Toronto First Parliament Site | ?m | ?s

Automation Gallery said:
When is that ....2020, 2021,2022,?
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Sooner, the City announcement gives them about 18 months to relocate the Library Processing Centre - at which point the Breslers will move off the FP site - and the relocation of the St Lawrence branch has been moved up the City priorities but it clearly won't be for several years as there is lots to think about (and get $$ for). My suggestion abouta thread reorg was that the 57 floor building is clearly dead and discussion of the site has moved on.
 
The relocation and expansion of the St Lawrence Branch library will now be part of the development of the First Parliament site - see press release from Pam McConnell. http://www.slna.ca/slna-news-pdfs/pam-press.pdf

It has been envisioned that the First Parliament Site will be the future home for the St. Lawrence Library, which was scheduled for relocation and expansion into a regional branch in the next five to ten years. Along with the library branch will be a suitable and permanent commemoration and interpretation of the First Parliament Buildings and the other uses of the land.
 
Asphalt is being pulled up on the car-wash site. I assume it's to undertake an archaeological excavation but when I asked the labourer guy he said it was for foundations for a tower -"That's what the suits said", he said.

My understanding is that the city has successfully assembled all of the land for the First Parliament Site thanks to the land swap for the library site across the street. Anybody have any insights?
 
The City now owns the First Parliament Site and a building permit was issued last week for the new data centre on the east side of Parliament Street (on the land given in exchange). I think that the parking lot part of the site has been lent to the Toronto Parking Authority folks and that they are resurfacing it, they also demolished the little "hut" adjacent to Parliament Street. Nothing is going to happen about the site until at least 2016 so I assume the City wants to get $$ from it in the interim. (The TPA also run the lot on the site just north of Parliament Square park and resurfaced that last weekend. It too is part of the new library/public space/commemoration or whatever.) I assume that the car wash and rental car guys have leases that may or may not be renewed when they come due.
 
mikeyteeth said:
What makes you say that? Do you mean plans or construction? When do you think we'll see a proposal?
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I meant "shovels in the ground" as the City, and the Province (who own the ex-Porsche part of the site) need to sit down and discuss what might happen. Take a look at the Chris Hume article linked to at http://www.slna.ca/slna-news-pdfs/First parliament.pdf There is also a very interesting plan, prepared by local activists discussed in the Bulletin at http://www.thebulletin.ca/cbulletin...4773506520972378799&ctid=1000006&cnid=1002610

I think it is generally agreed that the St Lawrence Library will move to the site but what else may be there and what it might all look like is unknown. There are $$ in the City's Capital Budget for a new library in 2016. I have heard discussion of a competition but we need to decide what might be on the site before we set that in motion.
 
Yes, I went to a Corktown residents meeting yesterday, Councillor Pam McConnell was invited and she said exactly that, that nothing will happen at the First Parliament site before the Pan Am Games, except for some minor archaeological excavations.
 
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A library sounds sedate and banal for this historic site. A pavilion on a grand square with sophisticated landscape design and monumental public art would be a more appropriate way of commemorating the site's history in a compelling way.
 
junctionist said:
A library sounds sedate and banal for this historic site. A pavilion on a grand square with sophisticated landscape design and monumental public art would be a more appropriate way of commemorating the site's history in a compelling way.
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I agree. If all they are going to do is relocate a public library branch to this site why did the city bother going to all the trouble of expropriating the land?
 
^^They didn't expopriate it, they traded it for land (on which they already have a library administrative services centre).
 
I think the Citizens for the Old Town / Michael Kirkland proposal of a library + square looks great and does all the things we want the site to fulfill, and it would be a great addition to this area (and Toronto as a whole). I hope it gets built.

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