scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
"Some" being the keyword here...design was a little late to the party for many precast retailscapes.
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"Some" being the keyword here...design was a little late to the party for many precast retailscapes.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Couldn't agree more, but until the City deals more seriously with what's permissible in the public realm the issues that legible good design promotes are all we have in the war against the primitive fear of unadorned space shown in the images above, and the visual screaming match that often ensues when property ownership and commerce join forces - with the public realm as their field of operations. It's akin to the "spamming" by postering and graffiti that fiendishlibrarian has long denounced. Sometimes folks have to be protected from their own worst instincts, and the body politic from them as well. Flying squads of "good design" police, maybe ... and a design review process definitely.
scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
As long as whatever mingy plastic signs are permissible are overwhelmed by even mingier scalloped glass awnings and precast arcades and the monotony of block-long buildings, even design can't do much. Screaming matches are better than a wall of precast pillars, and they're sometimes functional, if they cover up crumbling bricks (though that's a sign that we should repair the actual buildings). Nothing wrong with a little bit of clutter.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Mistreated older buildings or poorly designed newer ones, equally that ain't no way to treat the public realm. A process like design review can improve a building before it's approved and constructed by having a second set of trained eyes look at it, but we can't expect a high level of visual literacy from commercial interests - see above, and many of the Before and After photographs that Mustapha has posted: I believe we can do much better at reining in this blight than we are doing.
deerparker
Active Member
The little plaza in front of Second Cup at the Charles Promenade is in desperate need of some guerilla gardening. What could be a nice gateway to Charles West is instead an overgrown mess of neglected planters and giant weeds. I know UofT owns the apartments above - does it also own the Promenade?
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
The outside of the Charles Street Mall facing Yonge and along Charles W. needs a major face lift, it's a true eyesore. Except for the Second Cup addition in the late 80's, a couple of add-on's & then add-off's, nothing has been done to the exterior of that little mall since the late 70's at least.
devjohnson
Active Member
i think that too many cheap stores have gotten space on that street. big businesses aren't really looking to put a store right on that street due to the proximity of the Eaton Centre. a flagship apple store wouldn't be bad though 
androiduk
Senior Member
Another good example of a bad landlord contributing to Yonge Streets shabbiness. The building is for sale btw and the price is just under $5 million.
alklay
Senior Member
And I love how some think this shabbiness is part of the street's 'charm'. There is nothing charming about the state of Dollar Kwik.
SunriseChampion
Senior Member
Looking at photos like those above, I'm reminded of parts of Vancouver. Most people will find this comparison diagreeable but I do have to mention that I find large parts of Vancouver to be very shabby and depressing.
Parts of Yonge Street look like a mix between Vancouver's East Hastings and their Commercial Drive.
Yonge Street didn't really bother me all that much before but now that I have something to compare it to........daaaaamn.
Parts of Yonge Street look like a mix between Vancouver's East Hastings and their Commercial Drive.
Yonge Street didn't really bother me all that much before but now that I have something to compare it to........daaaaamn.
urbandreamer
recession proof
585 Yonge: future home to a condo. imho
Long Island Mike
Senior Member
585 Yonge Street: 50s style?
Android: That building at 585 Yonge looked like 50s style architecture to me-the signs posted on it and/or the building's paint job needs updating.
Wow-the price: $5 Million CDN? Is the property worth more then the building itself? LI MIKE
Android: That building at 585 Yonge looked like 50s style architecture to me-the signs posted on it and/or the building's paint job needs updating.
Wow-the price: $5 Million CDN? Is the property worth more then the building itself? LI MIKE
androiduk
Senior Member
^ It used to be a very popular club called the Gasworks and I'd say all the value is in the land. It's a pretty deep lot and would be a great corner for a condo.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
This used to be a cool looking building back in the Gasworks days of the 70's, 80's & early 90's that had, until the end, retained a 1950's kind of look to it. I recall the brick was painted several times back in the days but with more attractive colours plus it was painted with darker accents on raised brick around the building. The windows on the second floor were all opaque squares such as the one that still exists on the corner, it had neon strips & signs and overall had great appeal and created a sense of excitement on the street by night. At one point in the early 80's the rockers & bikers continued to bang away downstairs and a gay bar opened upstairs!
Today, this is a disaster. I don't find anything charming about this mess now, don't know about anyone else. Many other buildings (which I documented earlier in this thread) along the strip south of Bloor I still find handsome, charming or downright beautiful and many are worthy of saving.
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