Funny how many people are freaking out about Stollery's and yet I haven't seen one article or any outrage about the last of the Dickinson Regent Park buildings coming down. I'd say the Dickinson buildings were much more significant to our history.

Context. Those went through years of process to determine that the costs were too great to keep them. Stollery's was wrecked overnight at one of the city's most prominent intersections.

Also, there is no Dickinson stone. =p
 
I'd agree about the Dickinson Regent Park buildings - not sure why they couldn't have saved just one to refurbish.

To refurbish it would have been too expensive and resulting in completely gutting it and rebuilding it to meet current building codes.
 
I'd agree about the Dickinson Regent Park buildings - not sure why they couldn't have saved just one to refurbish.

Also, Hue's facade has infinitely more heritage value than Stollery's did. This one would be a shame to lose.
Oh weird. I thought one was being left.
 
Funny how many people are freaking out about Stollery's and yet I haven't seen one article or any outrage about the last of the Dickinson Regent Park buildings coming down. I'd say the Dickinson buildings were much more significant to our history.

Most here are on record stating they understand that Stollery's should go, even the more preservation-friendly among us. The hoopla is a reaction to the way it was done though, raising several concerns:

- Concern that the demolition was hasty, that there will be an empty lot sitting here for years
- Concern about the true intention of the developers, that they rushed to demolish and yet we haven't even seen the design concept of what will replace it.
- Irritation that some architectural features weren't salvaged (for use on site here or elsewhere). The fact that some here don't value any of these things (clearly) doesn't mean they do not have value.

A little more information and openness would have gone a long way to easing the process of losing a long familiar part of the urban realm here... not to mention would have lent a little more credibility to the developer who does arguably remain a bit of a question mark when it comes to the type of development they are promising. It's not like we haven't seen the ol' bait and switch before.
 
Also, Hue's facade has infinitely more heritage value than Stollery's did. This one would be a shame to lose.

Indeed Hue's is definitely the more aesthetically admirable structure. I definitely like that building much more than stollery's. That facade I would hope could be pasted onto the south portion of the yonge street facade of Mizrahi's Mystery.

I think it would nicely anchor the heritage facades of yonge street before the expose of modern architecture encountered on all four corners at bloor.
 
20 feet of it was demolished when Bloor Street was widened in 1928. - Though I don't quite get why the photo shows the south bit being torn down.

Keep in mind that it might be simply a 20s version of a common technique now, i.e. demolish the part to be rebuilt, allow what's left to operate as a "temporary Stollery's", and then when the new is finished, demolish the rest of it to make way for the Bloor widening...
 
Please don't compare demolishing a building to taking a person's life. Looks like you're the one who needs some sensitivity training.

Okay: I'm back.

And really: I feel that a lot of the issue here which spurs the sneers from others is that the kind of comprehensive understanding of pre-existing urbanity that I've long advocated really works against the vested interests of those "in the field", whether it be development, design, real estate or construction--too much kid-gloves love of and bonding with the old as a threat to their livelihoods and bottom line, et al. (And a bruise to the ego, to boot.)

That is, a lot of you may be familiar with my "road trip" analogies of urban appreciation, i.e. better Route 66 than the Interstate, better the old King's Highways than the 400-series, et al. But however heartfelt they are--here, it's wasting energy on a crowd that'd much rather fly by Porter.

And unfortunately, I don't speak "much rather fly by Porter" lingo.
 
The facade of Hue's is quite impressive. I will be sad to see it torn down.

I would call the facades of some historical buildings in Paris 'quite impressive'. I wouldn't call Hue's 'quite impressive'. It's oldish and it's Toronto and it's nice, and it'll be shame when it's gone, but it's hardly 'quite impressive'. And in its current state it's actually kind of garish and cartoonish.
 
I would call the facades of some historical buildings in Paris 'quite impressive'. I wouldn't call Hue's 'quite impressive'. It's oldish and it's Toronto and it's nice, and it'll be shame when it's gone, but it's hardly 'quite impressive'. And in its current state it's actually kind of garish and cartoonish.

No, it doesn't match Paris, but with some TLC, it would be quite attractive. For me, however, the question is not really about this particular structure. It is about the Victorian and Edwardian streetscapes of my native city. (My IPad tried to turn that into "street apes" by the way). At some point, structures that are not individually distinguished become more valuable simply because they represent those vanishing streetscapes. I am not claiming that we have reached that point with this building. I am persuaded that it is time to think about the general question, however.
 
No, it doesn't match Paris, but with some TLC, it would be quite attractive. For me, however, the question is not really about this particular structure. It is about the Victorian and Edwardian streetscapes of my native city. (My IPad tried to turn that into "street apes" by the way). At some point, structures that are not individually distinguished become more valuable simply because they represent those vanishing streetscapes. I am not claiming that we have reached that point with this building. I am persuaded that it is time to think about the general question, however.

We should try to protect fine structures (like the old hotel owned by the Lalani's that burned) and continous strips of modest but interesting structues (like 5 St Joseph's pieces on Yonge). So anywhere on Yonge that we currently have collection of Victorians we shoul move to protect them even if they are currently hidden under IEFs
 
Yeah, much of the frustration/overreaction here arises from the incoherency of heritage practices in the city. It may be similar elsewhere, but 'elsewhere' probably isn't experiencing the tremendous pressure for development and intensification that Toronto has been/is.
 

Back
Top