Toronto 49-51 Yonge Street | 226.86m | 62s | SmartCentres | a—A

[Undead]

I was expecting much worse so I'm relieved more than everyone else is horrified

 

[Ciarlandini]

Ok why not a lot at yonge and elm. There's at least one proposal there for a similar height.

St. Michael's hospital landing pad clearance issues

 

[Towered]

Brutal. Agreed, the interior is absolutely worth retaining. We need to keep the historical, different types of social spaces that buildings like these provide.

Would it be possible to disassemble the interior, build the tower, and then reassemble the heritage interior?

 

[ML555]

Wow, this is gutting... All of the 2nd Empire (and related) buildings in Toronto seem to keep losing pieces of themselves over the years (decades), and this building was such a beautiful example of some of the best, lost, buildings that occupied downtown.

 

[Amare]

That's part of the point I was making. There is very much a lack of buildable sites, hence these proposals.

For instance, give me an address and I'll tell you why you can't build there.

The thing is though, we really dont need to build skyscrapers on every single site downtown that doesnt have a high-rise already. Yes I understand land is scarce, but there are certain sites that need to be spared outright. This definitely qualifies as one of them.

 

[Northern Light]

Would it be possible to disassemble the interior, build the tower, and then reassemble the heritage interior?

You need room for the elevator core and some additional structural work.

As such, I would basically say 'no'.

Certainly it may be possible to save and/or replicate some desirable interior features; but that's some serious $$$; but it wouldn't be the same anyway.

 

[cd concept]

I can't believe this is happening! It feel like an arms race on who's Has the biggest artillery! In this case it's a neck on neck building issue lol! But it is a nice building too!

 

[Blixtein]

Grotesque absurdity. How can anyone in their right mind think this OK? For all the land scarcity I can think of two sites in the immediate area that would be far more suitable. The first one is on the east side of Yonge, two blocks north, currently occupied by some fast food places next door to Good Life. The second one is the parking lot on Church between King and Adelaide. Surely that would make far more sense than this ridiculous add-on to a heritage building.

 

[saynotofaux]

Trash. Never gonna happen.

 

[Towered]

Trash. Never gonna happen.

I would anticipate the city refusing the application, only for it to be approved through an LPAT appeal...

 

[condovo]

100% nope. Nope.

 

[Strange Advance]

SmartCentres. If that isn't a name that connotes urbanism and downtown living, I don't know what is.

 

[xy3]

The aluminum panelled overhang under the 7th floor is ghastly!

aA continues to vandalize the streetscape and skyline of the city.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

They really insist on wanting to stick something there that doesn't look like the other...

...so here's the deal, if they can't preserve those interior columns and arches pict'd two pages before this comment with that 60 story monolith sitting on top of it, then they have two options as far as I am concerned:

1) Stick it on that site of the north west corner of Adelaide and John where I suggested it should be four pages back.

2) Or stick it somewhere where the sun doesn't shine!

 

[Northern Light]

I may have spoke too soon @Towered

They appear to be contemplating partially re-instating some of the original interiors (but they would be demolished first)

That does not change my opinion on this proposal; though should it go through, the more than can be saved the better.

From the Heritage Impact Assessment: