W. K. Lis
Superstar
The cornerstone says 1984:
It took over 25 years to start to build around it?
It took over 25 years to start to build around it?
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wilson_wu
Active Member
Anybody else agree a building like this would have suited Cathedraltown more?
This building is located at Highway 7/ Warden.
I personally think this building is a gem. Shame it's located beside a Future Shop though.
Second_in_pie
Senior Member
I think so totally. Ironically, I find it completely doesn't fit in with it's surroundings, before and after MTC. Maybe they could just rip them out of the ground and transplant them into cathedral town.
Here was an opportunity for dense, "themed" suburban development that could integrate into transit and more dense non-suburban values, but apparently not. I hope that some cataclysm or smart municipal politician destroys the entire area for it to be built again. And if it was a flood or tornado, it could be called the will of god too
Here was an opportunity for dense, "themed" suburban development that could integrate into transit and more dense non-suburban values, but apparently not. I hope that some cataclysm or smart municipal politician destroys the entire area for it to be built again. And if it was a flood or tornado, it could be called the will of god too
taal
Senior Member
I don't find that building too hot during the day time ... maybe its due to the surroundings though ...
SP!RE
°°°°°°
Excellent photos!!!
It's nice to see in that last photo, how the houses face outwards from the development onto established roads too, as opposed to being only inward-facing. It's nice to see so much brick and not much siding, too. Of course, it's still just another suburb, but I've long wanted to see homes that aren't plastered in cheap siding.
It's nice to see in that last photo, how the houses face outwards from the development onto established roads too, as opposed to being only inward-facing. It's nice to see so much brick and not much siding, too. Of course, it's still just another suburb, but I've long wanted to see homes that aren't plastered in cheap siding.
jswag
Active Member
This place looks like it is crying out for some sort of commercial activity. Any plans for that? (sorry if I've missed that discussion already).
junctionist
Senior Member
In the GTA in the past 15 years at least, suburban housing has generally been clad with brick, not cheap siding.
Edit: Except for some 1970s and early 1980s subdivisions in the 905, I don't know of an era when using brick in common suburban housing stopped, except perhaps for Victory housing.
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waterloowarrior
Senior Member
Right of ways are too wide and built to suburban standards .. that's the biggest thing that keeps it feeling like regular suburbia.
jje1000
Senior Member
Cathedraltown rejoices as church opens its doors after nearly a decade
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ch-opens-its-doors-after-nearly-a-decade.html
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ch-opens-its-doors-after-nearly-a-decade.html
junctionist
Senior Member
I didn't realize it was that exquisite with the stonework and murals. I'm happy to see that progress is being made towards completing it and using it as a cathedral.
MisterF
Senior Member
^The cathedral is actually pretty impressive close up. Too bad about the community around it. I agree with Waterloowarrior's post (from 2010) - the streets are far too wide. Especially on the Cathedral High Street. It was conceived as a boutique high street similar to Unionville Main Street, but they engineered all the life out of it. The bike lanes aren't really necessary, the buildings have an unnecessary 3 m setback from the sidewalks, and the traffic lanes are unnecessarily wide. A street like that should be much more intimate in scale. And don't even get me started on the lifeless architecture - it seems like the architects learned nothing from the buildings on the main streets that they were trying to emulate.
Speaking of bike lanes, a street like Woodbine (the bypass) is exactly where protected bike infrastructure is needed. And it does have bike paths, but they're some of the worse bike paths I've ever seen. It's basically a widened sidewalk and that's it. It's shared with pedestrians, made of concrete so it's unpleasant to ride on, signage is minimal, and there are no bike markings on the path so most people probably have no idea that cyclists are supposed to be there. Intersections are just regular pedestrian crosswalks - nothing telling drivers to expect cyclists there. Most cyclists I've seen just use the road.
Speaking of bike lanes, a street like Woodbine (the bypass) is exactly where protected bike infrastructure is needed. And it does have bike paths, but they're some of the worse bike paths I've ever seen. It's basically a widened sidewalk and that's it. It's shared with pedestrians, made of concrete so it's unpleasant to ride on, signage is minimal, and there are no bike markings on the path so most people probably have no idea that cyclists are supposed to be there. Intersections are just regular pedestrian crosswalks - nothing telling drivers to expect cyclists there. Most cyclists I've seen just use the road.
jje1000
Senior Member
I really doubt the area has the density to sustain any sort of main street, and on top of that, most of the retail is located behind the cathedral, leading to... nowhere.
A better idea would have been to ring the cathedral with Euro-inspired mixed-use midrises, creating a more compact hub that acts as a destination. I think that's what they're still planning on doing but disregarding the land dispute, that area should have probably been developed first to serve as the core.
Barring that, the biggest missed opportunity is in the color palette- everything is one shade of beige, where they could have mixed in more color options.
A better idea would have been to ring the cathedral with Euro-inspired mixed-use midrises, creating a more compact hub that acts as a destination. I think that's what they're still planning on doing but disregarding the land dispute, that area should have probably been developed first to serve as the core.
Barring that, the biggest missed opportunity is in the color palette- everything is one shade of beige, where they could have mixed in more color options.
Johnny Au
Senior Member
Good thing the cathedral isn't like the Sagrada Família in Barcelona that took well over a century to construct.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
