Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization | U/C | Downtown

[AndrewJM3D]

[InTheBeach]

Originally Posted by isaidso

I prefer a great deal of variation in architectural style as long as the execution of it is decent. It's why I prefer Canadian cities to European cities. European cities are infinitely more beautiful and perfect, but I get bored with them very quickly.

Both Manulife and the Sheraton Centre have brutalist qualities to them. I'm partial to brutalist architecture so more inclined to appreciate them right off the bat. Many may call these 2 buildings banal, but what they're really tying to say is that they find the architecture ugly and drab. Banal implies common place and ordinary. Neither of these 2 examples qualify as banal. There are only 3 similar buildings in the entire city: Manulife, Sheraton, and the Hilton.

All 3 are unapologetically brutalist and have the scale and solidity to do the architectural style justice. In this regard, they are bold and exciting to me. They didn't attempt to water anything down.

My criticism of many other buildings is that they are under whelming. If you're to do a certain style, do it properly. Often the quality is lacking or the design is far too primitive for a city like Toronto. City Place? I don't mind a glass box, but it's too much of one thing (banal), and it wasn't sophisticated enough (not exciting).

Hopefully, this explanation clarifies my position better.

It does. Thanks. I don't read everything here religiously and was a little surprised that you liked these buildings based on some of your past comments.

Your statement about European cities is interesting and makes sense if variety is desired. Internalizing that thought, perhaps it explains why I am unable to like SF and Boston as much as I would expect. Not sure there though. I think that there are other reasons too(starting with racial pecking orders).

[current]

torontoist article:

WinterCity Killed By Nathan Phillips Square Construction

By Steve Kupferman on November 23, 2010 12:00 PM

The forty-two-million-dollar revitalization of Nathan Phillips Square is scheduled to be completed in 2012, at which point the Square will be a better (or at least a more newly renovated) public space than it has ever been before. In the meantime, the area in front of City Hall is going to be a giant under-construction buzzkill, as evidenced by the fact that the WinterCity festival has been canceled this year as a direct result of the project.

WinterCity has occurred annually for the past seven years. It typically begins at the end of January and lasts through early February. The festival has, in the past, included a number of performances at various indoor venues around the city, but the main attractions have consistently been free outdoor performances in Nathan Phillips Square. Last year, for instance, there was a Bollywood dance exhibition. In 2009, The Stills played a free show.

This year, with the whole of Nathan Phillips Square so badly torn up by construction equipment that even the possibility of ice skating in its famous rink this winter is in question, there is no possibility of using the area for large-scale celebratory purposes. "Yes, it is true, unfortunately," said Giannina Warren, a spokesperson for the City's Special Events unit, which produces WinterCity. "The large spectacle productions presented at Nathan Phillips Square as part of the WinterCity Festival present significant technical and safety challenges in light of the current construction," she wrote, in an email.

Winterlicious, the associated prix fixe food festival, is unaffected and will be going off as planned, starting on January 28, with 150 restaurants participating. (There were rumours otherwise this weekend.)

The annual Cavalcade of Lights, also produced by Special Events, has been shortened from four weeks to one day this year, also as a result of the construction.

http://torontoist.com/2010/11/the_wi...nstruction.php

[Taller, Better]

Bit of a dramatic headline. I'm sure it has not really been "killed" and will be back again next year.

[current]

"Canceled" would have been a better word to use but at least the skating rink will be opening soon according to the National Post article:

Peter Kuitenbrouwer: Waiting For the Ice


Peter Kuitenbrouwer
November 24, 2010 – 4:56 pm

A pick-up truck was parked on the ice pad at Nathan Phillips Square this afternoon and a crew of two workers — one with a shovel, the other with a rake — were spreading sand into a long trench that is cut in the surface of the pad. The sand covered a spot where the city, with the help of Cimco refrigeration, had fixed some of the pipes which carry ammonia underneath the pad. The ammonia is to keep the artificial ice surface cold.

The workers said the city has decided not to try to pour new cement this fall to fix the spots where they had broken up the cement, because they do not have time. They are planning to begin making ice tonight in the square, in the hopes of completing the job by Saturday, when the Calvacade of Lights kicks off with Debbie Travis at 5:30 p.m.

The rest of the square is a mess, with hoarding and construction equipment everywhere; if you look carefully you can find the Christmas tree, tucked into the northeast corner. But at least it looks like we might get ice.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/11...#ixzz16K778npy

[AndrewJM3D]

Why didn't they just relocate Wintercity this year? Think about how much better it will be next year.

I never understood why they never put the tree up on the elevated section. It would have more of a visual impact in that location.

[Mollywood]

Things are moving along at Nathan Phillips Square. Here is some footage I recently filmed.
[/QUOTE]

[isaidso]

OMG, that sound track is soooo funny. I feel like I'm watching a German movie.

[Taller, Better]

I just love Molly's Movies!!!

[isaidso]

They're a bit of a trip.

[Naughty By Newton]

Is the square getting new ground tiles, or are the current ones remaining?

[current]

Great video Mollywood

CAVALCADE OF LIGHTS
presented by Scotiabank
November 27, 2010 ONE NIGHT ONLY!!
Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West

Toronto's 44th annual Cavalcade of Lights returns to Nathan Phillips Square this Saturday for one night only!

5:30 p.m to 7:00 p.m
Meet Debbie Travis hosted by Canadian Tire

The festivities kick-off at 7 pm with the lighting of Toronto's official Christmas tree, fireworks and live musical performances by Shawn Desman, Divine Brown and Sarah Slean.

The concert culminates in a spectacular fireworks display at 8 pm., followed by a skating party Celebrating 40 Years of the JUNO Awards.

For full details: www.toronto.ca/cavalcade

[current]

August 22 - Stage and new fountain
image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

[rise_against]

It's really impressive the amount of things going on in Toronto. Wish I was there to see all it all!

[Mollywood]

This may be moving SLOWLY but I really like what I see. That new stage looks great, as does the gardens structure behind it. I'm very curious what they are going to do with that strange structure but it looks interesting. At first I thought it was going to be more steps but I think it will be a tiered platform for plants, with a water channel below. Nathan Phillips Square will have a lot of water features.

[MissyC]

WOWWWWWWWWWW MUCH MUCH BETTER ... love the design ...

[Taller, Better]

I totally love it.... very George Jetson 60's Spaceage, and totally fitting for the location. Glad to have a permanent stage there finally.
We are lucky to have had the restoration project planned by the previous administration and begun already, or the gang of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals that brachiated their
way into office would have quashed the project. We are in a four year dry spell of creativity from City Hall, I'm afraid, with another two very long years to go.

[Mollywood]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

I totally love it.... very George Jetson 60's Spaceage, and totally fitting for the location. Glad to have a permanent stage there finally.
We are lucky to have had the restoration project planned by the previous administration and begun already, or the gang of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals that brachiated their
way into office would have quashed the project. We are in a four year dry spell of creativity from City Hall, I'm afraid, with another two very long years to go.

You are so right about that. Ford was totally against this project.

[isaidso]

Love the stage design; it brings the whole square up a notch. I hope the fountain ends up being as interesting. I love the one Chicago built in Millennium Park, but this looks to be more traditional.

[Taller, Better]

Originally Posted by Mollywood

You are so right about that. Ford was totally against this project.

He wants a waddling pool like he saw in Edmonton.