Edward
Senior Member
That was pretty dumb.
Black Creek Pioneer Village was awful. Extremely happy for the name change, because I was hoping it'd change to anything else! Honestly, they should have shortened it to Black Creek station, or reverted back to Steeles West for that matter.
Maybe they'll rip up the asphalt on Steeles Avenue West leading to the Pioneer Village and replace it with a narrow dirt road, like it was originally. More reasonably, they should create a diagonal dirt path from the station to the entrance of the village, lined with bushes and trees to hide the modern surroundings.
Using landscaping or something else to physically and conceptually tie the station into the actual village would go some way towards vindicating the name choice.
Perhaps they can copy museum and turn the pillars into butter-churning people or blacksmiths or something? OK, that's a bit glib, but seriously, they came up with a striking, modern design and then called the station "Pioneer Village." Some efforts to bridge the gap there would be welcome.
It could be worse. AT&T Station anyone?
On June 24, 2010, AT&T signed an agreement with SEPTA which entitled Pattison Station to be renamed AT&T Station in August 2010. The move is to increasing advertising revenue. AT&T would give SEPTA $3 million, and Titan Outdoor LLC, SEPTA's advertising partner, would receive $2 million
It could be worse. AT&T Station anyone?
Add horse and buggy to transport visitors between the station and the Pioneer Village proper with a tunnel under Steeles Avenue to prevent collisions.Maybe they'll rip up the asphalt on Steeles Avenue West leading to the Pioneer Village and replace it with a narrow dirt road, like it was originally. More reasonably, they should create a diagonal dirt path from the station to the entrance of the village, lined with bushes and trees to hide the modern surroundings.
Add horse and buggy to transport visitors between the station and the Pioneer Village proper with a tunnel under Steeles Avenue to prevent collisions.
One thing to consider might be how future development will change the relationship between this station and BCPV. Sure, there's nothing much there besides BCPV and a bunch of fields at the far end of York campus. However, in the future, York might be tempted to take advantage of this station by really developing their NW corner. Combined with the possibility of private retail/housing catering to students on the north side of Steeles, BCPV could be completely crowded out of the station's immediate neighbourhood.
The plans that I have seen have the North side of Steeles being developed while I haven't seen any plans from York to do anything to their parking lots in the NW. So if anything UPS might be squeezed out, not BCPV.
Currently. But York will continue to expand. And when they do, a bunch of vacant land right next to a major transportation hub will be a very attractive site.
Who knows, maybe Ford will convince York to put his new Argos stadium there.
Curiously timed with the ROM's decision to move their front entrance, so it's now faster for anyone coming from the Spadina line or the Bloor-Danforth line to get off at St. George instead. I have to wonder why they didn't at the same time add a secondary entrance directly from Museum station, into the nearby basement of the ROM - similar to the entrance in New York from 81st Street station to the Natural History Museum.Years after Museum station opened, some citizens donated money to make the station look more like a museum.