Toronto CHAZ | 150.87m | 47s | 45 Charles Ltd | P + S / IBI

Does that make Rosedale The Bronx? And maybe Rosedale Heights is Westchester?

Oh wait, some ill humoured members will start screaming that we're comparing ourselves to New York again. How dare we? Back to TO.

Is it still interior demolition going on here in the heart of Yorkville, or have the bulldozers moved in now? How are they planning to take this one down?
 
Here's a shot from today of inside prep for the tear down- looks like they are moving fairly quickly.

teardownchaz.jpg
 
We all knew it was coming, but that picture makes me sad. We'll regret losing these buildings in the years and decades to come.
 
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Maybe I'll save a little chunk of the concrete to add to my collection - the latest addition of which is a small piece of Carrera marble from FCP.
 
Minus Smile said:
Speak for yourself. Good riddance.
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It's building owners and greedy developers with a similar mindset as yours who demolished hundreds of beautiful 19th century buildings in this city in the name of "progress", such as this site. Wisdom be damned, it continues today.

The Arcade Building @ Yonge & Temperance 1885-1954 -

Arcade_1941.jpg


The "improved" Arcade Building today, in built in 1960 -

arcade_today.jpg
 
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The 1960 version should be torn down because it is an ugly piece of 60's trash. A parking lot would look better. Maybe a billboard with a picture of the original Arcade.
 
The difference is they're replacing 45 Charles with something much more significant density wise than the Arcade building replaced. This type of thing is going to continue happening at an increasing pace as Toronto becomes more urbanized and the number of open lots available to accommodate this growth decreases.

I would suggest, prepare yourselves for whats yet to come.
 
vegeta_skyline said:
The difference is they're replacing 45 Charles with something much more significant density wise than the Arcade building replaced. This type of thing is going to continue happening at an increasing pace as Toronto becomes more urbanized and the number of open lots available to accommodate this growth decreases.

I would suggest, prepare yourselves for whats yet to come.
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I'm active within my community to help prevent this from happening, that's the best I as one person can do, unfortunately there was little interest in saving the Macy DuBois building at 45 Charles. My eyes are now firmly planted on 77 & 81 Wellesley East, there's a meeting on Monday where I hope it's discussed and if not I'll be tabling it to see if there is an appetite in trying to get these buildings designated.
Make no mistake, I'm all for progress, where appropriate and without losing significant landmarks.
 
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dt_toronto_geek said:
It's building owners and greedy developers with a similar mindset as yours who demolished hundreds of beautiful 19th century buildings in this city in the name of "progress", such as this site. Wisdom be damned, it continues today.

The Arcade Building @ Yonge & Temperance 1885-1954 -

Arcade_1941.jpg


The "improved" Arcade Building today, in built in 1960 -

arcade_today.jpg
Click to expand...


wow....insane. i had no idea. crazy.
 
Well, you have to remember that an early 50s fire hastened the fate of the original Arcade Building--and besides, at that moment in time that sort of architecture would have been regarded as an "ugly piece of (18)80's trash". (Not to over-defend the replacement; but hey, it's a functioning building, on those grounds better than a parking lot--now, unfortunately, sans its best element, its namesake arcade. Which means, you can't walk through from Lombard to Temperance anymore.)

Yeah, I'm *really* missing the Arcade Building's arcade, now.

Anyway, interesting how early in this thread I was almost alone in reminding people of the existing 45 Charles; now I don't even have to lift a finger...
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
It's building owners and greedy developers with a similar mindset as yours who demolished hundreds of beautiful 19th century buildings in this city in the name of "progress", such as this site. Wisdom be damned, it continues today.

The Arcade Building @ Yonge & Temperance 1885-1954 -
Click to expand...

Why is that always the go to reply when someone feels indifferent about a building's demolition? I simply don't see the beauty in this particular building that others do. I'm strongly in favour of preserving our history, however, this building in particular doesn't move me.
 
Minus Smile said:
Why is that always the go to reply when someone feels indifferent about a building's demolition? I simply don't see the beauty in this particular building that others do. I'm strongly in favour of preserving our history, however, this building in particular doesn't move me.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/oct/05/british-brutalist-buidlings-watch-list
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/oct/05/brutalist-architecture-should-be-saved
http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2008/november-december/brutalism-dc.html

not to mention

http://www.nomeancity.net/?p=1757

etc. etc.
 
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