Toronto The Globe and Mail Centre | 83.21m | 17s | First Gulf | Diamond Schmitt

[junctionist]

When I first saw this building from a distance in the photos, it looked monstrous in its proportions. Its footprint is far bigger than anything around it. But its presence on the street is impressive. All the notches add lots of visual interest. The materials are first rate. Even though it's far bigger than its neighbours, it still steps down to match their height. It makes for a striking vista on King Street. All in all, it's a great project and a pleasant surprise.

 

[innsertnamehere]

It's a Dickinson, you know. But yeah, "factory style nothingness" and all...

*eye roll*

Such a wonderful architectural masterpiece..

 

[Skeezix]

It's a Dickinson, you know. But yeah, "factory style nothingness" and all...

*eye roll*

What's the eye roll about? The fact that the building is "a Dickinson" means Irishmonk can't be dismissive of it? (S)He is hardly the first person to criticize the current Globe and Mail building.

 

[stjames2queenwest]

It's pretty terrible, can't wait to see it go.

 

[interchange42]

It certainly does no favours to Wellington Street. All of the Globe's current building's architectural qualities are focused on Front Street. It's too plain for some to appreciate for sure, but anyway, yes, it's all going soon.

Retrieved from Google Street View

42

 

[ProjectEnd]

What's the eye roll about? The fact that the building is "a Dickinson" means Irishmonk can't be dismissive of it? (S)He is hardly the first person to criticize the current Globe and Mail building.

He/she is free to do as he/she wishes but to do so while heaping praise on the new building as an unparalleled marker of success and progress reeks of the sort of 'new-is-best' attitude that permeates this board sometimes. Sure, The Telegram may not have been Dickinson's best work but the joyfully dismissive tone monk uses in discussing it is an interesting encapsulation of the way that many think about mid-century architecture as a 'temporary-at-best' placeholder for something 'better.'

And if Telegram represents mid-century "factory style nothingness" then I think it's only fair to apply a similar description of the new G&M Centre as '21st century, corporate, glass safety'. Maybe it's that the new building really doesn't move me in the way it does him/her that I'm reacting to the comment in this way (and maybe it's worth thinking about what might replace the new building fifty years down the line), but there's an attention to detail in parts of Telegram that I just don't see in G&M.

Push, pull, apply glass, repeat.

Is it a bad building? Certainly not. Is it "A definite masterpiece, maybe DS finest work. I can't find fault with any aspect of it, from the glass, the massing, the street wall--it's all brilliant."-good? I really don't think so.

 

[Skeezix]

Irish is entitled to have strong opinions on both buildings, and let's be honest - these forums are far more interesting and pleasant if we simply take such opinions at face value, and respond to them as such (in equally strong terms if we wish), without making the contributor the poster child for some systemic or societal problem. Your comments about the attention to detail on the old Telegram building, and 42's comments above, are a far stronger defense of the current Globe building than saying Irish represents society-at-large's often short-sighted approach to mid-century architecture or that he reeks of problematic attitudes on these forums.

I was really just commenting on the whole "eye roll" and "it's a Dickinson" thing, as I didn't think that was a substantive or fair counterpoint to what he had said.

 

[Razz]

From someone who can't avoid looking at this building every time I gaze out my window or while walking past it on my way to work, I have to say it never fails to impress me. It may not appeal to all, but I've yet to hear a single negative comment from people on the street. It certainly is striking. Though it may not crack the top 10 list of best designed buildings in T.O., considering what First Gulf first proposed for this site, what we ended up with is brilliant. And as far as office buildings go, in my opinion, this is Downtown East's premier landmark office building. Who knows, the pre leasing success of the G&M Centre could prompt Greenpark Homes and partners to consider developing the Staples site with an office building, something they probably never contemplated when they acquired the site a few years ago.

 

[CharmAlarm]

From yesterday:

 

[Razz]

Taken April 2, 2017:

The G&MC is pretty much closed in now.

 

[taal]

I know what you mean about size; It looks huge; to put some perceptive I think it's close in size to the shorter RBC Plaza building (larger actually); From afar it looks like it'd be larger than the cited 500K ! Is there going to be retail fronting King, anyone know how much ?

 

[DSC]

I know what you mean about size; It looks huge; to put some perceptive I think it's close in size to the shorter RBC Plaza building (larger actually); From afar it looks like it'd be larger than the cited 500K ! Is there going to be retail fronting King, anyone know how much ?

According to the plans there is Retail GFA (sq. m): 9115 on both the King and Front sides. There is also a POPS internal passageway from King to Front that will, I think, also give access to the retail.

 

[taal]

According to the plans there is Retail GFA (sq. m): 9115 on both the King and Front sides. There is also a POPS internal passageway from King to Front that will, I think, also give access to the retail.

I bet that's square feet 9115 square meters in feet is almost 100K ... that's like two loblaws worth of space

 

[DSC]

I bet that's square feet 9115 square meters in feet is almost 100K ... that's like two loblaws worth of space

Actually I suspect the figure is for whole building including the old Sun building and No Frills. That said, there WILL be retail in the new part
.

 

[Lenser]

Some shots from over the weekend.