Toronto Ontario Line: Osgoode Station | ?m | 1s | Metrolinx | HDR

[interchange42]

Database file coming soon, but in the meantime here are the first renderings:

Here's the neighbourhood context map for the station:

42

 

[DSC]

Seems a pity to eat out a corner of the Osgood Hall grounds - they have been retained for 200 years and really add to the feel of downtown. Seems unfortunate to me!

 

[TossYourJacket]

Not a fan of putting the entrance on the Osgoode grounds, but I'm glad they at least tried to make the entrance fit the context of the area (keeping the fence, the use of stone, etc)

 

[Northern Light]

Seems a pity to eat out a corner of the Osgood Hall grounds - they have been retained for 200 years and really add to the feel of downtown. Seems unfortunate to me!

Not a fan of putting the entrance on the Osgoode grounds, but I'm glad they at least tried to make the entrance fit the context of the area (keeping the fence, the use of stone, etc)

Agree completely with both statements.

This entrance should not exist in this spot, period!

That said, if we must have an entrance here, there is at least some context-sensitivity, but I'd still like to see this re-thought.

 

[greenleaf]

If University Ave had all the north-south traffic on the west side, they could put the entrance where the east side road currently is and create a grand entrance to a new linear park north of there and leave Osgoode alone.

I don’t see the problem with this current entrance here though. It actually feels like improves access to this green space and makes it more friendly.

 

[LUVIT!]

Understated to not offend I suppose however I agree with others that this corner should be left as is.

 

[W. K. Lis]

If University Ave had all the north-south traffic on the west side, they could put the entrance where the east side road currently is and create a grand entrance to a new linear park north of there and leave Osgoode alone.

I don’t see the problem with this current entrance here though. It actually feels like improves access to this green space and makes it more friendly.

See link.

The Past. University Avenue Gates, looking north from Queen Street and University in 1867

Osgoode Park and the Opera House Plaza​

...the distinctive Osgoode Hall leads to Toronto’s Opera House, home to the Canadian Opera Company. Stately in appearance yet obscured from public life, the outdoor areas surrounding these two cultural institutions present an untapped opportunity to create significant new public gathering spaces that enjoy some of the best vantage points of the Toronto skyline. University Park will:


01

Expand upon the park that currently surrounds Osgoode Hall, providing more open access to the public.

02

Create a first-class outdoor plaza that celebrates the Canadian Opera Company and offers an improved visitor experience.

03

Highlight monuments along the existing median with landscapes that contextualize their history and significance.

04

Invite people to explore outdoor areas and streets that branch off of University via new pedestrian walkways and installations.

There is a thread https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/university-avenue-history-and-future-redesign.11845/

 

[W. K. Lis]

What other "World Class" cities are doing to their w-i-d-e urban streets...

 

[greenleaf]

Thanks for adding the links w.k.lis that’s what I was thinking of.

 

[GabrielHurl]

Can't help it - but it feels a little familiar

From my socially distanced walk over the weekend - a look at the Apple Park Visitor Centre store

 

[longfortheoldview]

Genuinely curious, why can't the existing subway entrances be used?

 

[ben.thebean1]

Genuinely curious, why can't the existing subway entrances be used?

The existing entrances are just a couple sets of stairs that are no more than 4 feet wide, with barely enough room for two people to pass. The entrances also take up about most of the width of the sidewalks which are narrow considering the massive width of the road. Those are the main concerns at least, elevator access is also minimal and not easy to get to from the other side of University

 

[turini2]

As Steve Munro excellently summarises:

Q: Has Metrolinx considered the proposal for “University Park”?

A: Metrolinx has discussed issues with the City including the street media and lane changes, but right now the park proposal does not have official status or approval. Metrolinx needs a staging area. They will use the same technique of coming in from corners at Queen/Simcoe and Osgoode Hall as at other stations such as Queen/Spadina.

Their designers have “very elegant solutions” to maintain historic fence line with minimal impact of a new glass structure. Metrolinx is working closely with tenants and owners of Osgoode Hall (the Law Society of Ontario own part of the property, and the province owns the rest) on plans to recreate the site after they leave.

Q: Why is the entrance not through a revised University Avenue or through redevelopment on the SW corner (250 University)?

A: Metrolinx reviewed all of the work done for the Relief Line proposal at this station and possibilities for all corners. The median was not acceptable because of access issues and was not considered a reasonable option. 250 University has a difficult foundation, something the TTC found in their own work on the RL design. An entrance on the NW corner would significantly affect Campbell House, and there is limited space on the SE corner at the Opera House. This is how they wound up at Queen/Simcoe and at Osgoode Hall.

Metrolinx will protect the fence and “nestle” into the corner.

 

[SLOCRO]

More than a dozen mature trees, some of which are probably 100 years old if not more, in downtown Toronto, will be cut down for this?! An Apple store? An urban planning travesty.

From the Ontario Heritage Trust:

"The. Law Society grounds consist of the land south of the principal facade [of Osgoode Hall] to Queen Street and west to University Avenue. This area with cobblestone driveway and landscaped lawns laid out by John G. Howard, architect and City Engineer, in 1843. It is partly enclosed by an ornate cast iron fence with six baffles, attributed to William Storm, cast by the St. Lawrence Foundry of Toronto, installed in 1866, and extended by a brick fence."

Re. Osgoode Hall from the Federal Directory of Heritage Designations:

"Contextual elements: its formal setting, including the grassed lawn with Y-shaped walkways and traditional plantings, the decorative wrought iron fence along the perimeter of the property, and the Victorian, wrought-iron entrance gate; the presence, design and material of the wrought-iron fence; viewscapes of the building from the street; features establishing its landmark status within the urban environment, including its axial location heading York Street, its low height in a dense environment, the enclosure of its grounds, and the extent of open land around the building."

 

[condovo]

March 31, 2022