Toronto Aga Khan Museum + Ismaili Centre | ?m | ?s | Aga Khan Dev. | Maki and Associates
B
barit
Guest
Bata International Centre - Demolition Has Begun
I have reversed my original plea requesting no demolition photos. I now want as many as possible so that there will be a permanent record of this atrocity. I hope "his highness" enjoys them. The heavy machinery has started to chew up the western facade.
I have reversed my original plea requesting no demolition photos. I now want as many as possible so that there will be a permanent record of this atrocity. I hope "his highness" enjoys them. The heavy machinery has started to chew up the western facade.
D
Dale Theriault
Guest
Its a very sad day for Architecture
Last week driving by the Site me and my girlfriend noticed the plywood on one of the windows of my all time favorate building. She says to me "I sure hope they are not tearing that down", and I respond " They would never tear down that building, it has too much merit in this city...I am sure the OAA and the Heritage Council have it well protected".......
A week later she calls me up and tells me its half gone....."Whats half gone?"
I visit myself in shock and disbelief. How can the city mayor , council let this happen? Through some research on the Net I found out that this battle has went on for some time now. I am in shock that this "Cultural Centre" is going to replace my favorate building in Toronto.
Its a very sad day for Architecture .
I have seen the design for the proposed buildings and I am even more sad.
Last week driving by the Site me and my girlfriend noticed the plywood on one of the windows of my all time favorate building. She says to me "I sure hope they are not tearing that down", and I respond " They would never tear down that building, it has too much merit in this city...I am sure the OAA and the Heritage Council have it well protected".......
A week later she calls me up and tells me its half gone....."Whats half gone?"
I visit myself in shock and disbelief. How can the city mayor , council let this happen? Through some research on the Net I found out that this battle has went on for some time now. I am in shock that this "Cultural Centre" is going to replace my favorate building in Toronto.
Its a very sad day for Architecture .
I have seen the design for the proposed buildings and I am even more sad.
cassius
Active Member
Hi Dale Theriault. Welcome to the site.
Yes, the destruction of the building has been quite controversial, as I'm sure you can tell looking over the history of this thread.
Yes, the destruction of the building has been quite controversial, as I'm sure you can tell looking over the history of this thread.
From the DVP today it seems about 3/4's or more is gone from Bata.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Here are some demolition pics from the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario:
http://www.arconserv.ca/gallery/show_gallery.cfm?GID=7
AoD
http://www.arconserv.ca/gallery/show_gallery.cfm?GID=7
AoD
adma
Superstar
grey
Senior Member
You're not missing much. It isn't that great anyway.
ShonTron
Moderator
Member Bio
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Thanks for the link. Adma posted a shot over at another thread.
At the risk of increasing his post count needlessly, I'll copy it over.
At the risk of increasing his post count needlessly, I'll copy it over.
Andrew3D
Active Member
Adma, that image pissed me off, thanks!
solorunner
New Member
I am very saddened by the demise of the Bata Building. It was an exceptional piece of architecture and cultural heritage.
It seems like we have forgotten about our "Moderne" heritage, and how Canada was (and some may argue still is) at the cutting edge of the Modern and International Style movement even as it began. Witness the evidence that are the Toronto City Hall, Terminal 1, the Union Carbide Building, the TD Towers, Montreal, "Lady" Lambert, etc.
Rumour has it that the AKF and the Ismaili community hired the then-Chair of the Toronto Heritage Board as their lobbyist (who stepped down in mid-term), mollycoddled the mayoral-hopeful and local councillor Jane Pitfield and funded a series of high profile free and public lectures at the Larry Richards-run UT-ALD (including, of course, Maki and Correa). With all these political chips in place, Council was ready to grant permission to demolish the building. The remaining Toronto Preservation Board members and Toronto Preservation Services staff made gallant efforts to vote down the demolition but it was already a done-deal by this time.
Very sad that a small group of powerful new-Canadians, in a climate of political correctness, can wield the power and influence to have a Canadian heritage destroyed by the shear will of money and power. We need to do more to protect our Moderne heritage.
It seems like we have forgotten about our "Moderne" heritage, and how Canada was (and some may argue still is) at the cutting edge of the Modern and International Style movement even as it began. Witness the evidence that are the Toronto City Hall, Terminal 1, the Union Carbide Building, the TD Towers, Montreal, "Lady" Lambert, etc.
