Toronto Waterfront Innovation Centre | 53.03m | 11s | Waterfront Toronto | Sweeny &Co

interchange42 said:
Awwww, nooooo!!!! Buffalo actually has some gorgeous old buildings downtown that we could only dream of, like the Louis Sullivan-designed Prudential (Guaranty) Building.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudential_(Guaranty)_Building#Ornamentation

Buffalo has its issues, but I have a soft spot for it, tend to stick up for its better points, and am glad that it's coming back from the brink.

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I know about the gorgeous old buildings there. Despite major improvements and revitalization downtown, it's still pretty desolate though. I visited a couple of years ago fully expecting to be convinced of its new-found hipness. There were signs of regeneration, but I still came away with "this is what it looks like after up to a billion dollars were poured into it? What did it look like BEFORE?". Yes, the older buildings are stunning, but it needs more street life. Downtown Buffalo on a pre-COVID weekend was actually more depressing than downtown Toronto during the lockdown - sure, restaurants were open (some of them anyway), but there was hardly anyone frequenting them.
 
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Rascacielo said:
I know about the gorgeous old buildings there. Despite major improvements and revitalization downtown, it's still pretty desolate though. I visited a couple of years ago fully expecting to be convinced of its new-found hipness. There were signs of regeneration, but I still came away with "this is what it looks like after up to a billion dollars were poured into it? What did it look like BEFORE?". Yes, the older buildings are stunning, but it needs more street life. Downtown Buffalo on a pre-COVID weekend was actually more depressing than downtown Toronto during the lockdown - sure, restaurants were open (some of them anyway), but there was hardly anyone frequenting them.
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Last time I've visited Buffalo was probably around 3 years ago. Their downtown during the weekends is pretty much empty. Although there is better pedestrian life in Allentown and Elmwood Village.

I think geographically it's sort of like their midtown areas. Still a bit on the quiet side when compared to their Toronto neighbourhood counterparts, but I felt they had similar vibes to our Annex, Leslieville or Junction.

Overall, Buffalo has done a decent job cleaning up the city structurally but in terms of population growth they still seem to be mostly treading water. Despite having a fair amount of students from local colleges and universities, I'd say job creation remains one of their ongoing challenges.
 
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mjl08 said:
Agreed. I had such low expectations but it's a pleasant surprise.
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Low expectations might not be the worst approach for the waterfront at this point. It falls well short of initial proposals but its not altogether bad. I'm sure it would be a respectable addition to Toronto's building stock- if only it wasn't built on what was a grand opportunity on this stretch of waterfront.
 
I must concede that this is fast approaching on par with the KPMG building at VMC or Aviva Centre in downtown Markham, an upgrade from my previous denigrating comparisons to a Brampton business park design.

I still kinda want to hate it because of how unimaginative it is for an "innovation centre" along our central waterfront, but I can't deny that it is many times better than the crap Daniels and Menkes are putting up across the street.
 
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the cladding here is far above anything being done in the 905.

This is a classic case of managing expectations. Menkes advertised it as some great innovative building, which it obviously isn't.. it's still a solid building overall.
 
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