Clash of the Crystals Round One: Denver vs. TO

You're going to be disappointed by Denver's interior - drop ceilings, acoustic tiles, terrible lighting, cases that are obviously recycled from the previous building and don't remotely fit the space. I love the cases in the ROM's crystal - lots of glass, nothing against the walls (so you can see artifacts from all sides), no cases at all where possible (artifacts on platforms). So much more visitor-friendly. And not a drop ceiling in sight! I can't imagine why the Denver folks decided to build the fancy building, and not maximize the incredibly interesting interior spaces it creates.

This may be the usual American disinterest in all things outside their borders, but the ROM crystal has received almost no press at all here in the US, while the DAM has received tremendous reviews and already has good public saturation in the design press. On the critics' front, ROM was crushed.

Note that the review above was much influenced by the environment outside the museum. Perhaps things would have been different if Bloor and Avenue had the kind of lush landscaping, pavers, street furniture, signage guidelines and architectural restoration that now characterizes many American cities. Toronto is extremely behind in these aspects of public space quality, and its citizens are rather ignorant of the city's relative decline. Very sad. It is perhaps best that the writer is not comparing riding a TTC streetcar to Denver RTD light rail or another depressing result would ensue, again for many of the same urban-public-space-dollars reasons.

great photo essay - i especially enjoy the way DAM interacts with the 5 storey building across the street.

Overall, what's missing from the ROM is a sense of sparkle.

Without the glass walls, there's only a series of burnished aluminum planes. If they were polished/shiny (and even illuminated at night), it would improve on the black hole that is situated there after dusk.

uSkyscraper, I had considered going on about the Denver RTD that runs along California St and expanding on how highly successful (and well maintained!) the 16th Street busses are.

Two reasons why I didn't; I wanted to focus on the DAM, and the second is what you mentioned - it's kind of sad to see our transit and public space in the state it is compared to other cities which seem to be flourishing.

I'm no expert, but I think when looking at architecture, the surrounding environment is a really important (if not THE most important) factor in judging the design. It's not like architects plan without any knowledge of the neighbourhood, so it's so important that it's cohesive and complimentary.

I never thought I would say this, but Denver looks gorgeous. Not that Denver is any means some kind of rothole, but it never struck me as being very progressive on the architectural front. The little complex of the Lebeskind structure and the library, with the surrounding greenery, just blows anything Toronto has out of the water. As I scrolled down this entry, I had what I thought was a very Torontonian feeling: this mix of awe for another city, but also shame for our own.

I think, yes, the Denver one is very amazing just thinking of all the engineering and years of math that it entailed. It flows well with the library which makes it look like it came from a Tim Burton film.

Architecture in the states never really has any regard for space. The bigger the better. They love to slap on sidewalks are go no where and areas that look good but are impractical. I would like to see this in real life and see just how practical and how much use is the area around it.

I am in awe of both buildings.

I love that we didn't tear down the ROM and start from scratch as many cities in the south do. The incorporation of old and new in Toronto architecture and it's livability is what makes Toronto unique.

It looks blander than Toronto's Crystal with its lack of windows and uniformity. It doesn't have that impact that the Crystal does either. DAM's still outstanding in shape and execution and something that the city should enjoy.

Gloria- I'm proud of Toronto's messy aesthetic, beautifully culminated at Chinatown. And if you want trophy quality perfectionist design, look south of the Crystal. There's the U of T St. George campus where Gothic architecture meets great Brutalist buildings. Then there's the superb modernist Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building among some interesting additions. The terrific work done with the Distillery District, and so many other projects could be talked about elsewhere and now they're actually working on the waterfront with a great plan. Neighbourhoods previously in decay such as Queen West and the Junction are doing much better in terms of street life. There are parts of the city that do need work, but I don't need to it to look like the museum of urban design before I like it.

The original Libeskind design for the ROM was much more effective because of its greater scale. I think this is something the final, muted version lacks. I understand when plans have to be scaled down due to financial or technological constraints. But when its done because of regressive city policies, then everybody loses.

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I'm always amazed that uncritical, unthinking people fall into the trap of assuming that because something is 'different' it must be 'better' than what has gone before. There is good reason why the ROM has not been featured in the design press. The reason is that ROM is a self-serving, self-indulgent piece of pretentious nonsense that is not worthy of a serious critic's time and energy. Libeskind is not capable of serious architecture. It's as simple as that. Keep in mind that even Daniel Libeskind's own family insisted on using another architect (Alex Gorlin) to design their own home in New York City. If that doesn't tell you that the bullshit-spouting Libeskind is the joke of the century, I don't know what will. Libeskind's fan base is largely confined to juvenile students (1st and 2nd years who have not figured out that this is NOT really architecture), and middle-brow adults who like to think they are at the cutting edge of cultural commentary. Libeskind is laughing at all of them.

First, I don't understand the point of picking a winner between these two structures. They are so similar in style that there is not a clear winner. It comes down to personal preference.

Second, I don't know how anyone can say that Denver is gorgeous next to Toronto. And transit? Please. Let's no go there. I work with lots of people in the Denver area, and the are so jealous of Toronto's transit system.

Toronto is in relative decline? Maybe if sterility is your thing. It is as vibrant as ever. Could it use more love, sure. We all see that, but have a priority on the social responsibilities placed on us by the Provincial government.