Toronto Ontario Place | ?m | ?s | Infrastructure ON

[Automation Gallery]

I agree with the comments regarding an LRT line. More intensive transit is required - as is a hotel and other year-round events that can attract both locals and tourists. There is a critical mass of attractions and venues already in the area, what is required is better access and a sense of deeper connection to the rest of the city.

Laugh all you want but if you want a quick fix servicing the area of the CNE, the newly developed Ontario Place, even include The Islands including the Billy Bishop airport and west Sunnyside/High Park, build a freakin monorail system..talk about a modern profitable line. Gee, if we can only get a city council with a vision.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

gristle:

William Thorsell mentioned some interest in developing a Cosmology Centre to highlight the important developments in that field. This could be a good location for such a centre.

Brilliant! Where else are you going to find a dome for a planetarium?

AoD

 

[toto]

I agree with the comments regarding an LRT line. More intensive transit is required - as is a hotel and other year-round events that can attract both locals and tourists. There is a critical mass of attractions and venues already in the area, what is required is better access and a sense of deeper connection to the rest of the city.

Looping the Bathurst and Queens Quay streetcars through to the west end of the CNE and back along the south side of Lakeshore Blvd in front of Ontario Place, would be a simple and elegant solution.

 

[DavidJamesTO]

Brilliant! Where else are you going to find a dome for a planetarium?

Pity he didn't think of that *before* they sold theirs! It's a good re-use of the space, though.

 

[jn_12]

So you guys are against a supposed "dead" cultural area, but we seem to be somewhat cool with the very dead CNE grounds as it is now and has been pretty much forever?
Surely a "dead" cultural area is better than what's there now.

Also, we're kind of forgetting that the CNE already has the infrastructure for these types of attractions. There's no need to try and sandwich in an art gallery where it clearly cannot fit elsewhere just to spread things out. Our attractions in this city are already spread out quite well, and by putting in some museums and whatnot at the CNE, it bridges the gap between Ontario Place and the Waterfront. Suddenly, the Princes gate becomes an attraction in itself, rather than something no tourist ever sees, and you have a lot of opportunities to be creative with the vast parking lot surrounding these buildings. Could be anything from our version of Chicago's Millennium Park to mixed use development that would bring more than just those looking for cultural attractions down to the area. There is so much potential at the CNE grounds. It really is a clean slate for the most part.

 

[M II A II R II K]

Once a gem, now generally forgotten, what could the future hold for Ontario Place?

Once a gem, now generally forgotten, what could the future hold for Ontario Place?


July 24, 2010

Mark Medley

Read More: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/0...what-could-the-future-hold-for-ontario-place/

In 2008, MPP Greg Sorbara was commissioned to chair a study on the future of tourism in Ontario. The findings of the Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study were released in February 2009, in a report titled Discovering Ontario. Of the 20 recommendations the group proposed, one stood out: the future of Ontario Place. “Ontario Place is a prime example of an attraction not meeting its potential,†the report stated. “It’s a symbolic attraction for this province and it needs attention.†They suggested that the parklands be free to the public, that new trails link the site with nearby neighbourhoods, and that Ontario Place transform into a year-round attraction. As well, the authors felt the site should be redeveloped by 2017, in time for the 150th anniversary of Confederation, becoming the province’s “showpiece†and “the flagship of a new era in Ontario tourism.â€

Opened in 1971, Ontario Place represents both our idealistic past and our betrayal of it. A masterpiece of modernist architecture by Eberhard Zeidler, who also designed the Eaton Centre, it has been forgotten by the city. Shawn Micallef, author of Stroll and an associate editor of Spacing magazine, says, “it has this wonderful, faded grandeur, which is kind of romantic, but maybe we don’t want it on our waterfront.†Attendance has plummeted from a high of 2.5 million its inaugural year to less than one million for seven years in a row. So it’s little surprise last week’s news that Ontario Place issued a Request for Information, opening the doors to an extreme makeover, was greeted with a mix of nostalgia, mutters of good riddance and horror at the prospect that some of Toronto’s icons may be lost.

