Toronto 401 Bay Street | 143.86m | 33s | Cadillac Fairview | WZMH

[Gido]

That intersection is such a treat to drive southbound, the history of old Toronto on your left and new Toronto on the right.
That slight to the bank left, and the Simpson Tower and the Thompson Buildings are like the old guards on the gateway to CBD and SoCo.

Thompson buildings are actually beautiful- the concrete just needs to be cleaned- you would be amazed what that and some tasteful new windows could do there.

It's a sad shame The Simpson Tower didn't get the same treatment/respect that MdeAS gave to FCP.
Figures CF is the root of this blight.

 

[Tuscani01]

Maybe it's worth letting them know about this if the Toronto East York Community Preservation Panel isn't already aware.

There are likely people on the panel willing to fight for this building.

Next meeting is Dec. 7th. Email info@teycpp.ca with your thoughts on this project so it can be discussed!

 

[Armour]

There are likely people on the panel willing to fight for this building.

Next meeting is Dec. 7th. Email info@teycpp.ca with your thoughts on this project so it can be discussed!

Best to also bring up that brutalist beauty at 1200 Bay St, whose days are also numbered, apparently.

 

[NBGtect]

I just died a little inside. Such a shame.

 

[adma]

Best to also bring up that brutalist beauty at 1200 Bay St, whose days are also numbered, apparently.

Though when it comes to "pecking order", I suspect that Simpson'd be given priority, on architectural *and* contextual grounds.

(The irony being, the developers might well be dunderheadedly advancing this proposal similarly on "contextual grounds", i.e. a more "welcoming" base supposedly better befitting Queen + Bay, etc.)

 

[adma]

But the *real* irony being how they way they tokenly/presently "retain" the old or the form thereof (i.e. the backward/eastern-facing side of the tower) turns this into even *more* of an unsightly mishmash--like, if you think stuff like the John Lyle Starbuck's facade at 1 Bedford looks ridiculous, this is even worse. Heck, visually speaking it's worse than the original 60s proposal to reclad/rebuild the *whole* Simpson's block in harmony with the tower--at least that was "consistent"...

 

[devjohnson]

The building itself is actually very nice.

All the building needs is a cleanup on the base of the tower + removing the Hudson's Bay sign.

 

[NBGtect]

*agreed* "wholeheartedly"

 

[adma]

It's one of those cases where, if you *really* had to mess with the building and the site, you'd have to do it in some kind of starchitect fashion: hire a Piano or Foster or Bjarke Ingels or something or another. This is hackwork, like Luckman at Penn Station. And if this is all you're capable of offering, just stick with the existing, thank you...

 

[Armour]

It's one of those cases where, if you *really* had to mess with the building and the site, you'd have to do it in some kind of starchitect fashion: hire a Piano or Foster or Bjarke Ingels or something or another. This is hackwork, like Luckman at Penn Station. And if this is all you're capable of offering, just stick with the existing, thank you...

Why waste money on international starchitects when we have a local one in Kirkor?

 

[adma]

Well, by that standard, Charles Luckman was a "starchitect" in his day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Luckman

 

[Filip]

This is disturbing.

 

[salsa]

RIP Simpson's Tower. What a shame.

 

[Amare]

Absolutely disgusting. What company is in charge of this ridiculous re-clad (just so I know who to protest from this point forward)?

 

[CharmAlarm]

Somebody....write to Christopher Hume! At least he might mention it in his column.