In tangentially related news, this morning I saw one of the silos in the Junction being destroyed...
 
^Guess who was there covering the demo, shedding a tear...?

17 November 2010:

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19 November 2010:

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Junction Rd@Cawthra--future condo site or GO train station?
 
I cannot understand why the current city council decided to retain the Silo's which they deemed to be "iconic". According to the city reports it will cost anywhere from $7-20 Million for the remedial work required to "stabilize" the structures. The money for this work is expected to come from the sale of the land, i.e. no net benefit for the city (unless you consider the preservation of an eyesore a benefit).

This parcel of land would be THE perfect location for an Aquarium. What the city should do is hold a competition and offer the land at very attractive lease rate to whichever company proposes the biggest and best Aquarium at this location.
 
^ Well, he did vigorously defend Rob Ford, so go figure.

What is with the fall of the silos lately? The iconic ones on Kipling at the old Consumers Glass factory are coming down as we speak as well..
 
Shouldn't be a surprise. They are obsolete and any sort of adaptive reuse would be exorbinant.
 
If no one can bother to reuse them, why not let them sit there as a relic of a past age. Europe has ruined structures all over the place that draw much fascination nowadays. I can imagine future generations looking at these relics with a similar awe. Perhaps I'm odd compared to "regular" people, but I find that our old silos are strangely beautiful.
 
egotrippin said:
If no one can bother to reuse them, why not let them sit there as a relic of a past age. Europe has ruined structures all over the place that draw much fascination nowadays. I can imagine future generations looking at these relics with a similar awe. Perhaps I'm odd compared to "regular" people, but I find that our old silos are strangely beautiful.
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That's a good idea. Plenty of people find silos to be interesting structures.
 
Peepers said:
I cannot understand why the current city council decided to retain the Silo's which they deemed to be "iconic". According to the city reports it will cost anywhere from $7-20 Million for the remedial work required to "stabilize" the structures. The money for this work is expected to come from the sale of the land, i.e. no net benefit for the city (unless you consider the preservation of an eyesore a benefit).

This parcel of land would be THE perfect location for an Aquarium. What the city should do is hold a competition and offer the land at very attractive lease rate to whichever company proposes the biggest and best Aquarium at this location.
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We don't need another Aquarium. We have one already being built around the corner.

And I'm assuming by "eyesore" you mean that the silo's structural and historical significance hits you in the face so hard it makes your eyes sore. It's really the only way that makes sense.
 
^Cows certainly love them.:p

I'd love to live in an old stone silo in New England or Virginia or along the southern Oregon coast. Remember my old slogan--I'd rather be homeless than live in a condo? Well, I'd rather live in an old silo than a condo!
 
egotrippin said:
If no one can bother to reuse them, why not let them sit there as a relic of a past age. Europe has ruined structures all over the place that draw much fascination nowadays. I can imagine future generations looking at these relics with a similar awe. Perhaps I'm odd compared to "regular" people, but I find that our old silos are strangely beautiful.
Click to expand...

Few places in Europe are facing similar pressure from growth as we do in the GTA. I love industrial architecture and particularily these silo complexes however, they certainly aren't as strong as they look. Canada Malting and Victory Soya silos are riddle with holes that didn't exist 10 years ago. I wonder how much longer they could maintain their silo appearance without necessary maintenance.
 
Towered said:
^ Well, he did vigorously defend Rob Ford, so go figure.
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Which may indeed be a critical factor here--that is, Canada Malting as the perfect Rob Ford "WTF are we considering this falling-apart piece of crap historical for" issue...
 
This needs to be a modern art museum of some sort.. It would be amazing walking down those silos and having art installations on the inside and out
 
egotrippin said:
If no one can bother to reuse them, why not let them sit there as a relic of a past age. Europe has ruined structures all over the place that draw much fascination nowadays. I can imagine future generations looking at these relics with a similar awe. Perhaps I'm odd compared to "regular" people, but I find that our old silos are strangely beautiful.
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Thank you. What's our obsession with turning them into something new? Does everything have to be new?

Make sure they are stable enough not to fall and kill people, and then make them part of a small park or just leave them be to make their own statement. Use the rest of the property for a development, with the silos left as a reminder of a past age. No exorbitant fees, just sensibility.


maestro said:
Few places in Europe are facing similar pressure from growth as we do in the GTA.
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Wuuuuuttttt? No way. And that's not to mention how many spaces there are in Toronto awaiting redevelopment compared to the compact cities of Europe. The only difference here is the sensibility toward preserving the past and how even the ugliest pieces of history can give context and illumination to new spaces. Western Europe (to generalize greatly) does far better at that than we do here.
 
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