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

wmedia said:
Throwback to when this stretch of King Street had some vibrancy... although you can't see the wasteland of parking lots to the south in this shot.

View attachment 460441

Source
Click to expand...
Across the street was a block of rail yards before the parking lots. (And Vought Tower). That's what this area was, an industrial area built after the great fire of 1904. Why the Royal Alex was ever located there is a bit of a mystery to me. A theater amidst industrial warehouses. Maybe the warehouses came later...
 
Towered said:
There's a hint of nostalgia in that pic for me, but then I see the awful white paint covering every inch of those historic warehouses and the monopoly of mediocre Mirvish restaurants and I quickly snap out of it...
Click to expand...
And while it was built as an industrial warehouse, there is a definite charm on the inside that appeals to people living in lofts. Wood beams, exposed brick. Hand-crafted, as opposed to 'put together'.
 
Alex L said:
Across the street was a block of rail yards before the parking lots. (And Vought Tower). That's what this area was, an industrial area built after the great fire of 1904. Why the Royal Alex was ever located there is a bit of a mystery to me. A theater amidst industrial warehouses. Maybe the warehouses came later...
Click to expand...

The immediate area was the centre of institutional gravity in the late 1800s Toronto - Royal Alex probably caught the tail end of that era.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
The immediate area was the centre of institutional gravity in the late 1800s Toronto - Royal Alex probably caught the tail end of that era.

AoD
Click to expand...
Exactly, the Government House and its property were situated at King and Simcoe until being demolished in 1912. You can see the tower of St. Andrews Church in this image, the Royal Alex is hidden from view. Taylor on History has a great (as usual) piece about the intersection: https://tayloronhistory.com/2013/03/16/torontos-amazing-intersectionking-and-simcoe-streets/

pictures-r-17931-1912-tor-ref-lib1.jpg
 
Some photos taken today, Tuesday (March 14). With the building at the NE corner of King and Duncan now almost gone, we now see the west side of The Royal Alex for the first time since about 1905, when the demolished building was put up. Just visible on the second door from the top in the staircase shot, is this written on the door: "The World Awaits your GREATNESS."

UTIMG_8419.jpg
UTIMG_8375.jpg

UTMG_8399a.jpg
UTIMG_8423.jpg
 

Attachments

  • UTIMG_8399.jpg
    UTIMG_8399.jpg
    333.3 KB · Views: 370
Last edited:
Strange Advance said:
Already excavating! They're not wasting any more time here.
Click to expand...

Sorry to say, but no, they are not excavating yet, they are still removing the building base and bits of foundation.

They don't yet have their shoring permit in place or the conditional version thereof.
 
It seems like a small parcel for the size of the buildings in the renderings. Are there more buildings to be demolished?
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top