Toronto Regent Park Central Park & Aquatic Centre | ?m | ?s | TCHC | MJMA

torontovibe, in the renderings I've seen for Paintbox, the condo is beside the cultural centre. Are they planning to demolish all of the building around as well? It seems like they are leaving some of the really old highrises around the construction. I would think that would detract from the overall appearance. What is very exciting is that they will be doing TIFF screenings at the centre, which should bring tourist types into the neighbourhood. It makes sense since Festival Tower is also built by Daniels.
 
Unfortunately I only had an iPhone with me, but I still felt the urge to get a few shots of these hulking giants coming down.

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I can't help but feel ambivalent when an entire city block and 50 years of history is wiped off the face of the earth in one fell swoop, no matter how "broken" people consider the neighbourhood to be. For one thing, many areas of Regent Park had developed a nice tree canopy that will take decades to replace.
 
What's most upsetting is the loss of the Dickinson designed blocks. I do believe they're saving one though, thankfully. Two would've been better, but what are you going to do? Most people probably think nothing of them anyway. Sigh...
 
Thanks for the pics!

Dont forget that what is being wiped off the face of the earth had previously wiped rows and rows of old Victorians off the face of the earth too. That was a MUCH more tragic loss. What we are getting now is a very well planned out community based on a neighborhood model found in this city that just works. The previous Regent Park master plan is now the most common example of how NOT to design a neighborhood. Hardly anything to be upset about losing.

I don't think the loss of the Dickinson buildings are a huge loss either. A building isn't good just because a name is attached to it. These buildings not only had no relationship to the street, they sucked away any life the street had in the first place. It has all the same massive flaws that the rest of Regent Park had, except it was humongous. And horrendous looking. I mean just look at it!
 
Silence&Motion said:
Unfortunately I only had an iPhone with me, but I still felt the urge to get a few shots of these hulking giants coming down.

5446486682_4232847cd9_b.jpg
Click to expand...

At first I read that giant vertical sign as:

P
R
O
G
R
E
S
S

and thought, that's kind of hilarious.

I wish at least one of these was kept and renovated, and then the open grounds along the street adjacent to the building were turned into 3 storey townhomes with retail at grade as ground zero for how awesome Mayor's Tower Renewal will be whenever it physically gets started.
 
MBS said:
I don't think the loss of the Dickinson buildings are a huge loss either. A building isn't good just because a name is attached to it. These buildings not only had no relationship to the street, they sucked away any life the street had in the first place. It has all the same massive flaws that the rest of Regent Park had, except it was humongous. And horrendous looking. I mean just look at it!
Click to expand...

It might not have seemed so "horrendous" had it not been built as public housing...
 
MBS said:
Thanks for the pics!

Dont forget that what is being wiped off the face of the earth had previously wiped rows and rows of old Victorians off the face of the earth too. That was a MUCH more tragic loss. What we are getting now is a very well planned out community based on a neighborhood model found in this city that just works. The previous Regent Park master plan is now the most common example of how NOT to design a neighborhood. Hardly anything to be upset about losing.

I don't think the loss of the Dickinson buildings are a huge loss either. A building isn't good just because a name is attached to it. These buildings not only had no relationship to the street, they sucked away any life the street had in the first place. It has all the same massive flaws that the rest of Regent Park had, except it was humongous. And horrendous looking. I mean just look at it!
Click to expand...

Where in my post did I imply that the only reason I like the buildings is because of the architect? Adma's pretty much spot on, most of the negativity stems from the buildings' use; and remember, they weren't built with the goal of turning the neighbourhood into a criminal refuge either.
 
MBS said:
Thanks for the pics!

Dont forget that what is being wiped off the face of the earth had previously wiped rows and rows of old Victorians off the face of the earth too. That was a MUCH more tragic loss. What we are getting now is a very well planned out community based on a neighborhood model found in this city that just works. The previous Regent Park master plan is now the most common example of how NOT to design a neighborhood. Hardly anything to be upset about losing.

I don't think the loss of the Dickinson buildings are a huge loss either. A building isn't good just because a name is attached to it. These buildings not only had no relationship to the street, they sucked away any life the street had in the first place. It has all the same massive flaws that the rest of Regent Park had, except it was humongous. And horrendous looking. I mean just look at it!
Click to expand...

Peter Dickinson was a prolific, gifted architect. The buildings were innovative and comfortable. The "rows and rows of old Victorians" were nothing more than a gigantic slum.
 
barit said:
Peter Dickinson was a prolific, gifted architect. The buildings were innovative and comfortable. The "rows and rows of old Victorians" were nothing more than a gigantic slum.
Click to expand...

Yet, in both cases, my "what if" pertains--just like we should imagine the Dickinson blocks w/a more affluent demo, we should imagine the "gigantic slum" if it somehow lasted long enough to be gentrified or else Trefann'd in the 1970s...
 
I don't really know anything about Dickinson, and the towers do depress me - though I'm glad they're keeping one of them.

What got to me yesterday was that this spot was completely gone:
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It's the Sackville cul-de-sac just north of Shuter. From what I can tell, everything except for the row of buildings to the left has been cleared away so that Sackville can be reconnected to the north. I know these buildings have little to no architectural merit. And most people in the city wouldn't dare walk through here even in the middle of the day. Still, I'm going to miss this pathway. I can't help thinking of all the spindly trees that will be lining the new Sackville St for the next couple decades.

I should emphasize that I'm supportive of this project and I look forward to seeing what the new neighbourhood has to offer. Nonetheless, when someone dies you're supposed to reflect upon their better qualities, right? "Broken" or not, Regent Park was/is an extremely important part of this city's history.
 
Quite nice. I have no idea why developments here are so much better than those around the city.
 
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