Toronto Forma | 308m | 84s | Great Gulf | Gehry Partners

More from the CBC...........http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...o-princess-of-wales-theatre-condo-towers.html

Project would build 3 towers, new campus for OCAD University, retail space and art gallery
Art and theatre impresario David Mirvish released a letter to the media Sunday, a day before he will unveil his formal plans to build a three-tower condominium project, which will be designed by renowned Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry.

"Our vision is a project that will encompass three distinct and remarkable residential towers that will be unlike anything that has been built in Toronto," Mirvish said in his letter released Sunday


"They will be grounded by stepped podiums that will house a large, new public gallery called the Mirvish Collection, a new campus for the OCAD University, and planted terraces that will create a green silhouette overlooking King Street."

Each of the three towers will have a different look, with each tower having "a different form, façade and use of materials," Mirvish said.

One will be built alongside the Royal Alexandria Theatre, while the remaining two will be constructed in the area bordered by Peal, John and King Streets and Ed Mirvish Way.

Mirvish estimates the project will take three to seven years to complete, through several phases.

Adam Vaughan, the city councillor whose ward is home to the proposed condo project, said a formal application will soon be filed and a community consultation process would follow.

"This building in particular though, is a very complex construction site and touches a number of very difficult projects in the city," Vaughan told CBC News in an interview on Sunday.

"And so how we build it is going to be as critical as to how we process the application."
 
From this site:

The new 60,000-square-foot Mirvish Collection gallery will be a destination for viewing contemporary abstract art. The Mirvish Collection, which my wife and I have built over 50 years, comprises works by leading artists, including Jack Bush, Anthony Caro, Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Robert Motherwell, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Larry Poons, David Smith and Frank Stella. The nonprofit Mirvish Collection will be free, open to the public and will present artist-focused exhibitions. The gallery will also be available to other institutions and to travelling art shows.
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more on how these could look on the future skyline:

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jn_12 said:
Or it could be the fact that a great building is being considered expendable? I'm not sure what age has to do with it (in fact, you could maybe argue that such a great new building shouldn't be knocked down so soon). It is a shame that they couldn't find a way to incorporate the this theatre in to the the plan as well. It does scream out to me as something we might regret down the road, no matter how much people are drooling over this project today.
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Though the funny thing is: in his explanatory note, David Mirvish pretty much refers to the Princess of Wales in terms of its temporariness.

Actually, of all the other threatened buildings on this sweep of King, perhaps the most noteworthy might be the westernmost, Eclipse Whitewear--which was actually not part of the original 60s/70s Mirvish-acquisition ensemble. (But it had a different double-barrelled noteworthiness in the 70s: as the home office for Diamond/Myers architects, and as the very first publishing house for the Toronto Sun...)
 
it;s all making sense now... I knew that middle tower reminded me of New York by Gehry/Beekman!
I've said this before but i really do find it odd why the design of the middle tower is different than the other 2. kinda awkward.

it'll be nice to see some photos of what materials they propose to use for these towers.
 
toto said:
It will be interesting what the Design Review Panel will do to this project. While I think that for the most part their recommendations do improve some projects, I get the sense that they don't particularly care for "showy" architecture. Can't help but think that with probably the largest Gehry project ever, some on the DRP will bring their ego to the table.
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The notion that the work of one of the greatest architects of our time (maybe the greatest?) would have to be submitted to a design review panel made up of local architects - none of whom have received world acclaim for their work - strikes me as ridiculous.
 
It's clear that this project will draw a lot of unecessary opposition because it's demolishing a prominent theatre. Why not just include a NEW Princess of Whales Theatre designed by the world famous Frank Ghery? That would immediately bring on side the theatre community and other stakeholders who may be turned off by losing a beloved city institution.

I don't think height will be much of a problem because there's already the Bell Lightbox on one side, the city's financial district within spitting distance, the Ritz, RBC and Metro Hall to the south and more condos already going up in the immediate vicinity.

A new theatre would take up so little space in the podium of this project that adding it in should be both a green pass to getting this built with little to no opposition and even help Mirvish bring a new flagship theatre into his portfolio in the city.

The City could put up a little fake fight and come out with a redeveloped David Pecaut Square and Canada's Walk of Fame to show for it and everybody would be happy.
 
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Peepers said:
The notion that the work of one of the greatest architects of our time (maybe the greatest?) would have to be submitted to a design review panel made up of local architects - none of whom have received world acclaim for their work - strikes me as ridiculous.
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I'm sure these hacks will be falling all over themselves to claim they modified, corrected, or enhanced the Great Man's work.
 
adma:

And the current home of KPMB I believe? That special frisson considering one can arguably say that the whole trend was started by their TIFF Lightbox.

AoD
 
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leading artists, including Jack Bush, Anthony Caro, Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Robert Motherwell, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Larry Poons, David Smith and Frank Stella.
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Is it bad that I haven't heard of any of these people other than Jack Bush--and couldn't pick out a single piece of his even if I was in the middle of a show of his work?
 
MetroMan said:
It's clear that this project will draw a lot of unecessary opposition because it's demolishing a prominent theatre. Why not just include a NEW Princess of Whales Theatre designed by the world famous Frank Ghery? That would immediately bring on side the theatre community and other stakeholders who may be turned off by losing a beloved city institution.

I don't think height will be much of a problem because there's already the Bell Lightbox on one side, the city's financial district within spitting distance, the Ritz, RBC and Metro Hall to the south and more condos already going up in the immediate vicinity.

A new theatre would take up so little space in the podium of this project that adding it in should be both a green pass to getting this built with little to no opposition and even help Mirvish bring a new flagship theatre into his portfolio in the city.

The City could put up a little fake fight and come out with a redeveloped David Pecaut Square and Canada's Walk of Fame to show for it and everybody would be happy.
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That's a really good idea Metroman, let the whole thing sail through so long as a venue for large stage productions replaces the Princess of Wales within the complex. Forward thinking.

Transportfan said:
Where does the Theatre Park project stand in relation to this?
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Theatre Park is on the other side (east side) of the Royal Alex on King West.
 
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