Architecture
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The rise and fall and rise of St. Lawrence Hall
In 1966, Toronto’s St. Lawrence Hall was in terrible shape. The venerable old neoclassical building at the southwest corner of King and Jarvis...
By Chris Bateman -
PODCAST: Spacing Radio 006 – PopCanCrit: Meet the Critic
This October, some of the foremost authorities in Canadian architecture criticism convened in Ottawa for PopCanCrit, to discuss the future of popular...
By Spacing Radio -
Last chance to see After Utopia: an Exhibition Expressing the Beauty of a Neighbourhood
After Utopia is on at the Urbanspace Gallery at 401 Richmond Street W until Saturday, November 19. The gallery is open from 9:00am – 7:00pm...
By Sheraz Khan -
When will Toronto love its Modern architecture?
What do you picture when you read the words “heritage building.”? It probably isn’t the Carlton Tower at Yonge and Carlton streets. The...
By Chris Bateman -
Heritage conservation districts are long overdue
This is a guest post by Mary L. MacDonald (Senior Manager, Heritage Preservation Services, City Planning) in response to Spacing’s article by...
By Spacing -
The space age Parkway Plaza, Toronto’s first heritage supermarket
It was only a shopping mall, but when the Parkway Plaza opened at Ellesmere Road and Victoria Park Avenue in 1958, it signalled the arrival of space age...
By Chris Bateman -
Misuse of Heritage Conservation Districts can deaden both past and future
The City of Toronto believes it has found a silver bullet to control development pressure in the downtown core through the use of a tool known as a...
By Michael McClelland -
Book Review: Toronto Then and Now
Toronto Then and Now is an elegant, large-format coffee table book that highlights the past and present of some of Toronto’s most interesting...
By Dylan Reid -
The life and death of Peter Dickinson and The Inn on the Park
Peter Dickinson was dying when he designed the Inn on the Park. From a bed in Mount Sinai hospital, his body weakened from cancer, Dickinson listened to...
By Chris Bateman -
Toronto’s Summerville pool is a slice of the Mediterranean
It’s easy to overlook the Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools. Despite its sturdy presence on Lake Shore Boulevard East, the futuristic elevated...
By Chris Bateman -
The Toronto Park Pavilion needs your love
It’s hard not to love the Park Pavilion. Designed in 1958 by British-born architect Alan Crossley and consulting engineer Laurence Cazaly, the space...
By Chris Bateman -
How Toronto built the CN Tower
The CN Tower is one of the most important buildings ever constructed in Canada. Like it or loathe it, the absurd, 553-metre concrete tower, which opened...
By Chris Bateman