Rumour has it that the AKF and the Ismaili community hired the then-Chair of the Toronto Heritage Board as their lobbyist (who stepped down in mid-term), mollycoddled the mayoral-hopeful and local councillor Jane Pitfield and funded a series of high profile free and public lectures at the Larry Richards-run UT-ALD (including, of course, Maki and Correa). With all these political chips in place, Council was ready to grant permission to demolish the building. The remaining Toronto Preservation Board members and Toronto Preservation Services staff made gallant efforts to vote down the demolition but it was already a done-deal by this time.
Very sad that a small group of powerful new-Canadians, in a climate of political correctness, can wield the power and influence to have a Canadian heritage destroyed by the shear will of money and power. We need to do more to protect our Moderne heritage.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
solorunner:
Your points regarding the process is well taken, however, what does it has anything to do with political correctness or new Canadians? It isn't like these two factors, if absent, will prevent the destruction of our Modern hertiage - as noted in your own examples of Union Carbide, T1, etc. Money always talked in this town - at least in this case, there is significant public benefits coming out of that money - something I can't say for the many other examples.
Heck, come to think of it, if not for the sake of sheer money and power, a good number of these modern buildings wouldn't have been built in the first place. I guess their demise is a philosophical continuation of the forces of Modernity. In fact, the Batas could very well have been considered as "New Canadians" wielding weath and power at their times. Why do you single out Aga Khan et al., when there are far more banal examples of destruction (e.g. Inn on the Park into car dealership; Union Carbide into condos) strew around that contradict your thesis that this is some sinister plan of New Canadians and political correctness? Last time I checked, a good chunk of the old Canadian political establishment (and the electorate it reprsented) couldn't give a damn about our modern heritage.
AoD
Your points regarding the process is well taken, however, what does it has anything to do with political correctness or new Canadians? It isn't like these two factors, if absent, will prevent the destruction of our Modern hertiage - as noted in your own examples of Union Carbide, T1, etc. Money always talked in this town - at least in this case, there is significant public benefits coming out of that money - something I can't say for the many other examples.
Heck, come to think of it, if not for the sake of sheer money and power, a good number of these modern buildings wouldn't have been built in the first place. I guess their demise is a philosophical continuation of the forces of Modernity. In fact, the Batas could very well have been considered as "New Canadians" wielding weath and power at their times. Why do you single out Aga Khan et al., when there are far more banal examples of destruction (e.g. Inn on the Park into car dealership; Union Carbide into condos) strew around that contradict your thesis that this is some sinister plan of New Canadians and political correctness? Last time I checked, a good chunk of the old Canadian political establishment (and the electorate it reprsented) couldn't give a damn about our modern heritage.
AoD
TKTKTK
Senior Member
It's not only a lack of respect for our built history (though that plays a large part) it's also a bureaucratic fear that if we don't bend over backwards for these kinds of things - they'll go elsewhere.
Mind you, then it chooses odd moments to flex muscle - like in not allowing completed blocks of CityPlace to 'close' because of bridge snafus.
Mind you, then it chooses odd moments to flex muscle - like in not allowing completed blocks of CityPlace to 'close' because of bridge snafus.
adma
Superstar
Well, I'm not sure if I'd be that blunt and negativistic in outlook; however, as I've also implied re the Regal Constellation, I think we're too often prone to jumping the gun re the "official" recognition (or lack thereof) of modern/recent past heritage--though yes, such gun-jumping might work in the long term in sending a strong message.
As I honestly see it, something of Bata's date, style, and function would have been scarcely less endangered anyplace else short of Columbus, Indiana--and even more emphatically so half a decade ago (when the Aga Khan deal was struck) than now. Up to that point, designating Bata would have been extraordinarily (if delightfully) precocious (and there's no guarantee that even Sonja Bata would have agreed to such a move). And it's not about philistinism; rather, it's the political reality of heritage, and the selling thereof, especially in our days of bureaucratic cutbacks and skimpy resources. After all, take it any further and you'd have a valid heritage argument on behalf of the Barton Myers/KPMB AGO, which was only a third of Bata's age when it was eviscerated on behalf of Gehry.
Really, the best way to preemptively address these kinds of issues, short of a Napoleonic "heritage until proven otherwise" policy, might be to institute 10/20/30-year lists of works of architectural significance as a feeder for our heritage inventories--maybe not a bad notion, come to think of it...
Oh, by the way, "Moderne" is a term more commonly identified with 30s Deco and streamlining than with the International Style.
ganjavih
Senior Member
Very sad that you feel the need to attack "new-Canadians" when old Canadians have had such a poor track record of protecting our heritage over the last few decades.