Toronto Nathan Phillips Square + Spirit Garden | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto

12 April 2012

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jaycola said:
Even closing off Yonge, Nathan Phillips Square is much larger. I retract my suggestion...
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But no matter where it's held, it would be nice to see the quality improve. Toronto has given the world many of the best musicians in contemporary music, but last New Years Eve bash, I mostly saw forgettable acts. The stage had plastered garbage bags in the background. It was kind of boring, and not impressive in terms of culture.
 
That is going to be one very unusual stage, with all those stairs leading to the walkway. Even that garden thing on the back end is quite unique. I just can't figure out what they are going to do with it. It looks like a small seating area. It's going to be very interesting.
 
The stage is quite a brilliant design. It will solve multiple problems and allow for uses that were severely lacking in the square:

- Creates a place to sit and people watch
- Provides a storage area for crowd control infrastructure (previously stowed in ugly chained off areas under the walkways)
- Lays out a large and obvious access point to the underused walkways. People will naturally gravitate to the walkways and I bet they'll be much better used now
- Nathan Phillips Square finally gets a permanent stage and does away with the need for constant construction and dismantling of ugly temp stages

They're supposed to be done for this summer and it looks like they can probably meet that target if the canopy is already being built offsite. The stage itself is nearly finished judging from those photos. Flooring and cladding are all that remain.
 
Wasn't me!
 
I wish they'd get rid of / move the sculpture ! and pave it to match.
 
I can't get over how good old city hall looks in that picture! I cringe at the idea that it was once slated for demolition!
 
I'm delighted that they gave the Peace Garden the old heave-ho, because I'm old enought to remember how impressive the Square was before it was added. For similar reasons, ever since the redesign was unveiled, I've been suspicious of the effect that imposing the honking great permanent stage will have. There's a danger in over-programming a major public space, and building structures to cater to that approach which conflict with other parts of the whole - in particular, the "personal space" of the Henry Moore sculpture looks as if it has been invaded rather too closely by the steps and the stage.
 
I was worried about that too, but if you see the stage as a seating area, I think in contrast it will bring a nice focus onto The Archer for a lot of people. Let's just hope they'll be absolute fascists about keeping clutter off the square, after all this is done.

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According to an engineer at the site the fountains along the eastern edge of the square will be working by July.

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k10ery said:
I was worried about that too, but if you see the stage as a seating area, I think in contrast it will bring a nice focus onto The Archer for a lot of people. Let's just hope they'll be absolute fascists about keeping clutter off the square, after all this is done.

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Some sort of James Bond-ish hydraulic system, whereby the stage setup could emerge from beneath the Square upon the command of an ancient guardian deputed to insert a special key in a hidden paving stone, would have been fun.
 
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