Toronto Clear Spirit | 131.36m | 40s | Cityscape | a—A

I'm not sure why everyone seems to hate the base. Sure, while its not the most architecturally coherent member, it still is better than the PIP concrete structure which the brick hides. I will cede that underground parking would have provided a much more fluid entrance to the Distillery, but since we "had to have" a parking garage, I'm glad it retains at least some aesthetic integrity. Even haters have to admit that from a distance, the prow looks great with the tower offset at a different angle.

So: Not great, but better than what could have been.
 
Why couldn't the parking be underground?

I have never even though to ask that question yet. lol
 
I absolutely love the glass on this building. I'll reserve judgement on the base until it's done but I'm encouraged so far. Thank's for the pic's.
 
The spinsterish urge to hide those naughtily exposed parking garages is the modern equivalent to prudish Victorians draping table legs.
 
Urban Shocker said:
The spinsterish urge to hide those naughtily exposed parking garages is the modern equivalent to prudish Victorians draping table legs.
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And the Victorians, so prim and proper on the surface, were often "unspeakably depraved" (in their words) underneath. Is there something we should know about modern people's relationships with their automobiles? They do keep entering them and taking them for a spin around the block...

Bill
 
Yet they're ashamed of them, maybe? There are certain places where people don't want to see cars - such as places where people live and shop and visit for entertainment, which rather curiously are considered to be "the last place people want to see parking".
 
Sounds like an argument for preserving surface parking lots in the area and the city.
 
Urban Shocker said:
Yet they're ashamed of them, maybe? There are certain places where people don't want to see cars - such as places where people live and shop and visit for entertainment, which rather curiously are considered to be "the last place people want to see parking".
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I don't understand your reasoning. The Distillery is a place where people will live, shop and visit for entertainment. If they don't want to see cars why would they want to see a giant above ground parking facility?

I give the developers credit for at least trying to integrate it, rather than having one of the standard giant concrete ones you see everywhere else.

I'm curious what percentage of the other bases will be devoted to parking.

If people had known the base was going to be devoted to parking I think more people would've been against it.
 
Why couldn't the parking be underground?
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Why, because every developer has the right to make as much money as he possibly can, the city be damned! As long as that developer happens to have hired ArchitectsAlliance, that is...
 
If that were truly the case then the parking would be hidden underground and the east end of the Pure Spirit podium would be a casino.
 
While appearing impressive, the prow of the podium makes for useless living space. It looks decorative for no apparent purpose.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe some of garage is for public parking--i.e people visiting the site. It's pretty unusual for private developers to provide public as well as private underground parking. And the city certainly can't afford to build underground parking for every popular destination in the city. So, consider the garage in this instance to be a necessary evil. For a private investment that hasn't cost the city a dime the Distillery District is top notch--certainly a couple of rungs higher than CityPlace which has done nothing for the public realm.
 
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