Admiral Beez
Superstar
Toronto is not Manhattan, we're not going to have a museum of the Met's size or profile. It's fairer to compare Toronto to Chicago.
ADRM
Senior Member
I think that's a great way to perpetuate mediocrity. We should absolutely be comparing ourselves to the best.
pman
Senior Member
Chicago? Mediocre? The city's architecture is first rate, and the Art Institute of Chicago has a superb collection.
ardwold1
Active Member
The Art Institute of Chicago is also an example of a large museum that utilizes two entrances- the original entrance into the historic building on State Street, and a second entrance into The Modern Wing on Monroe.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
ADRM
Senior Member
My point wasn't to denigrate Chicago, it was to voice objection to the notion that we shouldn't compare our museums (or other institutions) to top museums in the world.
I think it's defeatist to reiterate the "hey, Toronto isn't NYC/London/Paris/Hong Kong/Tokyo so we shouldn't expect to have the stuff that they do" chorus that we hear too often in this city.
That article is rife with melodrama and hyperbole, but I agree with its general gist: the new doors on Bloor suck: they're one of the poorest parts of the design. The access to the terribly named C5 is even worse though, from Bloor and from within the museum, and no doubt helped kill its viability in the long run.
I still think that the crystal is salvageable, but lots needs to be spent to improve the quality of the finishes on both the interior and exterior. Glad they're starting to address some of the issues.
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jje1000
Senior Member
I think there was a huge missed opportunity for a Met-like gathering place of our own facing Bloor.
The Crystal focuses far too much of the action into a narrow entryway rather than going for more transparent/open space that allows pedestrian traffic to diffuse around the front of the museum.
Hence why there are always lineups usually towards Avenue Road/Bloor while the rest of the """plaza""" remains empty.
The Crystal focuses far too much of the action into a narrow entryway rather than going for more transparent/open space that allows pedestrian traffic to diffuse around the front of the museum.
Hence why there are always lineups usually towards Avenue Road/Bloor while the rest of the """plaza""" remains empty.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Just posting for the sake of completeness - she lost me after the "gates of hell".
AoD
jje1000
Senior Member
Very apt description though:
syn
Senior Member
Glad this is finally complete - the revamped entrance is definitely needed.
junctionist
Senior Member
Recladding it in a sleeker and more luxurious material should be a priority. The aluminium panels look cheap, as was discussed 10 years ago. Some said in the beginning that they'd fade to a more uniform colour over time, but the differences in colour are still quite noticeable.
I'd like the plaza to be improved with better landscaping and pavements, but I think that planting trees in front of the Crystal along Bloor Street is an admission of failure--that the museum did in fact build an ugly addition that now needs to be obscured and normalized instead of a landmark to showcase. The Crystal needs to be enjoyed and showcased, not obscured.
I'd like the plaza to be improved with better landscaping and pavements, but I think that planting trees in front of the Crystal along Bloor Street is an admission of failure--that the museum did in fact build an ugly addition that now needs to be obscured and normalized instead of a landmark to showcase. The Crystal needs to be enjoyed and showcased, not obscured.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
This would be nice:
https://www.dezeen.com/2011/11/04/music-hall-and-house-in-alguena-by-cor-asociados/
Though it is important to note that the more one does to it, the less it is a Libeskind building.
AoD
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I never believed the fade-to-more-uniform-colour thing. It just stunned me at the time that the contractors would accept the cladding despite its lack of uniformity. Leakiest contract ever or laziest contractor ever? Or was Thorsell so driven to get the Museum open for Luminato that he didn't care about materials issues?
I think you're reading too much into that. No, you're right, the exterior isn't what it should be, but the plaza itself is getting the makeover, not the cladding, so I'd say it's the plaza which is deemed either more of a failure, or at least easier to fix, probably both.
Pretty cool material! Were they to use it here, people would say "it finally looks like a crystal!" So… it'll never happen.
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jje1000
Senior Member
Is that necessarily a bad thing?