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

dt_toronto_geek said:
I thought that the hydro work was probably nearing completion (N/W corner of Church & Bloor) so that's where they must be going. Today, no sign of the pavers anywhere but I did notice that most of the crappy old concrete in front of the Crown Life Building (120 Bloor E., between Park Rd. & Church St. on the north side) was all torn up so I presume they'll be extending the granite to the building. This is good news as it is one of several sections that looked really bad when old brick/pavers/concrete are contrasted against the new granite sidewalks.
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Click on the thumbnail to enlarge, then click again on the image for full size.




The block in front of the Manulife Centre from Balmuto St. to Bay St. and the S/E corner of Avenue Rd. & Bloor (in front of Club Monaco) are other major offenders.
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Along with the areas on the south side in front of Club Monaco (Ave. Rd., & Bloor), The Colonnade and 77 Bloor W. (west corner at Bay)

Manulife Centre -


Club Monaco -


The Colonnade -


77 Bloor W. -
 
They should have closed down the entire street from property line to property line, Avenue to Church, worked 24 hours per day, and finished the job in 2 months. One rudimentary lane might have been kept open for emergency vehicles only.

But it does look great, wonderful improvement.
 
Thanks for posting those pics, DT!

It's a shame they could not get granite installed from building to road on both sides. The sidewalks look very mismatched in those photos. If only all those sections could like RBC at Yonge and Bloor. They extended the granite all the way up the steps into their branch. It looks wonderful. Here's hoping there is a second phase to the project that addresses the above problem areas.
 
ILuvTO said:
Here's hoping there is a second phase to the project that addresses the above problem areas.
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I've wondered if those areas will be done at a later date too, just like what is happening now on Bloor East in front of the Crown Life Building, that area was completed a year ago. Bike lockups are beginning to be installed on the north side of Bloor East.

A brief stroll along the north side of Bloor West showing progress starting around Yonge and west to Avenue road.

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge, then click again on the image for full size.



Below, shots of a few areas yet to complete, mostly from Avenue Road to about 300 feet eastward. Almost there!

 
I don't visit this thread often so pardon me if I missed it, but what about the ROM? It's the crown jewel of this stretch of Bloor, yet the sidewalk is still cheap poured cement. The granite theme should extend at least to the ROM. The Gardiner museum and UofT buildings should receive the same treatment too.

I know that money is a consideration, but the BIA should partner with these institutions to extend the beautification down side streets that have these kinds of institutions. The BIA would benefit by including interest points such as these into their "Mink Mile".

Any word on this?
 
ILuvTO said:
Thanks for posting those pics, DT!

It's a shame they could not get granite installed from building to road on both sides. The sidewalks look very mismatched in those photos. If only all those sections could like RBC at Yonge and Bloor. They extended the granite all the way up the steps into their branch. It looks wonderful. Here's hoping there is a second phase to the project that addresses the above problem areas.
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It seems unlikely. The owners of the offending properties did not want to spend the extra money to get the portion of sidewalk on their side of the property line upgraded. A real shame that the original plan didn't address this "owner disobedience" that is a detriment to the greater good. Typical.
 
I think that it will be a self-resolving issue. Who wants to be the store with the shitty front step? It may not be unanimous, but I think that customers shopping in this district will be turned off by these.

It's not like they're all like that. Only a handful will have ugly forecourts, and people will take notice. They'll stand out and it'll come across as "I don't care about how I look", a sin in Yorkville.
 
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The Manulife looks the worst of the bunch to me, and has absolutely no excuse given the fact that they've got the deepest pockets by far.

77 Bloor West & Club Monaco don't bug me that much -- they could actually get a little creative without breaking the bank for granite.

The Collonade, if they removed or relocated the fountain, could be a fantastic little piazza, brimming with cafes and bustling with activity.
 
When I was on Bloor a couple of weeks ago with some relatives, even they commented on the mismatched sidewalks and how ugly it looked. And usually they are not ones to notice or comment on things like that. Hopefully a lot of people will take notice and complain. And I agree with the poster above, Manulife has the deepest pockets of all. I cannot believe they would not spend extra few dollars to install granite everywhere. Brutal!!
 
The creeps who run Manulife Centre ought to be ashamed of themselves. They take so much from Bloor St and, as we can all see, give back nothing. Even if they were to fix their side of the property line, their sidewalks never will match the rest of the granite seamlessly. Too late for that now. On the other hand, kudos to HBC.
 
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Manulife may have deep pockets, but their stock price is at depression levels. I agree that they should have 24 hour construction on this project. Why not? Is it the unions? why should workers get more compensation for working outside normal working hours? Where there not incentives for finishing on-time or early? Is it the lack of coordination among the different utilities/trades? There are few residential areas along this stretch, so that really isn't an excuse for no after hour work, and the stress and lost time of waiting in traffic here has been a huge expense for the public as well as the businesses. My father worked many years as second and third-shift; why can't this kind of work, in a commercial/retail district, be carried out 24 hours? And after all of this, there are still no bike lanes and fewer places for bikes to park.
 
From Marija Jevric @ bloor-yorkville.com

BLOOR STREET

Construction Update

October 22, 2010


Bloor Street Transformation Update


The major construction work, related to the Bloor Street Transformation Project, has been completed and most of the fencing and work materials are being moved away. An extensive inspection, for construction deficiencies, was conducted on October 19th, and in order to rectify the deficiencies list, the contractor will need to continue with some minor works, which includes replacing missing grout and caulking. It is expected that this work will be isolated and will not have any major impact on pedestrian traffic. In some instances, work in the roadway and sidewalk, such as the raising of a utility access lid (a.k.a. “manhole coverâ€), will have to occur, in order to ensure that they are flush and level. No actual estimate of time, has been provided, as to when the deficiencies list will be completed, however a fair estimate is 2 weeks.



Beginning November 1st, Toronto Hydro will be working in isolated areas, in a single lane of the roadway, between Bay Street and Yonge Street . Their work is limited to putting hydro cabling back into permanent locations, within the below grade chamber. The work will occur intermittently over a 4 week period and all trucks/equipment will be removed each day.



Finishing elements, such as trees, bike rings, benches, and art installations will be installed early next spring with minimal disruption, however all of the planters will be filled with soil, within the next few weeks and seasonal, winter displays of pine boughs and dogwood will be installed. Spring planting of the trees will help to ensure optimal health and survival. Waste receptacles have been ordered from the City, and will be installed as soon as they are received from the manufacturer. New granite benches will be installed by early November, in areas east of Yonge Street .



In the interim, as a measure of safety, orange barrels have been tied to the tree grates. The tree rings are coated, and will initially appear to be “rustedâ€, however, the coating will wear away over time to expose a patina finish, which will be long lasting, and will complement the colour of the granite.



Hydro vault work continues at the north-west corner of Church Street and Bloor Street with full completion expected by the end of the year.
 
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