pw20 said:
I have to be honest - comments like this really derail the discourse on this forum - and I apologize for picking on you. DarnDirtyApe has a legitimate POV, calling him a member of FordNation simply because you disagree with Mirvish's assessments are part in parcel why sometimes this forum can be "inside baseball". Calling out Mr. Mirvish doesn't make User Experience Darn Dirty Ape a member of FordNation - not everything in Toronto or Urban Toronto needs to be about His Fatship Mayor Ford.
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Mr Ape was the one called out on his misrepresentation of the facts. Asserting that Gehry's architecture is of "arguable aesthetic appeal", calling the OCAD facility insignificant and that the contents of the gallery was from his dad's old restaurants is simply incorrect. Using this to prove his assertion that Mr Mirvish is on some kind of nefarious mission is not a legitimate point of view.

So who is derailing the forum?

Oh and BTW....you can pick on me all you like...I can take it as well as dish it...just make sure you can.
 
.. Okay, so, anyway ..

I miss the petals from the first published scheme. Does anyone recall if any explanation / reason was given for such a stripped down pair of towers? The newly minted version is refreshing to a some degree, but I was tantalized by them-thar petals …

Anyone care to ponder out loud about what happened?
 
I expect Gehry will concentrate on adding detailed refinement to the next iteration... I'm confident it will be more sculptural and sleekly nuanced as we go along. How it meets the street will be important and it's there that I'd like to see the most dramatic improvement.
 
freshcutgrass said:
There you go again...there is no need for a "smokescreen". If all he wanted to do is make money, he would simply either sell the land to developers or develop it himself and profit from the sales like every other condo developer in the city....sans expensive architects and cultural benefits.

It's pretty clear to any thinking person that the motive here is to leave a legacy...not die richer. And a legacy that matters to him....which is why it includes great architecture and art. You can slag that off as "stroking his ego", but that's what philanthropy is. It's his legacy, his property, his money and his art...he can do it the way he prefers...not some wonky idea "you" dream up.
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Remember, the warehouses are heritage-designated (or whatever the term is, I can't recall) so in theory a typical condo project wouldn't get approved on the site. That being said, you're probably right in that it's more ego stroking than money that is at stake, but I don't agree that the city should necessarily indulge him.

Wow. That's a lot of downgrading in one sentence.
Frank Gehry architecture lacking aesthetic appeal eh? ok that's news.
Considering the current size of OCAD, the new facilities is a significant addition, as well as offering things beyond just additional square footage.
Oh...and FYI...the Mirvish Collection has nothing to do with the "stuff" that used to be in his fathers restaurants (that stuff was auctioned off when the restaurants closed).
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I feel like this is going to fall on deaf ears... but like any piece of art or design, building design is subjective. I am personally not a fan of most of Gehry's work and from what I have heard, opinions among the people of Toronto (who elect the Councilors and Mayor who make our laws) about this project are mixed. Regardless, there is no objective evidence that the proposal is better than what stands there now, and given that the buildings are designated heritage (you cannot argue this fact) we should not allow the proposal to proceed.

For the record I am hardly a member of Ford nation, just someone who respects history and decided to argue with skyscraper fetishists for some strange reason.
 
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Today is the day:cool:

Toronto City Council Meetings......June 8/2014

TE33.8 Final Report - 260-270 King Street West and 274-322 King Street West City-Initiated Official Plan Amendment (Ward 20 - Statutory: Planning Act, RSO 1990)
A report on this Item is due from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning
Communication TE33.8.5 has been submitted on this Item
Held By Ana Bailão
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/decisio...on=doPrepare&meetingId=7854#Meeting-2014.CC54
 
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They will be luck if they get to it today - they barely got anything done this morning - and there's a lot of issues to be discussed beforehand
 
DarnDirtyApe said:
I am personally not a fan of most of Gehry's work and from what I have heard, opinions among the people of Toronto (who elect the Councilors and Mayor who make our laws) about this project are mixed.
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And take a look at who the mayor and councillors are. And that was my point...I never said you were a member of Ford nation....I said we live in a city that elected him (and many other fools). This is a city that makes very poor choices, and the way this was handled reflects that.



DarnDirtyApe said:
Regardless, there is no objective evidence that the proposal is better than what stands there now, and given that the buildings are designated heritage (you cannot argue this fact) we should not allow the proposal to proceed.
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It's strange that these warehouses are designated in the first place. If your opinion is that a couple of boring, whitewashed brick boxes that meet the street poorly is superior to the M&G proposal, then that's your prerogative. And of course heritage building get demolished....and much more important than these insignificant brick warehouses.

It appears the city will approve what is on the table....save the Whitewear and POW...demolish the warehouses east of Anderson, and just save the front facade of Anderson (because it has some minor decorative doodads). We'd have been doing ourselves a huge favour by demolishing the whole works except for the Royal Alex of course. Anything would do a better job than what's there now...it's terrible.
 
freshcutgrass said:
We'd have been doing ourselves a huge favour by demolishing the whole works except for the Royal Alex of course. Anything would do a better job than what's there now...it's terrible.
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Well to quote you...

freshcutgrass said:
Wow. That's a lot of downgrading in one sentence.
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That stretch of King Street is far, far, far from terrible. Just saying'.
 
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