[sjmx]

So nothing should be built if it displaces current businesses? The existing buildings should not be altered? Purist, idealist thinking; There is a long gap between 'rip down/chain store' and preserving every brick with existing tenants and rents. I am advocating a healthy discussion about what should be there and how the massing might relate to the facade, not suggesting it gets leveled, wholesale;
That is not what I meant by fait d'accompli; I would think that a condo of that socio-econonic makeup would more likely house Whole Foods and Starbucks along with some high end hair salons. Curiously, it is probably the most likely force that will dislocate the 'Subway' chain that you seem to have picked as the poster child for 'bad' multinational chains that you hold contempt for. There is one already on that block you know, it's around the corner on John street. I think they have a combo special right now but you wouldn't know as you are obviously not elitist enough to partonize it.

 

[neubilder]

Correct. This row of buildings should not be altered or redeveloped. They should be maintained and restored and otherwise left as-is. You can remove the cow if you like.

 

[neubilder]

sjmx - don't tell me, you voted for Rob Ford.

 

[ahmad.m.atiya]

This is one of the most dense areas of the city. It is ludicrous to think that the current scale will remain forever; The design and type of density should always be open for discourse but to live in a heritage bubble in an area of the city such as this is delusional. The building facades should be preserved with attention to be paid to a requirement for stepped-back vertical massing but bring on the density -- it is the saviour of this city and this area of the downtown's fate is already sealed as more Manhattan than Ontario small-town.
Restaurant row, like so many other areas of downtown, was great in its day but is overdue for a little re-visioning. Bring it on.
This is now the epicentre of Toronto's cultural touchstone, TIFF, and let's be honest, the resto action there is mediocre at best. I am not worried about it. If you really care about heritage, step up to help out Hamilton's downtown where historic buildings still get replaced by parking lots. Toronto's doing just fine. The cow hanging from the building is tired and tacky and not one bit 'heritage'.

At least there's one sane person commenting on this thread. This area really needs to match its surroundings better. It's a central area in Canada's best downtown, not some small resort village out in the country. More density is not just welcome, but needed here.

 

[TheBoss]

I don't see an issue if the restaurant row remains intact?

 

[neubilder]

I don't see an issue if the restaurant row remains intact?

...not an issue if the restaurants remain intact, or the row of historic buildings that house them?

 

[NIL OMNI]

while I dont like the elitist tone of sjmx' post, I think his observations are mostly correct.

I concur re: observations, which didn't strike me as elitist though, just a strong (and in some quarters unpopular) opinion.

it is a fait d'accompli at this point t

For the record, it's "fait accompli." Agree overall with your comments though.

 

[icescraper]

I thought that hanging cow was the klassiest thing in Toronto....

 

[Lansdude]

It's far from a foregone conclusion, but barring a moratorium on any development here, we're bound to see them dismantled to a greater or lesser extent. The simple equation would say that if the value created in developing the site and keeping existing architecture in some altered form is greater or equal to the value lost in the alteration of the same, then they will open it up to development. I think the answer to that is 'yes', particularly since new value inhering in the lightbox has been conjured up, and that that comparatively rather hulking contextual fact has made the row seem like the unbalanced element.

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

Ok, so density is the saviour, blah blah blah, big city not some hick town, stuck on cow is not heritage, etc. etc. TIFF is across the street so now everything has to be upscale, blather blather, heritage buildings out of context now, fait accompli, elitist whatever...

This block is vibrant now, as a series of facades on sterile glass towers, it might not be. It's the eclectic nature of the block that adds to its vibrancy I think. Reducing it to a series of facades with controlled "safe" restaurant tenants (i.e no hangning cows) might turn it into the sort of fake restaurant row on the south side of 33 Yonge. Redevelopment may be inevitable, but there are still other half-dead blocks nearby that deserve to be redeveloped before letting the developers run all over this lively stretch of King.

 

[Corktowner]

Losing King W

Ok, so density is the saviour, blah blah blah, big city not some hick town, stuck on cow is not heritage, etc. etc. TIFF is across the street so now everything has to be upscale, blather blather, heritage buildings out of context now, fait accompli, elitist whatever...

This block is vibrant now, as a series of facades on sterile glass towers, it might not be. It's the eclectic nature of the block that adds to its vibrancy I think. Reducing it to a series of facades with controlled "safe" restaurant tenants (i.e no hangning cows) might turn it into the sort of fake restaurant row on the south side of 33 Yonge. Redevelopment may be inevitable, but there are still other half-dead blocks nearby that deserve to be redeveloped before letting the developers run all over this lively stretch of King.

Couldn't agree more. I could see building a project on the parking lot
with something that fit in with the existing historic structures
(refer to the Berczy). This will stick out almost as much as Theatre
Park will to the east. Also, I hope I'm not seeing the Westinghouse
building becoming a podium in that diagram...Enough already. Adam
Vaughan should read some of the posts here to see how the public feels
about this project. It would be nice to see some buildings maintained
beyond their facades for a change.

 

[sjmx]

Preserve the block, unaltered, eh? Hmmm... how often do you hang out in the back alleyway? Sorry. Build us a re-visioned block with towers, please. If I want unaltered historic blocks I'll go elsewhere. This area is now Manhattan density. Density seems to be the theme with this thread...

 

[sjmx]

I concur re: observations, which didn't strike me as elitist though, just a strong (and in some quarters unpopular) opinion.



For the record, it's "fait accompli." Agree overall with your comments though.

LOL! Thanks Nil; I don't pretend to be an accomplished scolar, just to occasionally sound like one : ) Could never remember if that was how you spell it and I'm too web-lazy to look it up!

 

[unimaginative2]

Wow. This is awful. By far the liveliest and most interesting block in the entire neighbourhood and of course we'll just let it be demolished for more sterile, grey condo lobbies. Brilliant. Has anybody noticed that Wellington, Front, etc. aren't exactly successful and attractive streetscapes? It may horrify some here but even Manhattan wouldn't level Greenwich Village for a bunch of bland condo towers because it's "out of scale" with the Manhattan neighbourhood. In fact, that stale argument was made to justify the Pan Am building that destroyed the vista along Park Avenue: the old New York Central Building was now too small compared to the ugly new Rothscrapers being built along Park Ave.

 

[neubilder]

Preserve the block, unaltered, eh? Hmmm... how often do you hang out in the back alleyway? Sorry. Build us a re-visioned block with towers, please. If I want unaltered historic blocks I'll go elsewhere. This area is now Manhattan density. Density seems to be the theme with this thread...

Only a relatively small portion of Manhattan is actually highrise, and much of that is early 19th century 'highrise'. Vast districts of Manhattan, not far from the CBD, are built up with brick walk-ups. It's worth noting that these areas are also remarkably dense - probably much denser than Cityplace, and vastly more interesting.

Berlin has almost nothing over 7 storeys and is an incredibly dense and vibrant city.

Houston on the other hand is what Toronto will become if this trend continues.

Bland, lifeless, boring, corporate.

Parts of TO already are - Young and Eglinton, everything north of the 401...