[grey]

I look down on Clarence Square, so I definitely see it all the time. It's quite a great space, and I just love the effect of the townhouses lining the north side. Unfortunately, they're all offices so they don't put eyes on the street at night, which would be valuable for such a park. I'd love to see the rest of the square lined with more modern townhomes. It could be a really unique and distinctive space.

Unfortunately the park is rarely used by anyone but dog walkers.

I live nearby Clarence Square, too. I think it has a lot of potential, but the park itself desperately needs to be resodded. I'm not sure who owns the adjacent parking lots to the south east, but it would be a great place for residential townhomes. Hopefully a condo development there (and next to the Spy Films building) will pour some money into the park.

It might take a while for anything to be built to the south, because there are some huge NIMBYs living in the Apex condos who don't want their views blocked.

 

[Conrad Black]

Sorry about the quality of the picture. Wasn't using my camera.

That view is certainly going to change shortly.

 

[BobBob]

I run in circles around Clarence Square sometimes, all the while wondering what the place could be like if the vast empty lots were filled in with something urbane and the park itself renovated, its benches fixed up, lights added... it could be a great little "room" of the city.

 

[maestro]

It might take a while for anything to be built to the south, because there are some huge NIMBYs living in the Apex condos who don't want their views blocked.

it's could be too late for the NIMBYs though considering the two 20 something storey towers on mid-rise podiums were approved a couple years ago

 

[caltrane74]

Ritz-RBC

Courtesy of sunman SSC. -

 

[Edward]

Hopefull when the parking lots are gone they'll be able to take down that brown brick building on the left that houses RBC. That's one ugly building.

 

[Andrew3D]

It's a fairly large site as well and would be a great location for a super tall if we can ever get one. Actually once all the lots are gone their are a number of buildings that may come to their end. And to think these building replaced architectural gems from the early parts of the last century.

 

[grey]

What I'd really like to see torn down is the RBC building at Front and Blue Jays Way, directly north of the Skydome.



Edit: and I'll relate that comment to this thread by suggesting that the RBC employees here could also be moved to the tower, leaving this building vacant and easy to flatten. I'm just dreaming here, of course.

 

[DaninToronto]

This one will be for RBC Dexia employees who are classified seperately from the rest of us. 180 wellington houses some our operations. Its a small building, which is why they moved part of our operations to 483 Bay street. As far as I know, there are no plans to consolidate us within the new RBC building.

 

[3Dementia]

Those 2 are special... part of the ancient "boom years". Tall and curvy makin' it with short and angular. Thousands of CN Tower pics can't be wrong.

Choose a different target... there are plenty in the area.

 

[p5connex]

I have nothing against either of those buildings- the brown box, while not fantastic, is pretty decent- its not hard to replace the windows with something a little more contemporary- perhaps, extruded windows? or something of this nature? The RBC building in front of the Skydome also has its moments- so I will have to agree with 3D- choose another target bub!

p5

 

[interchange42]

That brown box and 180 Wellington that DanInToronto works in are one and the same building. I hope that once RBC Dexia moves kitty-corner, there'll be tumbleweeds blowing through 180, and that it will be subsequently redeveloped. That corner, with Roy Thomson Hall at the NW, deserves a sexier 180.

42

 

[grey]

Have you guys actually looked at the RBC building on Front close up from the Front side (not the angled side from the tracks)?

I dare you to look at that building and not throw up.

There are other targets, sure, but with a new tower popping up around the corner, this could be an easy opportunity.

 

[adma]

You're talking about the sloped front, right? Yeah, I can see that redeveloped/urbanized/intensified someday.

Likewise, I can see the 180 Wellington brick cube redeveloped/urbanized/intensified someday. It's old enough, it's underscaled enough, and it's unheritage enough. Though it's a not unacceptable placeholder for now--at least it respects the street line...

 

[Redroom Studios]

I say keep both of the buildings in question... while 180 Wellington W. is definitely plain and ugly, its provides decent fill and a backdrop for nearby beautiful buildings to play off and contrast with. Its the old saying, if nothing was ugly how would you know what was beautiful? The RBC building on Front W. is pure Toronto... the lower portion maintains the height established by the convemtion centre and the tower portion is a real gem with the curved glass wall that frames the CN Tower beautifully in so many photos.