One Bloor | U/C | 75 st | 257.3 m | Bloor-Yorkville

[Mercenary]

What else can be expected in Toronto....its just not an ambitious city

I wish some Dubai investors build a 100 story monster here...that would be sick....

[MissyC]

Originally Posted by Mercenary

What else can be expected in Toronto....its just not an ambitious city

I wish some Dubai investors build a 100 story monster here...that would be sick....

As long as it isn't all blue glass again, but 100 storey tall seem sick and fun to me too. (using sick is just as to describe the same enthousiasme as yours Mercenary)

One of the buildings I like regarding its unique design and shape is the famous dark Harbourfront Tower in Chicago. It will be fun if the future supertall can be designed as unique and gorgeous as on prominent spot as such anyway.

[Taller, Better]

Originally Posted by Mercenary

What else can be expected in Toronto....its just not an ambitious city
.

I pride myself on keeping my finger on the pulse of the city, but was this proclaimed "Low Self Esteem Week" in Toronto without my hearing about it? This has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read . One only has to look at the history of the progression of Toronto in the past century to recognize that it has always been a very ambitious city. If being "ambitious" means wanting to ape Dubai then count me out. I see civic ambition as something far more complex and multidimensional and culturally rewarding than rich men building useless towers in a kind of penis envy contest in a rush to make an "instant" city..

"I wish some Dubai investors build a 100 story monster here...that would be sick...."

I doubt if they would. We do not have an army of second class temporary immigrant construction workers paid at substandard wages, and
we have a history of building office towers as occupancy demands.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

I pride myself on keeping my finger on the pulse of the city, but was this proclaimed "Low Self Esteem Week" in Toronto without my hearing about it? This has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read . One only has to look at the history of the progression of Toronto in the past century to recognize that it has always been a very ambitious city. If being "ambitious" means wanting to ape Dubai, then count me out. I see civic ambition as something far more complex and multidimensional and culturally rewarding than rich men building useless towers in a kind of penis envy contest in a rush to make an "instant" city.

I need to see Toronto bringing in more sand - and lots of it - before it can even begin to compare itself to Dubai.

[sammo]

Originally Posted by Taller, Better

I pride myself on keeping my finger on the pulse of the city, but was this proclaimed "Low Self Esteem Week" in Toronto without my hearing about it? This has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read . One only has to look at the history of the progression of Toronto in the past century to recognize that it has always been a very ambitious city. If being "ambitious" means wanting to ape Dubai then count me out. I see civic ambition as something far more complex and multidimensional and culturally rewarding than rich men building useless towers in a kind of penis envy contest in a rush to make an "instant" city..

"I wish some Dubai investors build a 100 story monster here...that would be sick...."

I doubt if they would. We do not have an army of second class temporary immigrant construction workers paid at substandard wages, and
we have a history of building office towers as occupancy demands.

good post. well stated.

[CollsGuy]

Originally Posted by Dale

I need to see Toronto bringing in more sand - and lots of it - before it can even begin to compare itself to Dubai.

Lol! funny shit.

[MissyC]

I am so happy that Toronto isn't, doesn't, wasn't, wouldn't, won't EVER look like Dubai!

Although I like the design of Burj Dubai, but Toronto was way way way farther ahead of any other city on this planet when they came up with the beautiful, extra ordinary dazzling design of the most long free standing supertall structure called CN Tower. Perhaps those who are so jealouse of a city with such ambition as Toronto, should realise that their city won't work the way they were thinking of when they started to pay billions and billions of dollars on projects that are doomed to end up either empty or recladded by desert sand and never SHINE and affect visitors by their aw-inspiring existance!

Toronto is ambitious and the fact is: when New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Philladelphia, Calgary etc etc were already booming and building up towards a great future and already had skyscrapers, a vibrant art sceme and great museums.

btw, I don't want to offend anybody here (again) and see some of those Forumers come up with comments not at their place regarding who I am and what I am, but that is the truth and I always will keep telling the truth. I come from the middle east myself and know the map much better than all those workers who need the money and all those who are just building it up rapidly. the whole area will never ever become a place to
" living happily ever after"! conflicts will always be there and once the oil is run up and the world has invented much better and efficient energy resources and can supply itself, it will all become dull, drought out and back to what it once was, when New York already had its Empire State Building and Toronto later with its own CN Tower.

[isaidso]

I don't want to divert this thread even more, but I think you're being a little harsh on the Middle East. It has its issues, but the young people from there are reshaping the entire region. We may not see results as quickly as one may want, but things are happening there.

OK, I'm done. 1 Bloor?

