There are trees on the Queen St. side.

Although I don't like how grey the Queen St. side looks now, I have to admit that once the trees mature and café is open, it will become a nice stretch of Queen St.
 
As has been said here before, a revamping of Queen between Yonge and University would definately be on my wish list.
 
I think getting some vine growth and/or a mural or two (a nice one, selected through competition) would do the trick in making the Queen and York sides of the Opera House much more appealing. A major reno of the street level of the Sheraton Centre and the Eaton Centre Queen Street entrance would be enough, if the NPS redesign is effective.
 
Why would you want to cover the loading dock of the opera house with vines?

What's with this primitive fear of unadorned space? This isn't an Archaic Greek vase!

Why does the honest, elegant and dignified design of this building bring out such retrogressive impulses in so many of you?
 
Since we all seem to have hauled out our usual dead horses to flog, here's mine: what the area REALLY needs is for the beautiful ornate fence at Osgoode to be removed. Historical heresy? Of course. But it would essentially extend NPS westward in a park setting, quadrupling the public space available along Queen.
 
And open up the grounds to the hordes of tourists with the accompanying litter, and the Toronto homeless looking for a cozy places to camp out... not to mention the average citizen cutting muddy trails through the park as a shortcut. I say let the historic fence stay put. Besides it does have an old world charm that is rarely found in this city.
 
"But it would essentially extend NPS westward in a park setting"

how long will the 'park setting' last given the potential traffic
 
Since we all seem to have hauled out our usual dead horses to flog, here's mine: what the area REALLY needs is for the beautiful ornate fence at Osgoode to be removed.
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Worst. Idea. Ever.
 
Ooh, torches and pitchforks!

Yes, that's exactly what I'm proposing. Let the grubby hordes of Toronto trample the beautiful gardens of Osgoode like so many cattle. Let them bring their crumpled-up Tim Hortons cups and sleeping bags and stink. Let them use it as a shortcut to hither and yon. Let them pound it into mud.

I think what I like best about this idea is the howling it provokes. The beauty of the gardens would certainly be sacrificed, but if I was playing SimCity with the place, it's a sacrifice I would make. To my mind, the space is wasted because the fence creates a space that's semi-private, gives a sense of equisite exclusivity, and can't easily be traversed as a shortcut from point A to point B - which really is the only reason people traverse anything. In other words, it's exactly what Osgoode wants it to be. Since it's not broken, I say fix it.

Also, have I told you how much I love the Ryerson business school?
 
what purpose does a fence serve there? easily accessable and connected public spaces are in short supply and a fence like that also sends the wrong message. My recommendation is to auction off pieces of the fence and build affordable housing for humans, squirrels, and birds with the proceeds! We want shady green places to watch opera goers promenade in the fishbowl.
 
"The beauty of the gardens would certainly be sacrificed, but if I was playing SimCity with the place, it's a sacrifice I would make."

On the contrary, every SimCity I make has parcels of light residential zoned around downtown to ensure a few estates + lawns + fences like Osgoode spring up.

Is there room for the fence to be moved back by a foot or three? Even if the streetcar shelter were to be removed, the Queen sidewalk would still be awfully cramped.
 
I enjoy the Osgoode Hall grounds precisely because they are so different from everything else that surrounds them - the sense of privacy and exclusivity, the difficulty in using them as a quick-cut to anywhere else. The lovely old fence is largely responsible for creating this sense of destination and occasion. The charm of the place is that the grounds - and the Hall - are very much open to the public.
 
Couldn't agree more. The calm within the gate is about a universe away from the noise and movement beyond.
 
Is there room for the fence to be moved back by a foot or three? Even if the streetcar shelter were to be removed, the Queen sidewalk would still be awfully cramped.
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Why would the Law Society want to sell the lawn? Would the city be willing to pay the enourmous price to acquire the land and move the fence, not to mention the costs invovled in cutting down many beautiful, mature trees.
 
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