Preferred choice for the St. Lawrence Centre Redevelopment Competition

  • Brook McIlroy, Trahan Architects, and Hood Design Studio

    Votes: 11 13.9%
  • Diamond Schmitt, Smoke Architecture, and MVVA

    Votes: 12 15.2%
  • Hariri Pontarini, LMN Architects, Tawaw Collective, Smoke Architecture, and SLA

    Votes: 39 49.4%
  • RDHA, Mecanoo, Two Row Architect, and NAK Design Strategies

    Votes: 16 20.3%
  • Zeidler Architecture, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Two Row Architect, and PLANT Architect

    Votes: 1 1.3%

  • Total voters
    79
  • Poll closed .
Higher rates, but less guaranteed work.

See, labour negotiations can actually produce reasonable compromises.
 
Perhaps, but I doubt that any particular labour arrangement at any time would save the theatre as a city-owned property under the current regime. For Ford the sell-off is a matter of principle, not practicality.
 
Passed by the other day, and by looking around you cant help but imagine that location will be for a future hi-rise.

I have never been a fan of this building. I would say they have not exactly been the greatest neighbor either. After a number of complaints to the city, it appears they have finally got their garbage under control. It was no fun constantly walking around and often through it on the sidewalk. Now if they could just wise up and remove that incredibly huge garish billboard on the side of the building. That does not help the appearance of the building.
One gets the feeling that the biggest problem the Centre has may be just pis poor common sense management.
If this building goes the route of becoming a condo, then it will have to be leveled. Condos need parking. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is would be a drastic alternative to saving a piece of this city's (heritage?..ouch) history.
I remember reading something a couple of years back about a proposal to close Scott St. Off at Scott lane up to Front St., making it a multi tiered parkette type common area and integrating the Cente with the Sony, creating a cohesive appearance overall. It seemed like an interesting idea. Now if we could sweetalk Mr. Mirvish into taking it over. If he can turn a profit running that Railway theatre, than this one should be a piece of cake for him.
One thing for sure.. This place definatly needs some outside of the concrete box re-thinking.
 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ncil-seeks-to-unload-theatres/article2196166/

The plot thickens as Toronto city council seeks to unload theatres

JOHN LORINC
From Monday's Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Oct. 09, 2011 6:35PM EDT


St. Lawrence Centre (Bluma Appel and Jane Mallet theatres)

Currently home to Canadian Stage and the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, the St. Lawrence is considered to be the most likely of the three to be a candidate for redevelopment, with the potential for additional density on land behind the building. But that stretch of Front Street is subject to detailed urban design and planning rules. Still, Mr. Dan observed, the land is potentially worth millions of dollars, but the buyer and the city must figure out what to do for the tenant companies during redevelopment.
 
So I found some delicious renderporn here http://www.cicadadesign.ca/portfolio/lawrence.html Architect is indeed D+S

stlawrenceperformingart.jpg


stlawrenceperformingart.jpg


Hard to believe, but my dream of a crazy bright-coloured balcony painted condo may actually happen!
 
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Very nice!
 
The big issue of this theatre rebuild is (of course) the financing, and the solution is a fairly obvious one, the condo tower.

Regarding the architecture - bring it on! D+S breaking out of their strait-laced ways.
 
Roy G. Biv Condos

It looks they are rehashing the city room at the Four Seasons Centre.
 

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