Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR

AlvinofDiaspar said:
I think it's going to be underneath the center bridge out the Union Subway station and then underneath the west moat, which is supposed to get a glass cover but I am not convinced it will be ready.

AoD
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I have such a hard time envisioning this glass cover, my biggest fear is it looks dirty and disgusting 99% of the time. Is it really necessary to enclose this area?

In winter and other times I have connected to things like the ACC for years through the PATH network and even in the worst conditions, without dressing for the outdoors, this quick dash is not a chore... Please no dirty glass, please....
 
Kraylin said:
I have such a hard time envisioning this glass cover, my biggest fear is it looks dirty and disgusting 99% of the time. Is it really necessary to enclose this area?

In winter and other times I have connected to things like the ACC for years through the PATH network and even in the worst conditions, without dressing for the outdoors, this quick dash is not a chore... Please no dirty glass, please....
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Yes, I think so - partly because there will be retail space at the west moat. Just think of it as a skylight just like what you'd see at a regular mall. What I am not sure about is how much, if any of the moat will be climate controlled.

AoD
 
Kraylin said:
I have such a hard time envisioning this glass cover, my biggest fear is it looks dirty and disgusting 99% of the time. Is it really necessary to enclose this area?
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They'll keep it clean after revitalization with pigeon-resistant.
I believe they are eliminating the stairs as the dig-down puts the Union lower level

In winter and other times I have connected to things like the ACC for years through the PATH network and even in the worst conditions, without dressing for the outdoors, this quick dash is not a chore... Please no dirty glass, please....
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This isn't going to be a problem. They will keep it very clean.

Have you seen New York City Grand Terminal in the 1970s and other ugly, run down terminals with lots of dirt and pigeon poop? It was once due for demolition!!! They cleaned all that up and now it's a tourist attraction today, being kept much cleaner today than in the past.

Union will be more attractive tourist attraction after the revitalization, and the increased number of users, they will definitely be keeping the moat glass clean, with regular window washers, as it is one of the flagship gateways into Toronto, and the increased usage of Union by businesses and trains, means more funding for Union's own upkeep.

AlvinofDiaspar said:
Yes, I think so - partly because there will be retail space at the west moat. Just think of it as a skylight just like what you'd see at a regular mall. What I am not sure about is how much, if any of the moat will be climate controlled.
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If I recall, it would be all of it.

This is the east moat, covered too:

urbantoronto-1229-3673.jpg
 
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AlvinofDiaspar said:
Just think of it as a skylight just like what you'd see at a regular mall.AoD
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Thanks very much for your answer. That rendering really helps me, thanks again. I didn't realize the covering for the moats will actually be slightly above street level, more like a skylight as you said. That should really help for keeping it clean, I was envisioning a lot of debris easily blowing into the moats and onto the glass. This makes more sense and looks great !
 
The north-south moats along Bay and York streets will not be climate controlled, but other than at the ends, the whole east-west portion south of Front will be. I believe that the new PATH connection under York Street will end with doors to the outside, with doors into the Union Station moat to the east and doors into the Citibank tunnel to the west. Where those all meet will be glassed over, but the south side will be open to the air.

42
 
Was told today that there used to be a multi-faced clock in the Great Hall that resembled that of Grand Central Terminal's.
Any clues to what happened to the predecessor(s) of the simple (modernist?) clock there now?
 
There also used to be a clock OUTSIDE Union Station and the City have a current tender out to repair and replace it in front of the artwork. My first thought was that this clock was brought inside and was the same as the one pictured above but I think not. Here is the outdoor one in 1929.
union2.jpg
 

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ToroTO said:
Don't know what happened old clock or exactly when it was replaced but here is a picture of the old clock from 1964:

FILEPIC17-200612.JPG
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What catches my attention is the York Pioneer restaurant, seen at the leftmost edge of this photo. I didn't know there was a sitdown restaurant on the main level of Union at one time in the past. I presume that got removed during the late 1970's renovation of the concourses for GO service?

Ironically, we're now getting sitdown restaurants back into Union with the new basement, as part of the revitalization.
 
This is coming to Executive Committee today:

"Union Station Funding

Finally, this report provides an update regarding the Province's response to petitioning for additional funding related to cost sharing/ recovery for the Union Station project. The City requested the following from Metrolinx:

· $15 million in respect of general cost escalation increases of $80 million

· $20 million in respect of the $40 million cost increase for the North West Path

The Province has rejected both requests and will not increase its current contributions to the Union Station project. See: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2015.EX3.4
 
So, reading between the lines, it seems like the city requested funding from Metrolinx on a project that they assumed would be 50/50 cost-shared. Metrolinx decided to play hardball and told the city to take a hike. Now the city is saying "OK, fine, you want money for work you did on city utilities during GTS contruction? Not our problem, we never asked you to upgrade those; pay it yourself."

*popcorn*
 
Woodbridge_Heights said:
There used to be an LCBO there so I would not be surprised to see it return. However new LCBO locations have opened in RBC tower and MLS tower so I am wondering if a third location would be worthwhile. Maybe a VQA Ontario wine specialty type store.
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Ya, the LCBO in the Royal Bank Plaza is a one minute walk away from the old location, but both it and the MLS location are small format stores. Neither usually has more than two or three checkouts open and lines get really long at the rush hour peak or when a game is on at the ACC.
 
The paper on the glass of the York East Teamway has all been removed as of this morning. Looks like they are putting on the finishing touches now. Perhaps it will open on Monday?
 
Jonny5 said:
The paper on the glass of the York East Teamway has all been removed as of this morning. Looks like they are putting on the finishing touches now. Perhaps it will open on Monday?
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That might be too optimistic but I'm with you, soon either way I hope!
 
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