“Everyone has a real emotional attachment to the space, and I think everyone is relieved to see that something is finally happening down there,†says Hugh Mansfield, spokesperson for the revitalization project. “It needs an injection of energy and new ideas.†But what ideas? The renewal of Ontario Place presents Toronto with an intriguing opportunity: the chance to transform 96 acres of lakefront property.

Though developers have a blank canvas, the new Ontario Place should include educational, recreational, commercial and entertainment components, and showcase Ontario’s green energy initiatives, notes Mansfield. Details on the public consultation process will be announced next week. Proposals will be accepted until Sept. 10. Ideas floated thus far include a university or college campus, a planetarium, a casino and an aquarium, while, in a letter to the Toronto Star, one man proposed an indoor ski hill. “The idea of theme parks doesn’t really work anymore,†Micallef says. “You can’t really compete with [Canada’s] Wonderland. So it has to be a little more intimate, and maybe a little more urban.â€




Will the pods and the sphere be part of Ontario Place's future?

 

[Tewder]

So you guys are against a supposed "dead" cultural area, but we seem to be somewhat cool with the very dead CNE grounds as it is now and has been pretty much forever?
Surely a "dead" cultural area is better than what's there now.

Why replace one 'dead' format with another? The idea is to rejuvenate the area not just clean it up and fill it in.

Also, we're kind of forgetting that the CNE already has the infrastructure for these types of attractions. There's no need to try and sandwich in an art gallery where it clearly cannot fit elsewhere just to spread things out.

Why would one do that? There are all kinds of sites where a museum might make sense to its surroundings, draw from its surroundings, and give back to its surroundings. Somebody once mentioned the idea of a museum for all things Canadian alcohol for the Distillery District for example. Other cultural spaces like the one that will house the Ryerson Black Star collection or the one that could house an AGO Modern at the heritage silos for example might draw people to the vicinity to explore, and not just to the space itself. The revamped AGO seems to be doing this. Hopefully others will. Toronto needs more not less. Conversely, creating a somewhat artificial theme-park district of museums seems like an easy and tired approach that after dark would feels about as vibrant as the Financial District afer 8:00 on a Saturday night.

Our attractions in this city are already spread out quite well, and by putting in some museums and whatnot at the CNE, it bridges the gap between Ontario Place and the Waterfront. Suddenly, the Princes gate becomes an attraction in itself, rather than something no tourist ever sees, and you have a lot of opportunities to be creative with the vast parking lot surrounding these buildings. Could be anything from our version of Chicago's Millennium Park to mixed use development that would bring more than just those looking for cultural attractions down to the area. There is so much potential at the CNE grounds. It really is a clean slate for the most part.

I agree with you that all of these sites offer enormous potential, including a refurbished Fort York area when complete. I'd love to see the Princess Gates as a grand ceremonial centre-piece or entry way to this precinct with perhaps a transit/subway hub and landscaped circle with enormous 'Bellagio'-syle fountains , etc., etc. The options are endless really if you allow yourself to dream a little.

 

[Second_in_pie]

An Aquarium REALLY would work here so well. When I think of Ontario Place's future, I really almost always think that it could do something really similar to Port Vell. I believe it could pull it off so well. Keep the pods, or maybe add a few new ones, as space for showcases and educational areas. Expand the cinesphere so it can become a premier moviegoing place to be enjoyed with the rest of the shopping experience. It could be really, really nice.

Never going to happen.

 

[M II A II R II K]

And build a tunnel from there to King St so it can be better accessed by cars and busses.

 

[Tewder]

We must keep the pods/dome! In its boomerish way it is akin to a Jules Verne-like fantasy projection of the future. We'd be sorry to have lost it, without a doubt.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Pity he didn't think of that *before* they sold theirs! It's a good re-use of the space, though.

