Call me a NIMBY but it seems ashame to lose this building. Could have made a nice base for a building, at least from the side we can see in the picture above.
 
Its actually a really pretty school. Fantastic deep windows and it could have made a great base for a condo but they wouldn't have room to keep the field and construct a new school at the same time.
 
Butt then, there's nothing all that special about the school. These are pretty typical of the era for lots of these types of schools. I go for a walk and see three that look just like them.
 
I too would prefer something that can incorporate the school.
 
Canuck:

I think the presentaton posted in this subforum earlier highlighted the issues as to why retaining the old school causes problems. Interestingly, there was some talk of facadism from the said report - but it doesn't seem that materialized in the Tridel project.

AoD
 
Ok; in a perfect world I would hope for some retention of the structure.
 
AlmightyFuzzy's link that starts this thread gives a history of the school, with photographs. The original 1912 building, considerably smaller than what it has become, is reminiscent of a Tudor manor house. The link says:

"Retrospective ( sic ) of its' rich history, the original school's "gothic" arches and two bay windows from the principal's office will be integrated into the new facility's central courtyard."

Also, the new school has "clean linear lines"!
 
I agree with Gingerbread Man that there's nothing particularly remarkable or unique about this school. Toronto has quite a few like it. I seem to recall from earlier articles, when this first came up, that the existing building is pretty much falling apart and not worth preserving. Having said that, it would be nice to incorporate some historic bits and pieces into a new foyer or courtyard or whatever. I would hope some photographs will be posted in the new building.

Time moves on, and although Toronto generally could do a better job of preserving its history, it must be said that not everything is worth saving.

I wonder if Tridel will be able to charge a premium price for units with a good view of the football field?
 
There's facadism, and then there's follyism, ugly facadism's even uglier little sister. For some reason, schools seem particularly inclined to follyism, where a freestanding piece of a structure is preserved. I can think of maybe five or six of these in the city, most of them schoolbits.
 
What? I thought the old school was being saved! What a travesty.
 
Butt then, there's nothing all that special about the school. These are pretty typical of the era for lots of these types of schools.
Click to expand...

Well first of all that’s your opinion and you’re more then entitled to it. Yes they’re typical to that era, and what an era it was when schools were built as landmarks. I think each and everyone is worth saving. Just because one neighborhood has 2 or 3 of these shouldn’t mean its ok to bulldoze one of them. If we continue with that kind of attitude one day we’ll have a fraction of the stock from this era as we do now. In a city such as Toronto where we’ve lost so much of our old buildings already I think every heritage structure is obligated a bit more respect and preservation. Compared to other structures around the area, I’d say this is one of the more unique.
 
Is Tridel contributing funds to the new school?

I like the design and if the students are getting a brand new, state of the art facility, its a win-win for everyone.

Louroz
 
The Republic (of Yonge and Eglinton)

From the NTCI website - a bit of a timeline for the process:

The present school, North Toronto Collegiate Institute, with 5 rooms was completed in 1912 with some additions added over the years.

Feb 2003 - Decision to rebuild school
June 2003 - recommendation to approve a plan to rebuild North Toronto Collegiate Institute as a joint-use project with the French Catholic District School Board and a developer. The new secondary school would have a capacity of l200 for North Toronto C.I. and 500 pupil spaces for the French Catholic Board. The total cost is estimated at $34M with the TDSB's share at $l4M. The reason this school has been chosen for replacement is its location on the Yonge St. corridor and on the subway line. There is a critical need for secondary pupil places in the former North York, a need for underground parking in the area and the French Catholic Board's need for a new secondary school to serve students in the area.

Jan 2004 - The Toronto Preservation Board approved adding NTCI to the list of architecturally significant buildings. They stated that they recognized that there was a need for an improved facility that may require that the existing building be demolished. They hoped that one of the existing façades could be maintained or replicated in the new structure.

2003 - 2004 - NTCI website suggests proposals with developers are rapidly changing - National Post article suggest 2 45s towers and a globe article suggests 3 30s towers are potentially in the works.

October 28, 2004 - Sheila Penny told NT staff that 10 proposals had been received. A short list of 5 will be selected then narrowed to 3. Interviews will be conducted in December and a developer/architect will be choosen and sent to the TDSB for approval in January or February.

June 23, 2005 - Board of Education approved the re-building project for North Toronto Collegiate.

The re-building of the school was first approved on February 4, 2003. However, last evening's meeting solidifies the financial package that makes the re-build possible. The approval was given in private session of the Board because of the financial discussion. In the end, one trustee voted against the plan, all others voiced their support.

The development partner will be Tridel and the architects for the school will be Carruthers Shaw and Partners Limited. The specific architects who will be involved are Paul Cravit (principal) and Maureen O'Shaughnessy (associate). This is the same firm that built Riverdale and Earl Haig. The architect for the condos wil be Rosario Varacalli (Burka Varacalli architects).

June 27, 2005 - First Design Team Meeting - The new school will be a 4 story, 156,000 sq. ft. 1206 pupil school with an auditorium, triple gym and a "full size" football field with track. Two proposed project schedules show construction starting between Feb 2008 and July 2009 - these construction dates allow for a possible 18 month rezoning process and a 14 month pre-sale period for the condos.

September 12, 2006 - The Zoning and SPA approval date has been revised to February 2007. The main points are as follows:
Working Drawings for the School and Underground Facility: October-February 2007
Zoning and SPA Approvals: February 2007
School and Underground Building Permit application: February 2007
Condominium Permit Application: April 2007
School and Underground Permit Approval: May 2007
Construction: June 2007-June 2009
 
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