Evocative Images of Lost Toronto

[Lone Primate]

I remember seeing various proposals in a book by John Sewell that had different suggestions for Old City Hall in the construction of the Eaton Centre. One left just the clock tower, standing alone behind the Cenotaph. I'm kind of a fan of newer, flashier, higher; but I'm glad we didn't lose Old City Hall. The Eaton Centre's fine how and where it is, and we didn't need to lose Old City Hall to get it.

 

[Goldie]

Booze in Old Town Toronto

Interesting web site:

Booze in Old Town Toronto

http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuse...il&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000411&hs=0&rd=103608

 

[FAC33]

I remember seeing various proposals in a book by John Sewell that had different suggestions for Old City Hall in the construction of the Eaton Centre. One left just the clock tower, standing alone behind the Cenotaph. I'm kind of a fan of newer, flashier, higher; but I'm glad we didn't lose Old City Hall. The Eaton Centre's fine how and where it is, and we didn't need to lose Old City Hall to get it.

I've seen those drawings, too, and they're a little scary. I've seen a few other examples where a building was demolished but a tower or spire left in place, and they never look right. It was a pretty near thing, from what I recall from my reading--the developers were insistent that the centre just wouldn't work without the Old City Hall space, but a group of citizens got together and managed to save the building--one of the earlier examples of that kind of thing in Toronto.

 

[Red October]

I've seen those drawings, too, and they're a little scary. I've seen a few other examples where a building was demolished but a tower or spire left in place, and they never look right. It was a pretty near thing, from what I recall from my reading--the developers were insistent that the centre just wouldn't work without the Old City Hall space, but a group of citizens got together and managed to save the building--one of the earlier examples of that kind of thing in Toronto.

It definitely wouldn't have been the same.

 

[Goldie]

Interesting web site:

Booze in Old Town Toronto

http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuse...il&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000411&hs=0&rd=103608

JT Cunningham has asked me to add this to the "Booze" thread:

 

[thecharioteer]

It definitely wouldn't have been the same.

 

[Red October]

Having the office towers would have been awesome, but not at the cost of Old City Hall.

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

Interestingly, the Star was right on board with this proposal, with an editorial agreeing that the Old City Hall had to go in order to accelerate the modernization of the core into a modern skyscraper city, but once they sensed that public opinion was against the demolition of the building they changed their view.

 

[Blovertis]

That cartoon captures the zeitgeist: A fusty cramped portrait of Old City Hall vs. a huge picture of soaring towers complete with a jet flying in the background. The not-so-subtle message: "This is a complete no-brainer."

 

[k10ery]

The proposed towers would have been far better than the crap Zeidler and B+H ultimately put up.

 

[FAC33]

That cartoon captures the zeitgeist: A fusty cramped portrait of Old City Hall vs. a huge picture of soaring towers complete with a jet flying in the background. The not-so-subtle message: "This is a complete no-brainer."

I've always wondered why, if Old City Hall was such a "monstrosity", did the proposal even bother keeping the tower?

Of course, to my eye in 2012, those three proposed towers look characterless and boring compared to Old City Hall, but in 1966, with CCW still years in the future and the TD Centre just rising, I'm sure they looked fabulous.

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

"I'm sure they looked fabulous."
QUOTE.

And so they did to many people, clean, modern, bigger, better, etc. I however, have always been in awe of the Scadding Cabin.
(LOL)


Regards,
J T

 

[adma]

The proposed towers would have been far better than the crap Zeidler and B+H ultimately put up.

Er, I don't know. They have their 70s high-tech zest--the "crap" being more in their subsequent bowdlerization (the new C-F vestibule, et al).

Though I do agree that if the "original" scheme came through, the towers (as opposed to Old City Hall's fate) wouldn't necessarily be universally condemned today. (And SOM's concrete-slab aesthetic somewhat prefigures stuff like Manulife, etc.)

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Agreed. Whenever I see that old plan of the Eaton Centre I think of W.R. Grace:

 

[Earlscourt_Lad]

I think if it had gone ahead (demolishing Old City Hall), we'd view it almost the way we view the loss of the old Registry building to be replaced by new City Hall. Some would look at old photos and bemoan the loss, but overall I think we'd just look at the whole development, including new City Hall, somewhat positively.