unimaginative2
Senior Member
Turning the houses of industry into homes
Toronto abounds with underused or abandoned industrial sites that are ripe for residential conversion
DAVE LEBLANC
daveleblanc@globeandmail.com
March 28, 2008
A drawback to being an architourist is that one can never stroll blissfully unaware of one's surroundings.
As I walk dense urban streets or even spread-out suburban thoroughfares, I'm constantly on the lookout for vintage neon signs, store logos fossilized in terrazzo (both covered in this space before), new infill construction, and old buildings awaiting new life ... or the wrecker's ball.
Of particular interest are old buildings that would make for great condominium conversions. For instance, while looking for parking near Queen Street and Broadview Avenue, I turned onto Saulter Street, which dead-ends at the railroad tracks. On the west side are typical Toronto "bay-n-gable" homes; most of the east side, however, is the former home of the Maydwell Manufacturing Co., a wood mouldings fabricator.
With a little imagination, this low, U-shaped building transforms from a boarded-up eyesore into a hip residence. Heck, it already displays good urban manners by rising no higher than the homes beside it, and the courtyard offers the potential for a stunning landscaped entryway, perhaps with a glass roof to create a microclimate.
Unfortunately, the posted development notice announcing that Captiva Investments plans to build 16 three-storey townhouse units suggests that the building is not long for this world.
A gem that is currently occupied but underused, in my opinion, is the mid-century office building at 1880 O'Connor Dr. (at Victoria Park). I can remember when this building had a name - the Roy Building -emblazoned on the turquoise brick wall, and the clock on its facade actually worked.
I've always loved the folded plate roof over the entrance and slit windows in the stairwell, but I've never been able to identify the architect responsible for this delicate composition. In any case, as the building is poised at the top of a hill, I do know that living room views from the huge wraparound windows would be stunning.
In September, 2006, I asked my friends at urbantoronto.ca - an online forum for discussion of all things architecture in Toronto - to have a little fun with "fantasy" condominium conversions. Dreamt up were conversions of the Ontario government's Whitney Block, the CN Tower and the giant KFC bucket that once sat beside the Gardiner Expressway.
This time, I asked for places a developer could jot down in a little black book as having real potential should they come up for sale (like the Roy Building), and was pleasantly surprised by the results.
As one who no doubt lives in the Junction, "junctionist" (those involved used pseudonyms) suggested the 1929 Viceroy building at 1655 Dupont St. (formerly the I.T.S. Rubber Co.) as being "most attractive" to developers for its size. The " 'for lease' signs on it for years" mean it's ripe for redevelopment.
"TKTKTK" pointed to the entire area surrounding the 1925 Wellington Destructor (a.k.a. incinerator) at 677 Wellington St. West as a potential mixed-use neighbourhood. "The scale could be kept intimate and pedestrian, and exploit the small yards and courts that are already there."
For a touch of the exotic, "HiRiser" highlighted the former Far East Theatre (part of the Dragon City mall) on Spadina Avenue in Chinatown. "Adma" thought the 1960s Regal Constellation Hotel "cheese-grater" near the airport would be a nice place to live.
Another great suggestion from "adma" was the "Gropiusgasm" at the corner of Dupont Street and Dovercourt Road. Formerly the Hamilton Gear Co. (founded in 1911, closed in the mid-1990s), this gigantic Bauhaus-like "greenhouse" was where gears as tall as trees awaited shipment to mines, mills and even the St. Lawrence Seaway locks.
Rather than break up the glass facade, however, "adma" felt it better to insert the units "independently within the glass cage." I see these as stacked boxes similar to Moshe Safdie's Habitat; at night they'd sparkle like diamonds in a jewellery display case.
While abandoned silos might scare potential developers because of to the costs involved, "junctionist" suggested St. Marys Cement at 43 Junction Rd. ("Floors would be added, parts of the concrete walls could be cut, and glass would then be added.")
"Jayomatic" thought E.P. Taylor's early 1940s Victory Soya Mills (at the base of Parliament Street) could "have units cantilevered out from them in different sizes according to unit type ... to add some visual interest."
Silo conversion isn't as far-fetched as one might think. Not only was it the dream of Canadian architect Joseph Storey (he wanted to convert sugar beet silos in his hometown of Chatham), it's been done in Europe, South America and as close as Akron, Ohio. In the latter case, a collection of 36 grain silos that once belonged to the Quaker Oats Company was transformed into a 260-room Hilton Hotel in 1979. (It was recently sold to the University of Akron for student housing; see http://www.quakersquare.com.)
Practically "begging" for a "second happy life" is the Symes Road transfer station, says "adma," but "junctionist" says the "really uninspiring environment" of industrial wasteland means those "pleas" may never be answered. Perhaps the new residential neighbourhood to the south will find its way up to this art-deco treasure before it's buried.
To close, "notyouagain" envisioned life in the Victorian fire hall at 351 Birchmount Rd., which Scarborough council declared a heritage property in 1981.
"The clock tower would make a very nice office. Any idea what the city plans for this property?"
I haven't a clue. But if there are any dreamers at city hall on a par with my friends at urbantoronto.ca, it will be something wonderful. As for the rest of those properties ... any takers?
