Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR

[mdrejhon]

Taken from my iPhone, in a spontaneous burst for your enjoyment.

 

[mdrejhon]

I also looked closely at Union for pigeon-resistance solutions. What I noticed was there were NO pigeons on the York side, but there were LOTS of pigeons on the Bay side.

They have installed near-invisible pigeon netting to prevent perches on the York side.

Here is the Bay side, including the famous TTC nesting pigeons:

Now here's the renovated York side (with the anti-pigeon defenses and heatseeker missles, j/k), not a pigeon to be found. The windows had nearly-invisible antipigeon defenses.

 

[Armour]

Won't the base of the clock tower become damaged with snow, salt, dirt, etc piling against it in the winter?

 

[ToroTO]

I was thinking the same when I saw that there is no stone base raising the clock above the slush level.

 

[Armour]

What material is the clock made of; cast iron?

 

[DSC]

Won't the base of the clock tower become damaged with snow, salt, dirt, etc piling against it in the winter?

I was thinking the same when I saw that there is no stone base raising the clock above the slush level.

What material is the clock made of; cast iron?

It is made of cast iron and was sitting exactly where it is now for 80 years (1929 to 2009) without rusting away so I think it should be OK. It looks fantastic!

 

[Le Gique]

I'd think a TTC sign would be apt here too, even if it isn't the most direct link.

I'd agree, if it were accompanied by a wheelchair symbol. Why add any number to what may be a prodigious flood of people walking from the VIA and York concourses to the subway/PATH?

Speaking of bottlenecks...
Once Bay closes, presumably the moat will be open too, but many passengers exiting GO trains within the station to TTC would cross through the corridor under the Great Hall, especially if the moat is not climate controlled, nor fully protected from rain, etc.

Can someone walk us through (literally turn by turn?) the future route options to PATH from the York or VIA concourses?

 

[Le Gique]

So the city is referring to this area along Front St as the "Union Station plaza"?
This has to be reconciled with the (short) legacy naming of "Union Plaza" south of the station at Bremner [Circle].

If you head to the south end of the VIA Concourse looking for the ACC, for example, you won't see signs for much except platforms 22-24, as of last week...

If you persist, past the still-drywalled construction area, eventually you may see signs for platforms 26 and 27 AND something called Union Plaza. (Still nada for ACC.)

This Union Plaza is also known as Maple Leaf Square, and was recently threatened with the new moniker Ford Fan Zone. But opposition, perhaps by some jumping to conclusions about a certain former (and future...? ;-) mayor, killed that plan.

So, when folks walk in the Great Hall from the "Union Station plaza", headed for their Zamfir concert, what signs would they follow...?

Just axing.

 

[interchange42]

I'm under the impression that "Union Station Plaza" on Front Street is being renamed after Sir John A. Macdonald. Anyone know differently?

Meanwhile, here's how the place looked a couple of hours ago…

42

 

[DSC]

I'm under the impression that "Union Station Plaza" on Front Street is being renamed after Sir John A. Macdonald. Anyone know differently?

You asre right:

City Council Decision
City Council on July 8, 9, 10 and 11, 2014, adopted the following:

1. City Council direct that Union Station not be re-named to Sir John A. Macdonald Station.
2. City Council authorize, upon completion of the Union Station revitalization, that the plaza that is being redeveloped in front of Union Station be formally named after Sir John A. Macdonald.
3. City Council authorize, upon addressing outstanding operational issues, the installation of a plaque on Union Station's parapet wall to commemorate the naming of the new Sir John A. Macdonald Plaza.
4. City Council direct that in accordance with the City's Honourific and Street Naming Policy, the purchase and installation of the Sir John A. Macdonald plaque be contingent upon securing the necessary funding from external parties.
5. City Council direct the City Manager to establish a Sir John A. MacDonald Working Group, composed of Councillors, staff, and local businesses to properly recognize the Sir John A. Macdonald Plaza.

This came up as a sop to Denzil-Minnan-Wrong who wanted the City to rename Union Station itself after Sir John.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Thanks DSC - so are we going to get a VFM audit for that?

AoD

 

[Miscreant]

That looks awesome. Though from the perspective of these pictures I find it hard to see where the road starts and ends, and in particular what the median is. When I look carefully I can see it--but I really need to look. I'm not sure why they didn't plant some trees there to warm the area up as well as provide some visual markers for drivers.

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

Does anyone know if the plaque commemorating the first railway run out of Toronto will ever be replaced? I don't remember it myself, but there was a plaque in the station marking the run of the first train from Toronto to Aurora in 1853 on the Ontario Simcoe & Huron Railway. Or is the plaque around and I just haven't seen it lately?

 

[Tuscani01]

That looks awesome. Though from the perspective of these pictures I find it hard to see where the road starts and ends, and in particular what the median is. When I look carefully I can see it--but I really need to look. I'm not sure why they didn't plant some trees there to warm the area up as well as provide some visual markers for drivers.

There are visual markers. There is a yellow line that leads to the islands to divide East vs Westbound traffic. There are also curbs that trace the roadway, which are pretty obvious to people driving along it.

 

[the lemur]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but the other day some large metal UNION STATION letters were installed on the moat wall at the southeast corner of Front and York.