University Avenue - Toronto's Grand Avenue?

[thecharioteer]

University Avenue cannot be looked at in isolation from Queens Park Crescent. A number of the great "solutions" posted previously involve reducing the number of traffic lanes (let's avoid the "war on cars" discussion). If we ever wanted to re-position U of T/Queens Park back to the original concept of pavilions in a park, we would have to address the highways known as Queens Park Crescent, both West and East. I would support a slight widening of QPC East to allow for the elimination of QPC West, thereby allowing a re-integration of the Campus and Queens Park. Traffic flow would be similar to what Avenue Road does around UCC. I would also eliminate Wellesley as a vehicular street behind the Legislature (as well as the parking lot).

Queens Park Crescent looking north from the park towards Bloor:

1915 map:

Old entrance to U of T from Queens Park:

Today:

U of T's masterplan which mitigates some of the impact of QPC West:

 

[Long Island Mike]

A University Avenue history lesson...

Charioteer: Thanks for the Downtown Toronto history lesson centered on University Avenue.
There are good historic pics selected and that 1894 map is a classic!
LI MIKE

 

[Urban Shocker]

Looking south on University ( from John Chuckman's wonderful website of old Toronto postcards ):

http://bp0.blogger.com/_NtgXlrcvXZA...+DOWNTOWN+FROM+PARLIAMENT+BUILDING+-+1908.jpg

 

[thecharioteer]

A few more historical shots looking south from the Legislature:

 

[DSC]

In some thread I cannot now find there have been frequent complaints about the broken fountain on University Avenue. It appears it is due for repair, this tender was just posted:

Description: Fountain, North Median, University Avenue and Queen Street West, rehabilitation work
BIDS ARE REQUESTED FOR: supply of all materials, equipment, labour and supervision to complete rehabilitation work to the Fountain located at University Avenue & Queen Street West (North Median), Toronto.

Questions about this Tender should be directed in writing to Mike Voelker, CSCMP at e-mail mvoelke@toronto.ca. For more information, please refer to Section 2.3 Deadline for Questions. The last day for questions with respect to this tender is four (4) working days prior to closing.
Issue date: February 13, 2012 Closing date: March 7, 2012
at 12:00 Noon

 

[junctionist]

It's about time.

 

[DSC]

The tender has now been awarded:

Description:
For the supply of all materials, equipment, labour and supervision required for University Avenue Fountain Rehabilitation, located at University Avenue and Queen Street West, South District, Toronto.
Call Dates:
Issued February 13, 2012; Closed March 14, 2012

Recommended Bidder: Beta & Associates Inc.
Contract Award Value: $734,800.00 net of all applicable taxes and charges $830,324.00 including HST $747,732.48 net of HST Recoveries
Scope of work has been adjusted to match available budget as allowed for in the Tender Call documents.
Construction is estimated to begin in June, 2012 and is to be completed by the end of September, 2012.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

And as reported by the Fixer at the Star:

http://www.thestar.com/news/fixer/a...-soon-dance-again-in-university-ave-fountains

- the pricetag was bit of a shocker.

AoD

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

That's a crazy price. After four years of it sitting idle it better work well and look good.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

dt_to_geek:

Well, I am a bit reprehensive about spending that much money on what's for all intents and purposes a perpetuation of the existing University Avenue median status quo.

AoD

 

[Ladies Mile]

Good lord. Nearly a million dollars to restore something that would look tacky in a 1970s shopping mall.

Get rid of the fountain and plan a sunken garden bed.

 

[FinchConnection]

This thread angers me. It's a reminder that we Torontonians will let just about every potential improvement to this city slide.

Earlier in the thread the term Mediocrity was used to describe University ave - I'd use that to describe Toronto city planners / politicians. Absolutely ridiculous that QP has been neglected to this degree.

 

[DSC]

Good lord. Nearly a million dollars to restore something that would look tacky in a 1970s shopping mall.

Get rid of the fountain and plan a sunken garden bed.

The cost is because the water was leaking into the subway, even if the fountain was replaced by flowers the leak would still need fixin'

 

[kkgg7]

This thread angers me. It's a reminder that we Torontonians will let just about every potential improvement to this city slide.

Earlier in the thread the term Mediocrity was used to describe University ave - I'd use that to describe Toronto city planners / politicians. Absolutely ridiculous that QP has been neglected to this degree.

basically University Ave will stay useless and lifeless, after $1m more. Well, except for allowing cars to swoop by all the time, just like Bay street.

Mediocrity is the most accurate word to describe Toronto's urban planning - it is not bad compared to most other cities, but it never strives for anything great. Instead, we laugh at Millenieum Park thinking it is so much inferior to our lackluster waterfront, and believe High Park is as good as Central Park.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Different cities, different approaches to parks, that's all. Central Park is a "fake" version of nature, along the lines of Capability Brown's manufactured landscapes in Britain from over a century before, whereas High Park, John Howard's gift to Torontonians, isn't. The waterfront comparison you invite, between us and Millennium Park, also represents a contrast between open space with isolated, grandiose design statements in it and our more low key approach. And the open space we're getting in the Port Lands where the mouth of the Don meets the lake is similarly ours - it reads clearly as an extension of our ravine system.