P23
Active Member
I like the idea of having the museum in the courtyard though. With a glass roof it could be a very interesting space.
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Toronto Old City Hall Proposals
- Thread starter rdaner
- Start date
FMCS
Active Member
It's so unfortunate that there is very little creativity in this city. They can bring in the private sector and perhaps turn part of the building into a theatre a museum on the history of Toronto and the "Golden Horseshoe" region, with archive photos, video from the various municipalities in a immersive and interactive environment. Perhaps get the cities Universities and Colleges to create a common music and arts space where students could work together and share artistic ideas, some cafés and restaurant, etc.... The old City Hall building is large enough to have all of these inside. There are so many other options, a mall is the laziest off all!
ryguy7787
Active Member
Maybe the Hockey Hall of Fame should take a few floors. I'd love there to be a dinning part of the building, formal and not. A library/community center would work great as there is not a lot of community buildings in the area (especially with every new condo.) What about a new art gallery? University? LARP? Event space?
All of the above?
All of the above?
christiesplits
Senior Member
I like this suggestion at BlogTO... move the city's offices at Metro Hall to Old City Hall, and then sell of Metro Hall.
http://www.blogto.com/city/2015/09/torontos_old_city_hall_could_become_a_shopping_mall/
http://www.blogto.com/city/2015/09/torontos_old_city_hall_could_become_a_shopping_mall/
ardwold1
Active Member
Don't speak for me, please. And we've got plenty of fantastic "stuff to show". This is the perfect place and time for a City Museum.
ryguy7787
Active Member
I would rather make it fully open to the general public. It's in the perfect spot of the city, yet I find from West of Yonge St to University, it lacks a lot of interaction with the general public, almost like a chore to walk that way, opposed to the same stretch on Front or Bloor. Queen, King and Dundas could use a lot of work in that aspect.
smably
Senior Member
Anybody know the square footage of Old City Hall? (And the square footage the city occupies at Metro Hall?)
ksun
Senior Member
Ok, suppose we have enough fantastic stuff to show, it is likely to charge $20, and most people in Toronto end up visiting it once or twice in their life time. Do you go to see the ROM or AGO every week or even every month?
The reason I oppose a museum is it doesn't exactly provide a space for people to go to frequently. Also considering the quality of ROM/AGO, I don't expect this city museum to be such a magnet for either locals or tourists. I am not saying Toronto doesn't have a history, but it is not like we are an ancient city full of exciting events. We may need a city museum, but in a small place, not this.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
ProjectEnd
Superstar
No idea what Metro Hall is but Old City Hall has 164,389.41 sf of Rentable Area and 186,090.35 of Maintainable Area (which I believe is essentially the City's way of saying net and gross).
Lenser
Senior Member
Let's place a monorail inside of it. That'll save the day.
salsa
Senior Member
No put a ferris wheel....oh never mind that will cast a shadow on NPS.
Transportfan
Senior Member
Move the reference library there, demo the existing one, and redevelop that site.
Lenser
Senior Member
I'd rather the reference library stay where it is, thanks. A true Toronto icon.
As for old city hall, a museum or even a restaurant, maybe. But a mall? I don't think so. Maybe if you dug down and linked to the Eaton Centre, you could do retail downstairs. But that would be crazy-expensive. It's a grand old building, it deserves something decent.
As for old city hall, a museum or even a restaurant, maybe. But a mall? I don't think so. Maybe if you dug down and linked to the Eaton Centre, you could do retail downstairs. But that would be crazy-expensive. It's a grand old building, it deserves something decent.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Agree on both counts. As to the cost of digging down - well, Union Station adopted that solution partly on a financial basis and partly because having additional commercial is a good fit. Just what are we paying for with the mall, considering a good chunk of the maintenance/renewal costs for the Old City Hall has already been paid for by the city. It literally is handing a public building out to the private sector to profit from without much rationale.
AoD