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Over the last week we have looked at the provincial government’s plan for the revitalization of Ontario Place. Our last three stories have summarized the proposed changes that would allow extensive private development to guide the waterfront park into a new era of year-round entertainment, and the guiding principles that have been established to shape the changes. Today, our Ontario Place coverage wraps up with an exploration of the challenging history of the ambitious modernist project, and an evaluation of how the site’s deep cultural heritage can continue to thrive while the world around it changes.
When it opened in 1971, Ontario Place was a beacon of cultural promise, existing as a physical representation of the momentum of a growing population chasing innovation in an era of new possibilities. While the effort to finance and ultimately realize Ontario Place was largely a political one, it was the collective vision of landscape architect Michael Hough and architect Eberhard Zeidler that endowed the site with the elements that would end up in the history books.
Repurposing thousands of tonnes of construction debris, Ontario Place was built as the first step in a larger vision to change the relationship between the city and the lake, channeling the success of the Ontario Pavilion at Expo '67 in Montreal to create a full scale urban park that celebrated the people of this province and their ideas. Despite the instability that characterized the brief lifespan of the park attraction, it was recognized as a Provincial Heritage Property of Provincial Significance in 2013, cited as “a remarkable and ambitious achievement of late twentieth century architecture that holds an enduring influence in Toronto, the province, and internationally.”
Based on the findings of the Statement of Cultural Heritage Value, the extent of Ontario Place’s significance lies in the original structures and their relationships to the surrounding environment. Referred to as the Pavilion, Zeidler’s iconic pods and Cinesphere are striking expressions of modernist design, and work in concert with a man-made landscape to create unique sightlines and lookouts towards both the city and the lake. Since their construction in 1971, the pods in particular had a history of short-lived programming, changing every few years, but of the five of these buildings suspended over the lagoon, three have now been vacant for over 30 years.
When the Province began soliciting applications for the redevelopment of parts of Ontario Place, a thorough assessment of the existing structures was conducted with the goal of developing a plan to update and restore these key heritage components. The assessment found that the pods had not only deteriorated physically, but were also in need of a full overhaul of servicing systems in order to meet current green standards and building codes. As a result, a two-stage approach was devised to ensure that the pods and other heritage components like the bridges and the Cinesphere could once again become viable spaces for programming.
The approach begins with the early works program, which outlines a strategy to repair the failing components and oversee any structural maintenance that has been neglected thus far. Early works is to be followed by enabling works, which is the program to update the various services including storm water, water, sanitary, gas, fire, electrical, and communication systems. This will ensure that the existing structures can continue operation in a sustainable and safe capacity for years to come.
With all these restorative efforts in the works, the question that remains is, 'what for?' With structures like the pods, that have understood inefficiencies spatially, how much can really be done to make them useful spaces? The answer is not yet clear, but a promising idea is circulating that could reactivate the pods in a way that is true to their original purpose, as exhibition spaces.
In the extensive report created by Urban Strategies to outline the extent of the proposed changes to Ontario Place in the overall redevelopment, a draft is outlined for a science-oriented attraction that would reprogram the pods and bring the learning element back to Ontario Place. While no developer has been retained to preside over the plan, the draft details a new entrance pavilion on the mainland and indicates programming could be curated by the Ontario Science Centre.
While the existing structures may be seen as relics of a different time without a clear purpose in the future of Ontario Place, their value as significant cultural landmarks cannot be overlooked. With creeping privatization on the horizon, it is critical to reflect on why Ontario Place was created decades ago, and why that dream — of creating a park that is for all Ontarians — is more important than ever.
UrbanToronto will be back soon with the latest on the Ontario Place Redevelopment, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Ontario Place Database file, linked below, where you will find many more renderings, and links to subproject files. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
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