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Waterfront: Hearn Sports Complex

Sorry for the double post

I just measured the Hearn Building and compared it some other four plexes in the region (Brampton and Oakville) and Hearn is more than big enough. It has an extra 100metres in length and 30-40metres in width. I guess technically you could use the extra space for a parking lot, but I think there are better uses that would suit the community. I guess it just depends on what other amenities will be in the area.
 
Though I welcome any ideas for reusing the Hearn, I don't know if a hockey arena is high on my list of ideas. If Toronto needs an arena, perhaps restoring Maple Leaf Gardens should be a higher priority than Hearn... MLG is centrally located, is already in arena form, and in its current state is an embarrassment to the City.
 
Hearn would be used for minor hockey/recreation. 4 rinks is a pretty significant increase, especially in the downtown core. MLG would only provide one rink, and you'd have to pay the exorbitant cost for its upkeep considering its size and the number of unnecessary seats. If we're looking for the most bang for our buck, Hearn wins hands down. Just think about things like only needed one zamboni to cover 4 rinks and only one snack shop/restaurant. Multi-plex arenas are far more efficient and cost effective than any single rink facility. Hell, maybe with the extra space that I noted above, they'd consider putting in a curling rink as well!
 
^
How many curling rinks are in Toronto? The only one I know about is that one in Leaside.
 
wyliepoon said:
Though I welcome any ideas for reusing the Hearn, I don't know if a hockey arena is high on my list of ideas. If Toronto needs an arena, perhaps restoring Maple Leaf Gardens should be a higher priority than Hearn... MLG is centrally located, is already in arena form, and in its current state is an embarrassment to the City.
Click to expand...

I agree,but the problem is that it is owned by the private sector and not the city.
 
The Hangar - Hoopdome

They should also consider having a few basketball courts in there. There are very few good quality/properly sized courts in the downtown core for public use. Having something like The Hangar/Hoopdome downtown would be amazing. :D
 
^ I agree. To be honest, I'm okay with just about anything being included. Basketball, curling, raquetball, All-purpose... whatever. Anytime you have an opportunity to do something like this, you need to examine all options. I don't think you can go wrong really with any sort of recreational facility being built along with the 4-pad.

If I have some time tomorrow, I might make up a mock layout for the facility, just to see what we'd have to work with.


Oh, and we have probably ten or so curling rinks in the city. I don't know what demand is like, but it's one of Canada's top sports, so it's worthy of some consideration I think. The only problem I see with curling is that curling facilities need to be managed to ensure the proper ice conditions. It's not like hockey where cold temperatures is all you need. You also need to keep tabs on humidity and air flow because the ice is specialized for curling. So you could never put a curling game on hockey ice. It just wouldn't work properly. In a re-adapted facility like Hearn, it might be difficult to create the proper environment for curling without spending a lot of extra money.
 
I would love to see a museum of modern art in here. (or some type of tourist attraction) With it's wide open space, it would be perfect for larger art pieces. If they build that 4 rink complex in the area, we certainly won't need 3 more here. That would be way too many for one district.
 
Torontovibe said:
I would love to see a museum of modern art in here.
Click to expand...

I think this kind of thinking is what is missing from the waterfront -- the orientation is largely towards outdoor casual activities, with not much thought for new cultural or other more urban draws.

That said, given how poor the art museums generally are in Toronto, filling such a vast volume would be an insurmountable challenge.
 
Behnisch Architekten's plan for 3 hockey rinks here is fantastic. The Hearn is far bigger than the Tate in London, so no, we could never use up all the space here for a modern art gallery, but after fitting 3 hockey rinks here, there would still be room left over for an art gallery here anyway...

And then we wouldn't be stuck with some awful aluminum siding and precast warehouse style rink elsewhere in the portlands. Behnisch are an amazing company. They gave us the Biomolecular building at U of T a few years ago, and Germany is home to lots of their wonderful stuff, like this in Hannover:

29311940.jpg


and I cannot wait to see what their plans are for this site. This is quite possibly the project to champion in this city until we can get commitments from the governments involved.

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