Toronto Michael Garron Hospital, Toronto East Health Network | ?m | 8s | Infrastructure Ontar | Diamond Schmitt

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Toronto East General Hospital is set to undergo a massive redevelopment which will tear down every pre-1970 building, including the original main hospital that faces Coxwell Ave.

A completely new building will replace this facility, I believe, facing Sammon, if I read the proposed masterplan properly.

My understanding is that construction is targeted for Q1 2012.

Hospital development news here:

http://www.tegh.on.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=5-3636

Master plan submitted to the City, June 11, 2010, as per below:

OPA / Rezoning 10 194423 STE 31 OZ 825 COXWELL AVE Jun 11, 2010 --- --- Ward-31
South-District --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Major, Leontine
(416) 397-4079
Master plan for the redevelopment of Toronto East General Hospital
 
Shame about the front block--we need all the 40s Hospital Moderne we can get (cf. the late great Our Lady Of Mercy)
 
Despicable. This is absolutely the era of heritage that needs to be protected, as it's at the place that buildings like Old City Hall were in the 1950s. There's not a whole lot of significant or grand examples of architecture in this area, so to lose the main wing fronting Coxwell would be very unfortunate.
 
On one hand, hospitals need to be on the leading edge of technology, and that begs for modern construction... but it's a shame to lose 1940s architecture as a result. Perhaps the solution is to build on another site and repurpose the old hospital building?
 
While I'm not a fan of meticulous picking and choosing when it comes to heritage preservation, it feels contrived and contributes to an unnaturally planned environment, at the least I'd like the see the entrance wing fronting Coxwell to be saved. It's definitely the most significant building, and Toronto has very few Moderne buildings of this scale. I find that it really illustrates the transition between the era of Classicism and Art Deco, and the era of Modernism.
 
It is nice...

Just a reminder for those unfamiliar with the building in question.

3574051329_fd6f070267_b.jpg

(Courtesy Canadian Pacific at Flickr found here http://www.flickr.com/photos/18378305@N00/3574051329/1 )
 
It is indeed nice on the outside, but it is a dingy obsolete mess on the inside. I am all for preservation of interesting and historically important architecture, but the building still has to be functional. That doesn't mean the only option is tearing this thing down, but it does mean that leaving it as is really isn't an option.
 
Don't be surprised if, under the circumstances, they do save/repurpose "heritage elements" (railings? sculptural elements? sure, it's tokenism, but...)

Come to think of it, I wonder if any salvaged elements of Our Lady Of Mercy are due to reappear in its replacement...
 
"The new patient care tower, which is expected to be completed by 2023..."

Wow that's a long time for the community to wait.
 
This quote from the main page article blows my mind:

"While the buildings at Toronto East General do not contain significant heritage attributes, there are elements of the buildng that do merit retention and integration in the ongoing renewal of the hospital. These elements include: Stained glass memorial window in the entrance lobby; the cornerstones from various building phases; and memorial plaques located within the lobby area."

Plaques, freaking plaques!? How much has ERA been paid to come up with this half-assed assessment? Meanwhile 10 St. Mary St (which I like, but is far less unique than the main Coxwell wing of Toronto East Gen) is awarded a laundry list of valuable heritage details including "flat roof" and "location at the corner of Yonge and St. Mary". I know functionality reigns supreme at hospital sites, but we're still stinging from the loss of the original Riverdale Hospital building, so this is another painful loss of east end institutional heritage- assuming it's lost, which considering the tone of the report, seems like a likelier and likelier scenario.
 
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