One Nut Kruk
Banned
The "King Street" lettering on the St Andrew station is uneven. Everything after the 'S' in 'Street' is too low.
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TTC to retrofit stations with "classic" wall panels
- Thread starter M II A II R II K
- Start date
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Apparently the ceiling never got finished because the renovation ran out of money.
The sculptural pillars never looked that good - it's par Rainforest Cafe at best. Someone must have forgotten to remind them that the Children Museum has shuttered its doors.
AoD
junctionist
Senior Member
I used the station frequently as a U of T student and I found the quality of the artistic columns to be on the level. The quality of the sculpting is decent for what are ornamental panels on functional station columns, and they're apparently historically accurate.
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W. K. Lis
Superstar
Apparently the ceiling never got finished because the renovation ran out of money.
Its better than what was there previously. Can't be too fancy else vandalism or graffiti would make it too expensive to clean or repair. It'll be like wearing formal wear and eating in a fast food restaurant.
junctionist
Senior Member
Art in subway stations can be durable and as sophisticated as the works in national galleries.
Northern Light
Superstar
Notwithstanding my reverence for AOD's usually superb commentary....
I rather like the pillars..........its the absence of the new ceiling design; and the overly cheap trackside wall materials that grate on me.
It feels like a 1/2 complete thought.
Which is par for the course in TTC reno projects.
I would argue Victoria Park was one of the most successful renos ever, a phenomenal bus terminal is really an improvement of grand proportions....yet, they didn't re-do all the ceilings or change out inappropriate light fixtures in the interior; they didn't replace most of the older, blah wall finishes (though they chose very nice ones where they did), and they didn't put a similar number of windows on the eastbound platform as the west, failing to bring in southern sun and disrespecting basic symmetry. My sense here, as with Spadina is that the designers were fairly good; but they got value-engineered to death....
Pape, likewise, needed far nicer wall finishes, the dull finish has all the appeal of industrial washroom design.....the idea is fine, but again feels cheapened.
***
St. Andrew and Osgoode are apparently the next victims. I personally like the existing finishes, except for how dirty they've become.
I think reintroducing pseudo-vitrolite doesn't mesh at all with the existing design, nor will the platform or mezzanine based finishes be 'restored' to match.
So again we will get a patch-work that isn't fully thought through.
***
New rule, don't start a project you can't finish properly.
Not everything needs to be marble, by any means (see FCP)....
But, nothing should be designed by accountants either..... LOL
Nothing wrong with good bean-counting; but that should decided whether a project happens, not the aesthetic detail.
I rather like the pillars..........its the absence of the new ceiling design; and the overly cheap trackside wall materials that grate on me.
It feels like a 1/2 complete thought.
Which is par for the course in TTC reno projects.
I would argue Victoria Park was one of the most successful renos ever, a phenomenal bus terminal is really an improvement of grand proportions....yet, they didn't re-do all the ceilings or change out inappropriate light fixtures in the interior; they didn't replace most of the older, blah wall finishes (though they chose very nice ones where they did), and they didn't put a similar number of windows on the eastbound platform as the west, failing to bring in southern sun and disrespecting basic symmetry. My sense here, as with Spadina is that the designers were fairly good; but they got value-engineered to death....
Pape, likewise, needed far nicer wall finishes, the dull finish has all the appeal of industrial washroom design.....the idea is fine, but again feels cheapened.
***
St. Andrew and Osgoode are apparently the next victims. I personally like the existing finishes, except for how dirty they've become.
I think reintroducing pseudo-vitrolite doesn't mesh at all with the existing design, nor will the platform or mezzanine based finishes be 'restored' to match.
So again we will get a patch-work that isn't fully thought through.
***
New rule, don't start a project you can't finish properly.
Not everything needs to be marble, by any means (see FCP)....
But, nothing should be designed by accountants either..... LOL
Nothing wrong with good bean-counting; but that should decided whether a project happens, not the aesthetic detail.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
NL:
Thanks - no worries about disagreeing. In any case, I think the pillars feels utterly unauthentic in the setting - clobbering pseudoartifacts in multiple styles, sized to accommodate the original pillars and clad with artificial materials just felt extremely forced. I feel that there would have been a greater amount of impact if the same amount of money was spent of high quality finishing instead (vs. the awful sidewalls, *painted* tiles and shabby ceiling). The whole thing is low-brow, Chinese ahistorical amusement park cheap.
AoD
Thanks - no worries about disagreeing. In any case, I think the pillars feels utterly unauthentic in the setting - clobbering pseudoartifacts in multiple styles, sized to accommodate the original pillars and clad with artificial materials just felt extremely forced. I feel that there would have been a greater amount of impact if the same amount of money was spent of high quality finishing instead (vs. the awful sidewalls, *painted* tiles and shabby ceiling). The whole thing is low-brow, Chinese ahistorical amusement park cheap.
AoD
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Red October
Senior Member
Meh, I like it. It's a themed subway station. If I were a tourist I'd find it interesting and definitely know where I was.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
RO:
Replicating a theme park with plasticky pillar treatment isn't the only way to communicate the point that one is at the Museum Station across (and on an ironic note - that's precisely the route ROM moved away from with RenROM).
AoD
Replicating a theme park with plasticky pillar treatment isn't the only way to communicate the point that one is at the Museum Station across (and on an ironic note - that's precisely the route ROM moved away from with RenROM).
AoD
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Maybe they could put some of the paintings from the Art Gallery of Ontario in the St. Patrick Station. Maybe on the wall opposite the platforms? How long before they would be vandalized or stolen anyways?
Towered
Senior Member
What ever happened to the plan to re-make St. Patrick with an AGO influence and Osgoode with an opera influence?
picard102
Senior Member
Hopefully long forgotten after Museum.
nrb
Active Member
Plans got shelved because of no money. The TTC can barely maintain what they have. Given the choice between service and aesthetics, service wins. Not to say that is the way it should be, just that we have our governments perpetual funding cuts to blame for the shabby state of the system.
Changing the tiles is one incredibly cheap way to renovate (it's basic maintenance masked as an upgrade).
Changing the tiles is one incredibly cheap way to renovate (it's basic maintenance masked as an upgrade).
Johnny Au
Senior Member
Same reason as to why St. Andrew is not remade with an orchestral or theatrical influence.
M II A II R II K
Senior Member
St. Andrew now seems to have uncovered some long covered over rectangular tiling.