I agree. It looks like token facadism instead of actually encorporating it into the development in a meaningful way. At least the James Cooper Mansion project actually kept the entire mansion intact.
It's an improvement on what looked like it was going to be.. but I still wish they kept the whole thing..
John Lyle is an important figure in Toronto and it's history, and his studio should have been preserved.
I agree with the commentary in the main post - having lots of healthy trees in that courtyard will really help to tie it all together and make an inviting space. Of KPMB's 3 major condo projects that have recently been completed, this one is the best in my eyes. Still not a huge fan of this firm's work overall though. The precast quality actually looks decent here at resembling limestone with some colour variation from one panel to the next...
The trees may at least hide such an uninspiring gesture of preservation. It's too bad because this condo isn't run-of-the-mill. The podium is well-designed with many setbacks and aligned with the building next door for a good street wall. It's also clad in real limestone. The tower itself is somewhat lacking in identity, but it does have the 'hat'. Too bad it interrupts the University College vista from King's College Road and Circle.
I like this building. Sure, the facade is not the greatest, nor is the incorporation of the heritage structure, but it meets the street really well and has very promising public spaces.