[valantino]

Yeah, Toronto's lenders and developer are a mircocosm for the city as a whole. Sure our lenders and developers are conservative but, they have great reason to be ... they've all faced bust before.

Are you completed oblivious to the real estate markets outside of this town? Be thankful we don't have 50 halted construction sites instead of the half dozen (still too much) in addition to a dozen shutted and padlocked brand new condo towers.

If you want to talk about ambitious look no further than Cityplace or St Jamestown. Sure Cityplace takes too much flack for what it is but, it's not what I envision as the future of the city.

[sammo]

if it's o.k., i was hoping to start 'tabula rasa', (clean slate) and have a new thread for the infamous yonge/bloor project now known as Number One Bloor by local developer Great Gulf Homes.
quite frankly, the quick rise and demise of the old 1BE depresses me (esp. when coupled with the new developer considering putting up a shorter, 'typical' highrise -without hotel).
i'll 'set the table' with the basics:
image hosted on flickr

Redroom Studios-UT.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/b...-no-hotel.aspx

1 Bloor E. condo project scaled down
Last Updated: Thursday, September 17, 2009 | 5:47 PM ET Comments22Recommend14CBC News
A building that was once slated to become the tallest condominium tower in Canada will be more modest in stature by the time it's constructed, the project's new developer said Thursday.
Great Gulf Homes, a Toronto-based developer, finalized a deal Wednesday to acquire the empty lot at 1 Bloor Street East, on the corner of Bloor and Yonge streets.
Two years ago, the plan of the site's former developer, Bazis International, was to build an 80-storey condominium building on the lot by 2011.
Great Gulf's plan is to build a smaller building that includes luxury condominiums and retail stores, said president and CEO Jerry Patava.
"I don't think it'll be the same height as the previous developers' aspirations, but we will be a typical highrise building," he said.
When plans to build the tower were first unveiled in April 2007, demand for units soared in lockstep with Toronto's booming condominium market at the time. In November of that year, people camped out for days in front of the building's sales office to bid for units, which ranged in price from $300,000 to $2 million.
But construction plans were shelved after Bazis International ran into financing problems after the collapse of one of their backers — investment bank Lehman Brothers — in September 2008.
The fate of the project remained in limbo until Bazis reached a deal in principle to sell the building to Great Gulf in late August.

[Taller, Better]

Well, I think people are reading far too much into a turn of phrase thrown out in conversation. This is Great Gulf Homes we are talking about, and they have a very high reputation. Maybe "typical" simply means it is mostly residential and not so much mixed use. Who knows? We have to wait and see a rendering before we panic.

[sammo]

i'm hoping they're tactic is "under promise-over deliver".
if any corner/area in our fair city merits destination, celebration, expectation, it's here.
Yonge and Bloor are the crossroads of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

[Mollywood]

If one Bloor is done right, it could lead to extending the Bloor retail strip east and hopefully the redevelopment of the hideous Bay Centre. There is no reason why the "Mink Mile" (god, I HATE that name, it sounds so pretentious lol) can't extend east, at least to Church Street or even further. The east side of Bloor could use a bit of glam.

[Taller, Better]

How about the Bling Block!

[Sid_toronto]

Designer valley? lol

[Toronto2008]

a fitting tower for Toronto's most important intersection; its been hyped, then delayed, then made into somebody elses problem, then scaled down!

[OEincorparated]

A jenga tower would look really good here.

[AndrewJM3D]

It's to bad that it feels like this next proposal will be rushed to marketing when something monumental could have gone here. A great location for a landmark office tower with dare I say it an observation deck with a rotating restaurant. At least a mixed use tower. I love the idea of a Jenga tower there.

[Grey Towers]

How about resurrecting the Maryon Tower proposal from 40 years ago? Design of the building proper could be updated to suit the times, but I would keep the upper portion, with revolving restaurant and 600 ft "needle" antenna, intact. Problem is, it would be far too tall for its surroundings at 2200 ft. It would work well a few blocks east of the CBD.

But seriously, with 1 Bloor, can we realistically expect anything other than another downscaled compromise?

[Mollywood]

Originally Posted by Toronto2008

a fitting tower for Toronto's most important intersection; its been hyped, then delayed, then made into somebody elses problem, then scaled down!

I think it's Canada's most important and famous intersection. What other intersection in Canada is so well known and suited to such high density? (with 2 major subways crossing, serious retail, restaurants, cinemas, offices, hotels and high density condos) No other intersection in Canada comes even close. It deserves a great building with some major height and the destruction of The Bay Centre.
That is a perfect location for a rotating restaurant above a tall skyscraper.