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Demolition is now well underway at the former McLaughlin Planetarium on the University of Toronto’s St George campus, where the long-vacant Modernist structure at 90 Queen’s Park Crescent is being removed to make way for the new Centre for Civilizations, Cultures, and Cities. Located within the university’s Queen’s Park precinct and in amongst the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Falconer Hall, and Philosopher’s Walk, the project will introduce a new 6-storey institutional building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with architects—Alliance as Architect of Record.
A west-facing drone shot captures demolition advancing, where a large section has now been cut out of the east side of the concrete dome. A red telescopic crawler fitted with a hydraulic demolition attachment is positioned within the partially cleared forecourt, reaching upward through the opening to break apart the reinforced concrete shell. Dust continues to vent outward. Beside it, a white mobile hydraulic crane occupies the narrow staging area. Below the dome, portions of the podium enclosure have already been stripped away, revealing exposed structural columns, interior floor-plates, and demolition debris.
A top-down aerial view highlights the dome’s distinctive geometry, much of the hemispherical shell still intact, while its weathered surface had not been repainted in the years since its 1995 closure. Twisted reinforcement, shattered concrete fragments, and dismantled materials are visible.
Looking toward Downtown Toronto, demolition unfolds within the University of Toronto St George campus’s historically layered neighbourhood, including Falconer Hall to the south and the Edward Johnson Building to its right: the planetarium was owned by the ROM until 2009 until it was sold to the U of T and became part of its campus. Demolition exposes further portions of the interior volume, including a planetarium theatre entrance. Equipment, including a yellow tracked excavator, is tightly staged between neighbouring campus buildings. Blue site hoarding lines the edge of Queen’s Park Crescent as construction continues on a new Museum station entrance pavilion adjacent to the left.
The demolition marks the end of a long and often contentious planning process for the site. First unveiled in 2019, the original proposal called for a sculpted 9-storey institutional building wrapped in a gold-toned facade. Designed as a vertical campus building housing the School of Cities alongside a mix of academic, cultural, and public programs, the project featured recessed and projecting volumes, a transparent multi-storey atrium stair, recital and event spaces, and extensive glazing. The proposal was widely praised by the Toronto Design Review Panel, though it also drew sustained opposition from nearby residents and heritage advocates who argued the project overwhelmed its historic surroundings.
Following years of community opposition, revisions, and an Ontario Land Tribunal settlement, the project re-emerged in 2025 with a completely redesigned and substantially reduced scheme. The current proposal scales the building down to 6 storeys and roughly 60% less space than the original concept, replacing the gold-clad stacked volumes with a more restrained angular facade composition referencing the neighbouring Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum. The new building will include institutional space, public amenities, and a recital hall.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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| Related Companies: | architects—Alliance, Bousfields, ERA Architects |
