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Architectural Integrity
Crux of Proposal
Concourse Building cited
Developers replacing heritage buildings could
face mandatory design competition
National Post
A city councillor is spearheading a move to ensure that if developers demolish
heritage properties for new buildings, mediocre architecture will not be tolerated.
Although it comes too late to save The Concourse Building, a downtown art deco
icon slated to be replaced by a 41-storey skyscraper, Jane Pitfield hopes to prevent
such an action from happening again.
That's why the East York councillor wants city mandarins to report on the feasibility
of requiring anyone proposing to tear down a designated building to hold an international
design competition for the replacement structure
"There are so many monstrosities -- just tall, unattractive, glass and steel
buildings. They are overshadowing some very architecturally attractive buildings,"
Ms. Pitfield said yesterday after the planning and transportation committee approved the
commissioning of such a report.
"Maybe we can use The Concourse as a learning experience. Hopefully, we can
prevent this sort of thing from happening again," she said of the Adelaide
Street West landmark. (While preservationists are appealing to the Ontario
Municipal Board to spare the building, its future is grim.)
"It's clear that we've lost this one. Where is it all going to stop? I'm
concerned about the future and the lack of vision architecturally. We should be
in favour of ... having some say into what is built."
An international design competition gave Toronto its most architecturally
significant building -- Viljo Revell's curvaceous 1965 City Hall on Queen Street
West.
However, Margie Zeidler, one of the leaders of the fight to save The Concourse,
said it's too bad we would even consider demolishing heritage buildings. The
owner of 401 Richmond St. W., a modern office and studio complex converted from
a venerable warehouse, said city by-laws and provincial legislation provide
inadequate protection for historical structures and forcing developers to
construct more interesting buildings may be the only way to stop Toronto from
being awash in bland towers.
"It would be nice to have an international competition but, on the other
hand, The Concourse itself should be staying because it's a beautiful
building," she said.
Ms. Zeidler said that until the city drafts a policy on architecture
that states, "We expect good architecture here -- always," the situation
will not improve.
"They [developers] know that they can build garbage here and they do on a
regular basis."
Still, Ms. Zeidler admitted that Ms. Pitfield's proposal may give pause.
"It could deter any developer from taking down a heritage building, because
they would not want to hold themselves out to public competition where they
would have to go with the best design. It may not be the cheapest one."
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