Markham St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church | ?m | 1s | Bebawi & Farah

[wyliepoon]

Remember the 2003 St. Mark's Coptic Church competition for the development of the site on the NW corner of Warden and Steeles in Markham?

http://www.stmark.toronto.on.coptorthodox.ca/old_competition.asp

Just passed by the site today and noticed that Markham has put up a new sign for an application made by the church. After some research, here's what I found on the Town of Markham website...

Recommendation Report

Attachments

The winning design of the competition has been thrown out for a more traditional (and cheaper) design. Looks like the initial phase for this proposal will be just a big church with a sea of parking. However the church continues to pursue a plan to develop an "urban village" (in phases lasting up to 2022) which will see all the parking put underground.

A shame that the competition designs went to waste. Here's hoping the church will be able to finish more than just phase 1.

 

[cruzin4u]

I was wondering what that application was for. I've driven past that site numerous times.

I'd like to see more Hospitals and less churches.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

It'll be really weird seeing that stretch of Steeles finally filled in with development.

This is the kind of project that downtown Markham desperately needs...it's a shame that the little Coptic village will be surrounded by subdivisions, industrial units, and strip plazas.

 

[wyliepoon]

^ No industrial units. Add to that list an office park (including the head office of Vanbots), a Chinese church, and a gas station.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Yes, there's industrial units behind the site, all along Ferrier. Nothing says "urban village" like a site halfway between an industrial park and a loopy subdivision.

 

[migtree]

I recall that there were no winners to that competition, and that the first runners up designs were cold, modern and devoid of the traditional decorations or details you would expect from a middle eastern community's church. Although I support the idea of an urban village on this site, the new proposal for a church seems lovely, and a design much more culturally accurate for its intended users.

 

[Solaris]

This is the kind of project that downtown Markham desperately needs....

This DEFINITELY would have been a perfect project for Downtown Markham ... but unforutnately I guess land cost is too expensive there to build this type of facility

 

[wyliepoon]

^ There are plenty of sites around Markham Centre that I think could accomodate this church. Even that big playing field/park that separates Unionville HS and the Civic Centre from Warden Avenue.

 

[Solaris]

I bellieve that piece of property belongs to the school board and for good reasons, as you need to have sports fields with any educational institutions so students are not stucked inside all day~

But otherwise throughout Markham Centre ... land cost has sky-rocketted and you will unlikely see low density development such as the Coptic Church proposal ... maybe a mixed use development with a church intergrated into the podium could work though =D

 

[wyliepoon]

Construction has started... (Mar 26)

 

[jks]

Wow, finally a church that doesn't look like a corner store with a cross on top of it! Beautiful design.

 

[Dan416]

Definitely more modern than the recent Coptic Church at Eglinton & Creditview. I like it.

 

[Jarrek]

Hagia Sophia inspired

 

[Filip]

Well to be fair, its based on Byzantine architecture, where Turks stuck rocket ships around the Hagia Sofia to create a Mosque out of a Church.

 

[jks]

^lol, at least they left one christian orthodox frescoe