Toronto The Berczy | 41.76m | 13s | Concert | Arcadis

So abounding spandrels, cheap, precast cornices, bad proportioning and a salesman's nod to the surrounding context constitute "architecture" now?
 
ProjectEnd said:
So abounding spandrels, cheap, precast cornices, bad proportioning and a salesman's nod to the surrounding context constitute "architecture" now?
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You say it like it's a bad thing.
Duh!....Toronto..
 
Ok, so maybe God didn't bless this building with his own hands, but I don't think this one is too bad. It seems 'respective' of the neighbourhood. To be honest, I'm not one to have EVERY mixed use building in TO be a landmark of architectural excellence. As long as it's environmentally friendly, respective of the neighbourhood and some effort was put into design...

Then I'm happy.
 
ProjectEnd said:
So abounding spandrels, cheap, precast cornices, bad proportioning and a salesman's nod to the surrounding context constitute "architecture" now?
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Well, better this version than the 30-years-ago version on the other side of the Flatiron (i.e. the one surrounding Pizza Pizza)
 
5 June 2010: the sales centre/existing building.

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I actually prefer this building to the replacement. Much cleaner and simpler lines than the fussy retro cheese marketing machine that is the Borzy.

(I saw a couple of cute brunettes--customers I think--inside the sales centre, but wasn't in the mood for chatting about a project I loathe.)
 
Well, thankfully they won't be taking your advise. The only corner that needs redevelopment more than this one is the Pizza Pizza corner across the street. This corner will really benefit from the Berczy.

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Great idea Ganjavih, grabbing the photo from Google street level. We should do that more often.
As for the PizzaPizza building.. That thing is so unbelievably ugly, it really boggles the mind that it was ever allowed to be built.
The PizzaPizza folks should be ashamed of themselves, for putting up this monstrosity in a location such as this. I fear we will be living with this eyesore for a very long time.
As for the Berczy corner, I can't wait to see that leveled to the ground. It's gonna be tough living with the construction for the next few years, but it will certainly be a vast improvement in the end.
 
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Granny said:
Great idea Ganjavih, grabbing the photo from Google street level. We should do that more often.
As for the PizzaPizza building.. That thing is so unbelievably ugly, it really boggles the mind that it was ever allowed to be built.
The PizzaPizza folks should be ashamed of themselves, for putting up this monstrosity in a location such as this. I fear we will be living with this eyesore for a very long time.
As for the Berczy corner, I can't wait to see that leveled to the ground. It's gonna be tough living with the construction for the next few years, but it will certainly be a vast improvement in the end.
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They didn't put it up, it was built as TD Bank branch in the 60s. It was never an appropriately scaled building for this corner, but it did look far better before Pizza Pizza vomited their awful corporate colour scheme and additions all over it.
 
Granny said:
As for the PizzaPizza building.. That thing is so unbelievably ugly, it really boggles the mind that it was ever allowed to be built.
The PizzaPizza folks should be ashamed of themselves, for putting up this monstrosity in a location such as this. I fear we will be living with this eyesore for a very long time.
Click to expand...

Actually, Pizza Pizza is a former TD bank branch--and one which had a bit of a cult following among glass-pavilion modern afficionados, even if it replaced the c19 Bank of Toronto head office back when it was still "safe" to destroy Victorian magnificence. (Though said afficionados definitely don't think too highly of how PP mozzarella-cheesed it up.)

All in all, PP alterations aside, it wasn't so much the "monstrosity" as the banal brick party walls of the subsequent condo surrounding it--the property really should have been bought out from TD to complete the block three decades ago (back when there was less pro-Miesian sentimentality, much as there was less pro-Victorian sentimentality when said banking pavilion was built); and likewise, it'd probably be better off today if it were bought out from Pizza Pizza on behalf of infill. And if any hair-shirted midcentury-modern afficionados object, the pavilion could always be dismantled, recreated and restored elsewhere if necessary...
 
Bruce Bell describes that small building built by the TD Bank as "award winning" in its time. However, it's hard to imagine now. Here is a photo of what was torn down to make room for it: does anyone have a photo of this building when it was actually the bank? I've never seen one.
 

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The TD Bank branch that proceeded the Pizza Pizza looked a lot like the bank pavilion at the TD Centre. A Miesan box. Much nicer than the garish PP.
 
Wow, that really helps to put a lot of things into perspective -- just look at all those parking lots! While I'm not always happy with specific development projects in the city, this photo does a great job of pointing out how far Toronto has come in urban development.
 
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