Toronto 506 Church | 159.25m | 48s | Graywood | Diamond Schmitt

Hot take: I like it. Fight me, I'm willing to debate. A lot of what we do here is beg for uniqueness and we're starting to actually get it. Obviously this is not my favourite building and there are things I don't like, but the general trend of breaking away from stark functionality (and glass boxes) makes me happy. I think we should look at the bigger picture here
 
condovo said:
Why is O'Grady's being saved? Is it not part of the assembly? Can't they induce the owners to sell? It's a major lost opportunity not to bring this right to the corner of Maitland. That windowless party wall is crap.
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Oh yeah, let's just destroy the entire gay village for some condos with generic retail!

That said, I agree the end wall is crap. And it's highly unlikely nothing of that scale is going to be built on the O'Gradys site anyway, so it should have windows. But overall I wouldn't say having a nicely resolved frontage on Maitland is worth getting rid of 3 major establishments in the village, we're already losing 2 to this mess. Plus no way will whatever would get built along Maitland have the vibrancy of the patio that is currently there. Maybe it would make this building better resolved, but it would be worse for the neighbourhood in every way.
 
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TossYourJacket said:
Oh yeah, let's just destroy the entire gay village for some condos with generic retail!

That said, I agree the end wall is crap. And it's highly unlikely nothing of that scale is going to be built on the O'Gradys site anyway, so it should have windows. But overall I wouldn't say having a nicely resolved frontage on Maitland is worth getting rid of 3 major establishments in the village, we're already losing 2 to this mess. Plus no way will whatever would get built along Maitland have the vibrancy of the patio that is currently there. Maybe it would make this building better resolved, but it would be worse for the neighbourhood in every way.
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100% agree. The comment about just getting rid of O'Grady's so ridiculously tone deaf and highlights the ignorance that some people have on this thread towards development without and consideration for actual livability or cultural history of the neighbourhoods these buildings occupy.
 
I really like this too, for a variety of reasons:
  • It maintains the Crews and O'Grady's spaces for Queer social venues, which are disappearing rapidly.
  • The rhythm of the streetwall is maintained with the three storey brick bump-outs
  • It uses high-quality materials
  • The colours aren't depresso grey or cheapo blue
  • The angular plane adds visual interest (it's fun to see people on their balconies) and adds to the community feel of the street (the Pride parties on those terraces will be amazing)
  • The back of the building isn't sterile; lots of animation from balconies and some design nods to the surrounding buildings (those double-height overhangs look like those on the neighbouring building on Maitland)
  • Adds more commercial space where there currently isn't any
  • Last but not least: it eliminates yet another parking lot.
 
urbanexplorer said:
100% agree. The comment about just getting rid of O'Grady's so ridiculously tone deaf and highlights the ignorance that some people have on this thread towards development without and consideration for actual livability or cultural history of the neighbourhoods these buildings occupy.
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BTW, I lived in the village for a decade and I live close by today. I'm intimately aware of its livability and cultural history. That being said, O'Grady's needs to go. A new building is coming whether we like it or not. It might as well be the best it can be. O'Grady's is turning it into an unsightly mess. The performative deference to Cruz/Tango is largely to blame--there's no way the future condo-dwellers are going to let them operate longterm--but O"Grady's is making a bad situation a whole lot worse, with that ridiculous, overbearing party wall. Give them dibs on the new corner retail space and design it in a way that allows them to have a generous patio.
 
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AlexBozikovic said:
Looks like someone saw the AIDS-quilt facade that HPA designed for Casey House and decided to mimic it.
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…which is wonderful on Casey House, and may not be a disaster here that some are predicting.

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Final Report, approval recommended to the next meeting of TEYCC:


Very specific S.37 benefits here:

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renx.ca

Graywood set to launch 594-unit downtown T.O. condo

Graywood Developments will launch sales for Centricity, its 53-storey, 594-unit condominium development next to Toronto Metropolitan University, early in 2023. It's a sign of the company's belief in the project and the resilience of the Toronto housing market.
renx.ca renx.ca

The Diamond + Schmitt Architects-designed 506 Church Street is a proposed 14-storey, 160-unit condo located just south of Maitland Street in downtown Toronto. It has received approval to move forward and sales should launch next year.
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Not sure why they couldn't do that whole planned building in that red brick style...

(...and where we all going to party during Pride Week when they do put that building there? >.< )
 
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