CanadianNational
Senior Member
It's hard to know what to think of what to do with 90 Harbour. Though on the plain side, it's solid as stand-alone architecture 'in the round', and a great example of a historical type of moderne, or late deco. A facadectomy would horribly diminish it, as would having it cut up or built over by a huge tower. It sits pretty much in the middle of it's odd-shaped lot, so it can't easily be built behind, or around. It's also too big to just put up on beams and move somewhere. The site is a challenge too, with massive auto ramps zipping hither and yon, overshadowing the site and it's staid little occupant.
I think the bus station idea isn't a good one either - the building is hardly built to function as an inspirational meeting hall, and would likely have to endure some unsympathetic cutting and alteration to make it work. It's also just a bit too far away from Union Station to claim the site as a virtue.
The size of the lot for 90 Harbour and The Harbour Commission building together is gigantic, though - and almost empty.
Although usually I'm often opposed to this sort of thing, in this case, I wouldn't mind seeing the Harbour Commission Building raised up on beams and floated down the street, until it comes to rest at the foot of Yonge Street, or over at the edge of Sherbourne Common. This would give it a chance to shine at the water's edge once again as it was built, even if the location wouldn't be quite historically accurate.
If the two lots could then be assembled together, 90 Harbour could be renovated and retained, delicately joined to a (hopefully) impressively tall, exciting new development on the empty former Harbour Commission lot that would bear the brunt of architectural and financial scale, returns, etc.
Since all of this is a tad unrealistic, I think my plan B would to see 90 Harbour simply renovated as is, with a small on-site tower tucked to one side if necessary, and the grounds made lovely. (With a lush complimentary park, instead of a parking lot, around the Harbour Commission, too). None of it sounds like it'd offer enough return on the necessary investments to make it worth the company's while, though, I'm afraid. But one hope's there's a way to treat this building well, instead of demolishing it, or turning it into a shadow if its already neglected self.
I think the bus station idea isn't a good one either - the building is hardly built to function as an inspirational meeting hall, and would likely have to endure some unsympathetic cutting and alteration to make it work. It's also just a bit too far away from Union Station to claim the site as a virtue.
The size of the lot for 90 Harbour and The Harbour Commission building together is gigantic, though - and almost empty.
Although usually I'm often opposed to this sort of thing, in this case, I wouldn't mind seeing the Harbour Commission Building raised up on beams and floated down the street, until it comes to rest at the foot of Yonge Street, or over at the edge of Sherbourne Common. This would give it a chance to shine at the water's edge once again as it was built, even if the location wouldn't be quite historically accurate.
If the two lots could then be assembled together, 90 Harbour could be renovated and retained, delicately joined to a (hopefully) impressively tall, exciting new development on the empty former Harbour Commission lot that would bear the brunt of architectural and financial scale, returns, etc.
Since all of this is a tad unrealistic, I think my plan B would to see 90 Harbour simply renovated as is, with a small on-site tower tucked to one side if necessary, and the grounds made lovely. (With a lush complimentary park, instead of a parking lot, around the Harbour Commission, too). None of it sounds like it'd offer enough return on the necessary investments to make it worth the company's while, though, I'm afraid. But one hope's there's a way to treat this building well, instead of demolishing it, or turning it into a shadow if its already neglected self.
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