewalk.
Click to expand...

Yes, upkeep will be expensive and it is the responsibility of the BIA. One can see clearly why the City prefers to stick to basic concrete sidewalks - many of them last 40-50 years and can withstand being driven over by trucks.
 
Last edited:
I'm not too optimistic about the Bloor BIA, they'll regret this long term; Given how many cracks there already are and how almost none of it seems to be being repaired ... Unless the plan is to wait and do a massive repair job every couple of years.
 
It does seem to be localized, where some heavy machinery passed or perhaps where the materials below weren't supportive. When the Louis Vuitton boutique was being built virtually all the granite slabs were destroyed beside the Church of the Redeemer.
 
I think they should rethink the material used around the driveways in particular- perhaps concrete dyed to match the granite may work better than granite slabs.
 
jje1000 said:
I think they should rethink the material used around the driveways in particular- perhaps concrete dyed to match the granite may work better than granite slabs.
Click to expand...

Not a bad idea ! I'm sure you can argue it doesn't look at good but it likely makes sense.
 
Oh, it definitely won't be as refined as granite slabs, but I'd much prefer seeing concrete driveways than cracked and crumbling(!) granite slabs.
 
Granite is one of the hardest stones. Rather than giving up on granite, the city should find the right specs for granite depending on the site. Large, thin slabs like those used on Bloor are more vulnerable to destruction than smaller and thicker blocks of granite.
 
junctionist said:
Granite is one of the hardest stones. Rather than giving up on granite, the city should find the right specs for granite depending on the site. Large, thin slabs like those used on Bloor are more vulnerable to destruction than smaller and thicker blocks of granite.
Click to expand...
Well, yes. In the 19th century when many streets were paved with 'square setts" they were four or five inches thick and seem totally undamaged when excavated even today. However, as you say, granite is one of the hardest rocks and the problem of cracking is usually caused by the breakdown of the foundation layer so I suspect that in the Bloor Street case that the concrete base has deteriorated. See http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/setts/setts.htm
 
junctionist:

Excellent point - contrast with the West 8/DTAH waterfront promenade with the two tone granite cobblestone, which aged really really well.

AoD
 
Bloor, west of Avenue, is coming along beautifully as an institutional block. But I am hugely annoyed with Varsity Stadium's habit of obscuring any view of the field by hanging coverings on the gates along Bloor. It looks shabby and antisocial. I could speculate on why they're doing this, but does anyone know for sure? Also, does the City have a position?
 
Updates from the Yorkville BIA Newsletter:

Bloor Street Update

March 27, 2014

Posted in: Spring 2014 Newsletter, Streetscape & Parks

This spring, we can look forward to another beautiful tulip display that should start popping up and filling the planters with bright colours in early May! Stay tuned for details of our annual tulip bulb giveaway, which continues to be a great hit each year and a way for us to thank all of our wonderful businesses and property owners who have helped make Bloor Street such a success.

In addition, the we will be replacing 19 London Plane trees along Bloor Street, which have not survived the transplantation process. A full tree maintenance program will in place, in order to provide the trees with an optimum chance to flourish. Also, watch for an exciting new art installation, at the corner of Bloor Street and Yonge Street, scheduled for unveiling in early July!


http://blog.bloor-yorkville.com/2014/03/bloor-street-update/

That answered the age old question of what happened to the public art piece.

AoD
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top