Ramako
Moderator
There's really not much to discuss without being able to see some photos of the ceiling. Additionally, your post was followed by new video and renderings of the project. That kind of thing always tends to dominate.
Toronto Richmond Adelaide Centre: EY Tower | 188.05m | 40s | Oxford Properties | Kohn Pedersen Fox
There's really not much to discuss without being able to see some photos of the ceiling. Additionally, your post was followed by new video and renderings of the project. That kind of thing always tends to dominate.
adma
Superstar
Unfortunately, I'm not equipped w/the photographic means of doing so--though there's this via Facebook...
Conrad Black
Senior Member
I toured the building last summer. A dump inside that's most certainly not worth saving.
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
The art deco pattern on the ceiling cove is pretty. I'm sure that what's intatct could be taken down, and the whole cove recreated somewhere in the new building. But it's no reason to derail the project.
Xray_Crystal_Junkie
Senior Member
Oliver Tweed
Active Member
Based on that stat sheet, this building is in dire need of a reno. It doesn't have parking or even sprinklers. (Not sure if they will be adding parking?)
My aunt and uncle used to run a small business out of this building so I've been inside a few times. It's generally pretty crappy as far as downtown office buildings go, but it's probably relatively inexpensive and fine for small businesses. My guess is the remaining small businesses in the building will not be able to afford to stay post-renovation, but I don't know that for sure.
I'm excited for this one. It's one of the better designed office building proposals to come along in a while.
My aunt and uncle used to run a small business out of this building so I've been inside a few times. It's generally pretty crappy as far as downtown office buildings go, but it's probably relatively inexpensive and fine for small businesses. My guess is the remaining small businesses in the building will not be able to afford to stay post-renovation, but I don't know that for sure.
I'm excited for this one. It's one of the better designed office building proposals to come along in a while.
adma
Superstar
It's original. But concealed for years by a dropped ceiling, and tortured and mutilated by wires and conduits and related services. And if it looks "flimsy", why not--it's plaster. Plaster's "flimsy" (i.e. vulnerable) by nature.
Wouldn't be surprised if the lobby ceiling is recreated/resurrected/restored as part of the present scheme. For template purposes, the survival (however precarious) of those remnants is beneficial...
Oh and let's also remember re any "flimsiness" is that this was but a spec office building in the first place (i.e. one didn't expect the fine materials and craftsmanship of, say, the Bank of Commerce or Canada Permanent). And conversely, re "restorability", *any* original decorative detail relative to the building is touched by the holy spectre of the Group of Seven--J.E.H. Macdonald's team, you know. Therefore it's imperative that wherever it exists/existed, it's to be taken seriously as grist for restoration (if not always in the same location; are they still planning to relocate the "thunderbirds"?)
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There's no reno coming here, it's a teardown. The façade will be replicated at the base of the new building, as was done on the Bay Adelaide West Tower. The Concourse building is currently 16 storeys high, but the new version will be 13 storeys owing to the higher floors.
I don't know how many of the decorative details will be saved/relocated/replicated. I hope the whole lot will be.
42
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CityPlaceN1
Senior Member
Looking forward to this being added in the core.
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
The dog and I stopped to look at the ceiling last night. It's interesting. The first bay is as shown in the photo above. The second bay has a sunburst pattern, radiating from the center of the ceiling, and then the chevron motif repeats in the bays further back.
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
From the look of the renderings all around (they are easier to see if you walk around past to the old Books On Business space to see the ones on the ground level at the back of the Googleplex, they won't be. The ROM should take them if they are not to be put back.
adma
Superstar
I seem to recall that in the decade-plus-ago original proposal, they *were* planning to relocate them as some kind of lobby/atrium/whatever element. (Unless they're planning to resurrect them quasi-in-situ as some kind of decorative skylounge element. In any event, it's hard for me to believe they'd simply mothball of dispense of them...)
AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
I vaguely recall that too. I agree, it would be pointless to simply get rid of them.
adma
Superstar
Whatever the case: as I suggested earlier, in all likelihood they're planning to retain/restore/resurrect-where-possible *anything* that reflects the decorative scheme of JEH Macdonald, etc. And in a way, it's imperative that they go all-out in order to counteract the understandable heritage-community fears over the Concourse being chewed up and regurgitated w/altered proportions, etc...
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Any word on the height 42?