PMT
Senior Member
Preliminary Report: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-138236.pdf
The proposed replacement for Northrop Frye is a five-storey “Integrated Learning Centre” and would potentially be built out of mass-timber due to the environmental appeal of the material. In accordance with the University of Toronto Secondary Plan Review—a document that contains a series of goals and regulations concerned with architecture and land use—such a building would “preserve and enhance the built and open space environment.” However, in order for construction of this replacement structure to commence, a few legal matters must be sorted out.
Firstly, the 27,000 square-foot lot upon which Northrop Frye is situated is officially known as the “Triangle Lands”. Far from being the geometry-lover’s heaven the name suggests they might be, the “Triangle Lands” are an exemption from an 1892 land lease from the University of Toronto to Victoria College. This exemption means that in order for construction of the proposed building to occur, the 1892 lease has to be amended to permit Victoria to build upon the “Triangle Lands”. Accompanying this proposed amendment must be an Official Plan Amendment application as well as a Rezoning application. These logistical obstructions mean that regardless of whether Vic students love or hate the proposed new addition, it likely is not at risk of becoming a reality in the immediate future.
Some photos of Northrop Frye Hall before eventual redevelopment:
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Looks like U of T/ Vic laid off the landscapers! Everything is overgrown!