Toronto abounds with underused or abandoned industrial sites that are ripe for residential conversion
DAVE LEBLANC
daveleblanc@globeandmail.com
March 28, 2008
A drawback to being an architourist is that one can never stroll blissfully unaware of one's surroundings.
As I walk dense urban streets or even spread-out suburban thoroughfares, I'm constantly on the lookout for vintage neon signs, store logos fossilized in terrazzo (both covered in this space before), new infill construction, and old buildings awaiting new life ... or the wrecker's ball.
Of particular interest are old buildings that would make for great condominium conversions. For instance, while looking for parking near Queen Street and Broadview Avenue, I turned onto Saulter Street, which dead-ends at the railroad tracks. On the west side are typical Toronto "bay-n-gable" homes; most of the east side, however, is the former home of the Maydwell Manufacturing Co., a wood mouldings fabricator.
With a little imagination, this low, U-shaped building transforms from a boarded-up eyesore into a hip residence. Heck, it already displays good urban manners by rising no higher than the homes beside it, and the courtyard offers the potential for a stunning landscaped entryway, perhaps with a glass roof to create a microclimate.
Unfortunately, the posted development notice announcing that Captiva Investments plans to build 16 three-storey townhouse units suggests that the building is not long for this world.
A gem that is currently occupied but underused, in my opinion, is the mid-century office building at 1880 O'Connor Dr. (at Victoria Park). I can remember when this building had a name - the Roy Building -emblazoned on the turquoise brick wall, and the clock on its facade actually worked.
I've always loved the folded plate roof over the entrance and slit windows in the stairwell, but I've never been able to identify the architect responsible for this delicate composition. In any case, as the building is poised at the top of a hill, I do know that living room views from the huge wraparound windows would be stunning.
In September, 2006, I asked my friends at urbantoronto.ca - an online forum for discussion of all things architecture in Toronto - to have a little fun with "fantasy" condominium conversions. Dreamt up were conversions of the Ontario government's Whitney Block, the CN Tower and the giant KFC bucket that once sat beside the Gardiner Expressway.
This time, I asked for places a developer could jot down in a little black book as having real potential should they come up for sale (like the Roy Building), and was pleasantly surprised by the results.
As one who no doubt lives in the Junction, "junctionist" (those involved used pseudonyms) suggested the 1929 Viceroy building at 1655 Dupont St. (formerly the I.T.S. Rubber Co.) as being "most attractive" to developers for its size. The " 'for lease' signs on it for years" mean it's ripe for redevelopment.
"TKTKTK" pointed to the entire area surrounding the 1925 Wellington Destructor (a.k.a. incinerator) at 677 Wellington St. West as a potential mixed-use neighbourhood. "The scale could be kept intimate and pedestrian, and exploit the small yards and courts that are already there."
For a touch of the exotic, "HiRiser" highlighted the former Far East Theatre (part of the Dragon City mall) on Spadina Avenue in Chinatown. "Adma" thought the 1960s Regal Constellation Hotel "cheese-grater" near the airport would be a nice place to live.
Another great suggestion from "adma" was the "Gropiusgasm" at the corner of Dupont Street and Dovercourt Road. Formerly the Hamilton Gear Co. (founded in 1911, closed in the mid-1990s), this gigantic Bauhaus-like "greenhouse" was where gears as tall as trees awaited shipment to mines, mills and even the St. Lawrence Seaway locks.
Rather than break up the glass facade, however, "adma" felt it better to insert the units "independently within the glass cage." I see these as stacked boxes similar to Moshe Safdie's Habitat; at night they'd sparkle like diamonds in a jewellery display case.
While abandoned silos might scare potential developers because of to the costs involved, "junctionist" suggested St. Marys Cement at 43 Junction Rd. ("Floors would be added, parts of the concrete walls could be cut, and glass would then be added.")
"Jayomatic" thought E.P. Taylor's early 1940s Victory Soya Mills (at the base of Parliament Street) could "have units cantilevered out from them in different sizes according to unit type ... to add some visual interest."
Silo conversion isn't as far-fetched as one might think. Not only was it the dream of Canadian architect Joseph Storey (he wanted to convert sugar beet silos in his hometown of Chatham), it's been done in Europe, South America and as close as Akron, Ohio. In the latter case, a collection of 36 grain silos that once belonged to the Quaker Oats Company was transformed into a 260-room Hilton Hotel in 1979. (It was recently sold to the University of Akron for student housing; see http://www.quakersquare.com.)
Practically "begging" for a "second happy life" is the Symes Road transfer station, says "adma," but "junctionist" says the "really uninspiring environment" of industrial wasteland means those "pleas" may never be answered. Perhaps the new residential neighbourhood to the south will find its way up to this art-deco treasure before it's buried.
To close, "notyouagain" envisioned life in the Victorian fire hall at 351 Birchmount Rd., which Scarborough council declared a heritage property in 1981.
"The clock tower would make a very nice office. Any idea what the city plans for this property?"
I haven't a clue. But if there are any dreamers at city hall on a par with my friends at urbantoronto.ca, it will be something wonderful. As for the rest of those properties ... any takers?