Well to be frank I didn't much care for Mclaughlin planetarium at the ROM - certainly it doesn't have the architectural bravado of Zeidler's cinesphere.

AoD

 

[jn_12]

Why replace one 'dead' format with another? The idea is to rejuvenate the area not just clean it up and fill it in.

Well, I did put supposed and "dead." I don't buy the argument that simply because something is sterile elsewhere, it would have the same outcome here. There are clear solutions which i outlined below and you agreed with.

Why would one do that? There are all kinds of sites where a museum might make sense to its surroundings, draw from its surroundings, and give back to its surroundings. Somebody once mentioned the idea of a museum for all things Canadian alcohol for the Distillery District for example. Other cultural spaces like the one that will house the Ryerson Black Star collection or the one that could house an AGO Modern at the heritage silos for example might draw people to the vicinity to explore, and not just to the space itself. The revamped AGO seems to be doing this. Hopefully others will. Toronto needs more not less. Conversely, creating a somewhat artificial theme-park district of museums seems like an easy and tired approach that after dark would feels about as vibrant as the Financial District afer 8:00 on a Saturday night.

To be honest, if something is vibrant from 8am to 8pm, that's not all that bad in my books, considering we already have an incredibly vibrant city. It's not like we're in dire need of more vibrancy.

Also, you ask why would we squeeze attractions into sites that can't handle them. Well, think of the Canada Malting Silos site and the proposals for that, and consider where the Aquarium is going to be. Neither of these sites are adequate size but people seem to like trying to fit these things into these spots. Ya you can be creative, but the CNE grounds presents as much space as we want to use. The buildings are large, and the set up is designed to allow for large crowds. If we're talking about tourism, those are attractive features. I'm cool with an Alcohol museum in the Distillery. It makes sense. But, a modern arts museum needs far more space than a couple floors in an old warehouse if it wants to have any impact. Also, consider the lack of interest in spending money on new fancy buildings after the cultural renaissance we just went through. To have a series of buildings that would be virtually ready to go makes it a much easier idea to sell.

I agree with you that all of these sites offer enormous potential, including a refurbished Fort York area when complete. I'd love to see the Princess Gates as a grand ceremonial centre-piece or entry way to this precinct with perhaps a transit/subway hub and landscaped circle with enormous 'Bellagio'-syle fountains , etc., etc. The options are endless really if you allow yourself to dream a little.

Which is my point. The CNE grounds can be anything we want it to be. if the fear is a lack of vibrancy at night, then make sure you put things there that will bring people to the area at night. Create a "Grand Place" piazza like atmosphere or whatever. The CNE has so much untapped potential and I think it has to do with the buildings themselves and the area that surrounds them. To me, the obvious solution to one is to put museums/attractions there and the solution to the other is anything we want it to be.

 

[W. K. Lis]

An Aquarium REALLY would work here so well. When I think of Ontario Place's future, I really almost always think that it could do something really similar to Port Vell. I believe it could pull it off so well. Keep the pods, or maybe add a few new ones, as space for showcases and educational areas. Expand the cinesphere so it can become a premier moviegoing place to be enjoyed with the rest of the shopping experience. It could be really, really nice.

Never going to happen.

An Aquarium that would reuse the pods as exhibits along with expanding the Aquarium to take over the parking lot could be a good use the the space over the water and asphalt. And speaking of space, turning the Cinisphere into a Planetarium would be a good reuse of the sphere, since they closed the one next to the ROM years ago. Great coverage over the two frontiers.

 

[Tulse]

I wonder if the pods could actually take the weight of large aquarium tanks.

 

[Team Me]

Mark Medley

Though developers have a blank canvas, the new Ontario Place should include educational, recreational, commercial and entertainment components, and showcase Ontario’s green energy initiatives, notes Mansfield.

Imagine the irony if they tear down an iconic, historically relevant piece of architecture that could re-used in a completely sustainable way, and start from scratch to create a "showcase of Ontario's green initiatives." Talk about a greenwash.