Toronto Bridgepoint Hospital | 61.87m | 10s | Bridgepoint Health | Diamond Schmitt

[NYk Drne]

A lot of time has passed since the declaration that the half-round had to come down. I believe that is still the plan, but as things stand now, you could leave the half-round, tear down the jail (which will happen as soon as the new Etobicoke location is ready, since the jail is SUCH a hole), and it wouldn't even really change the long-range plans. All it would mean is that the development plans kind of ran backwards, as i believe they had planned to develop along Gerrard first.

The inside of the half-round would be a challenge to re-purpose, IMHO. It would take a creative architect to carve out practical suites. No reason it couldn't be done, though.

Reconstruction in health care moves slowly, with many approvals required; Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Infrastructure Ontario, the local municipality, etc. I would expect that the tearing down of the half round building is still planned. It just will take some time. The budget is not there for maintaining two heritage buildings on this site.

However, finding a commercial use for it might sit well in some circles.

 

[Mo-tage]

I can say with 100% certainty that the half round is coming down and that the old don jail is to be refurbished and used for bridgepoint offices. It was all part of the bid requirements on the project.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

I can say with 100% certainty that the half round is coming down and that the old don jail is to be refurbished and used for bridgepoint offices. It was all part of the bid requirements on the project.

The old jail is currently being renovated. The plan is to have the old hospital come down. I don't disagree with either statement. However, the reason for the old hospital coming down is to provide space to build a new building to generate cash to pay for the new hospital -- if someone came in with a proposal to buy the old hospital and renovate and re-purpose it, I'm sure the hospital board would take a look at it. It would have to generate more return to them than a new building, and I think that's the issue -- too much clean-up, too little return, too much risk to the provincial gov't in the way of lawsuits if someone caught some dreadful disease in their new condo and/or pricked themself on a needle stuck in a drainpipe, whatever.

I expect to see the half-round come down once the new building is open, but it's nice to dream. The site plan as currently proposed is fantastic, IMHO, anyway. It'll be a great hospital campus and great south end to Riverdale Park.

 

[NYk Drne]

If there were a proposal out there, it would have surfaced earlier rather than now I would expect.

The planning windows and the administrative steps are long and there are many players to satisfy, not just the Board.

 

[junctionist]

It's one thing for a public institution to ignore heritage. It's quite another to create a plan and have so many regulations as to give it no hope whatsoever. No one will present any proposal so long as Bridgepoint Health has a clear and detailed plan for their future space that excludes preservation of the old Riverdale Hospital.

 

[CanadianNational]

 

[Urban Shocker]

I've been admiring the glass, for the past week, as they've been installing it. Quite the nicest.

 

[taal]

I've been admiring the glass, for the past week, as they've been installing it. Quite the nicest.

Yes it's very nice. This is a massive building. It's great watching it on the Don Valley bike trail (which needs to be spruced up a bit near the south end).

 

[androiduk]

.

 

[drum118]

July 09

 

[androiduk]

^ That's a nice effect, they almost look like glass pillars.

 

[dcaley]

took some quick pics while i was briefly on site. was told the little room with the bed was solitary confinement.

 

[Marcanadian]

Nice glass, but I'm still sour over the looming loss of the old hospital. I understand it doesn't adhere to current health standards, but I wish there was a way to preserve it.

 

[cruzin4u]

Bridgepoint Health continues to climb.

 

[College Park]

A slab building, but a nicely dressed slab. Clothes do make the lady.