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Allan Gardens Revitalization Plan

DSC said:
Was there ever a cast iron fountain? I remember a tiled one of 1950s vintage nearer to Jarvis, west of Greenhouses. (The City restored the 'bowl' about 10 years ago and then found the water lines were gone so just filled it all in!)
Click to expand...

This is the historic fountain from Allan Gardens:


1577665013694.png




Image from this website:



From the same website, different image:

1577665059176.png
 
DSC said:
Thanks, I had never seen those images.
Click to expand...

Me neither; and, if memory serves, it looks quite a bit like the (non-functional) "fountain" in the Four Seasons courtyard -- I wonder if it was the inspiration for it.
 
DSC said:
Was there ever a cast iron fountain? I remember a tiled one of 1950s vintage nearer to Jarvis, west of Greenhouses. (The City restored the 'bowl' about 10 years ago and then found the water lines were gone so just filled it all in!)
Click to expand...

I think there was one up into the 40s-50s (when most of Toronto's old cast iron fountains disappeared). Edit: Northern Light explains it better.

Picture from its last sad days being stripped apart. I wonder if any of its pieces were salvaged as antiques, rather than scrap?
pictures-r-764-jpg.46309

The Fountains Of Toronto

Since Toronto seems to have such a hard time respecting it's fountains properly, and the forum talks about this issue quite a bit, I thought maybe it was time to start up a thread about it. I did a quick search of the forum, and didn't see a particular thread about it anywhere. Mods, if there is...
urbantoronto.ca urbantoronto.ca

Claude Cormier had an abstract project for this, but I hope he or some other architect's retained to bring back an actually functioning fountain.
www.claudecormier.com

Green Fountain - CCxA

www.claudecormier.com www.claudecormier.com
 
Admiral Beez said:
Have you visited Halifax public park? Other cities have downtown gated and botanical gardens - perhaps Toronto needs one too. The formal gardens in St. James Park are the closest I can think of to this ideal.

Notwithstanding the above, I'm okay with the dogs. The Public Gardens in Boston are gated and dog friendly. I'd love to see the smaller 10 acre Allan Gardens emulate some of the 24 acre Boston.
Click to expand...
I imagine if Allan Gardens park had a wall and gate like the Halifax public garden that it would be closed like Mount Pleasant.
 
Perhaps of interest?

The History of Allan Gardens Webinar
With David Winterton, FOAG Co-Founder and Board Member
Tuesday, June 16 at 12 p.m.

Join us to learn about the early history of Allan Gardens, one of Toronto’s oldest landscaped public spaces and sites of social interaction, as well as its current context.

Registration for this free webinar is required. https://friendsofallangardens.ca/foag-calendar/allan-gardens-history-webinar/ .
 
Getting ready for next phase:


Notice of Intended Procurement
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Solicitation
number:		TBA
Commodity:Professional Services, Engineering Services
Description:Allan Gardens Conservatory Palm House ‐ Heritage Building Restoration & Functional Upgrade
Consulting Services Scope Summary:

Heritage Building Comprehensive Restoration architectural and engineering design, specification and construction contract administration services performed in conformance with regulation of jurisdictional authorities generally, and with the Ontario Heritage Act specifically, municipal by‐laws enacted thereunder, and structured by the document: The Standards & Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada .

Supplemental to the Heritage Building Restoration scope of work, principal elements to be addressed by the Functional

Upgrade design and engineering are:

‐ building envelope ‐ windows glazing and glass cladding replacement, and adjuncts

‐ indoor environment ‐ ventilation and air quality systems and controls modernization

‐ building interior barrier‐free accessibility and circulation

‐ serviceability

‐ electricity and water use efficiency

_all to enable and equip Parks Forestry & Recreation Division, Greenhouse Operations best practices for cultivation and display of the horticultural collection.
Issue date:July 24, 2020
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Closing date:August 15, 2020
at 12:00 Noon
See: https://wx.toronto.ca/inter/pmmd/calls.nsf/0/108F7320A27489EC852585AF0066D7BE?OpenDocument
 
Here is a link to the Allan Gardens revitalisation plan from 2017, they apparently now have some $$ (a $200,000 bequest) to start on it and the Palm House work is starting soon too, This from Friends Newsletter:

We have an important update regarding the Palm House. After much study by the City and expert consultants, it has been determined that the iconic Palm House requires new glazing and cladding to meet safety requirements, restore building envelope performance, and facilitate ongoing maintenance. Work on the Palm House is anticipated to begin in summer 2021, and is forecast to take 18 to 22 months. While the Palm House will be closed during construction, other greenhouses are anticipated to be open intermittently when safe public access can be provided.

See: https://friendsofallangardens.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/refresh.pdf
 
Update from FOAG (Friends of Allan Gardens).

"The City continues to move forward with plans to bring the historic Palm House into a state of good repair and has recently selected an engineering firm to oversee the work. This work is expected to commence in fall 2021 and is anticipated to take approximately 16 months. FOAG will continue to provide input to the City and its consultants regarding this important project."

The refresh is described here. https://friendsofallangardens.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/refresh.pdf
 
This on KWT's Ward Newsletter:

The City’s Parks, Forestry, and Recreation, alongside Friends of Allan Garden has embarked on heritage building restoration of the Palm House (1910) at Allan Gardens. This restoration is a long time coming and sorely needed as the last major alterations and repairs that were done at the Allan Gardens Conservatory complex were in 2002-2003. I am excited to see City staff and Friends of Allan Gardens embark on the Palm House Restoration.

The City has hired the following architecture and building engineering consultants:

  • Zeidler Architecture inc.
  • RJC Engineers Read Jones Christofferesen Ltd. - Structural engineering
  • The Hidi Group - Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineering
  • AREA Architects Rasch Eckler Associates Ltd. - Heritage Building Architects
Currently, staff are working on the construction of the washrooms to the conservatory administration building. The public washrooms that currently exist will be completely replaced by new facilities. Construction tendering will be complete in July, and I look forward to providing more information as it becomes available.

​
 
DSC said:
This on KWT's Ward Newsletter:

The City’s Parks, Forestry, and Recreation, alongside Friends of Allan Garden has embarked on heritage building restoration of the Palm House (1910) at Allan Gardens. This restoration is a long time coming and sorely needed as the last major alterations and repairs that were done at the Allan Gardens Conservatory complex were in 2002-2003. I am excited to see City staff and Friends of Allan Gardens embark on the Palm House Restoration.

The City has hired the following architecture and building engineering consultants:

  • Zeidler Architecture inc.
  • RJC Engineers Read Jones Christofferesen Ltd. - Structural engineering
  • The Hidi Group - Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineering
  • AREA Architects Rasch Eckler Associates Ltd. - Heritage Building Architects
Currently, staff are working on the construction of the washrooms to the conservatory administration building. The public washrooms that currently exist will be completely replaced by new facilities. Construction tendering will be complete in July, and I look forward to providing more information as it becomes available.

​
Click to expand...

I found it really difficult to get excited about Allan Gardens in general - every improvement is piecemeal, with no final vision that we know of to inspire. I fear the outcome will be a mish-mash of municipal mediocrity.

AoD
 
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