City
Saturday Brew: Toronto's Human Egg Market, York University BRT Opens, Cameron House for Sale, Leaf Request, ROM Crystal Among Ugliest Buildings
Photo: "Fuzzy Memory" by PJMixer, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
This week's entry in what appears to be an ongoing investigative journalism feature in the Saturday Star examines Toronto's black market in human eggs. Unlike the States, Canada has banned the sale of such eggs, leaving would-be parents with fertility problems to rely on the limited supply provided by altruistic donors. Or Craigslist. There is, of course, a host of problems associated with the unregulated sale of of such a sensitive "product" (which can cost up to $10 000), but those desperate to conceive have few other options within the current system.
Yesterday saw the opening of the York University BRT, which uses the hydro corridor north of Finch to shuttle passengers between Dufferin and Keele streets away from traffic. Although it's estimated that the BRT, which also uses dedicated lanes on campus and a special exit ramp from Downsview station, will shave up to 14 minutes off the previous trip time, I'm pretty sure this'll only be true during the height of rush hour. Having had a chance to ride it yesterday, I have to say that at 3 p.m. it wasn't more than a couple of minutes faster than normal. Maybe it was my bus driver, who was plodding along at a painful pace.
The Cameron House, a staple of the Queen West arts scene, is up for sale. Owners Cindy Matthews, Paul Sannella and Anne-Marie Ferraro hope they can find a buyer sympathetic to the role the Cameron has played in helping local artists and musicians gain both a sense of community and exposure. As their listing reads, "the hippest neighbourhood in the city awaits your style and imagination." That sounds a lot like a condo ad, and I have my suspicions that that's exactly what might eventually replace the arts hub.
Toronto Maple Leaf fans, myself included, are fed up. Despite the arrival of Phil Kessel, who's played well, the team remains abysmal. Last in the league, is it possible that we might see some changes? My personal request: send Jason Blake, Rickard Wallin and John Mitchell to the minors -- that's addition by substraction.
The ROM's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal has been voted one of the world's ugliest buildings by VirtualTourist. Citing the addition's lack of congruity to the original, the site compares it to I. M. Pie's pyramid at the Louvre. This is odd to me. I've always loved this building, exploding as it does out of the original structure. What do you think?
Discussion
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First of all, it was designed as a 'crystal', but so poorly thought out it had to be clad in siding. Second, given all of the interior acute angles, there is little display area for a space of such enormity. Finally, the first and last thought I have on that building is: Gilliam's Brazil.
People are entitled to their opinions but travel agents are not the best architectural critics. That list of ugliest building shouldn't be taken seriously.
Wow! Can't WAIT for the Cammie to finally live up to its long-stymied potential as the next Gastro-Boutique-Hotel-Pub-Condominium-Lifestyle-Destination-Authentic-Loft-Authentic-Authentic-Authentic! DADDY BUY IT FOR ME!
But is it a good museum addition? No.
I love the ROM. I heard that it was supposed to be all glass, but due to the sensitivity of the objects on display, they had to change the plan. But I think the dinos look pretty amazing in the crystal. The dark coloured skeletons against all the white walls and glass is such a contrast! It makes them seem even bigger...
Not only is it ugly, should have been more organic, it is a poor use of internal space with a lot of strange angles.
Are people still whining about the ROM? Grow a pair. How many thousands of buildings are there in Toronto? How is it that these petty individuals get hung up on ONE OR TWO semi-contemporary buildings we have in Toronto and recycle formulaic conversations about them in public for years. What a first world tragedy we have here!
The Westin Harbour Castle is the ugliest building in Toronto by far, not the ROM. The ROM may not be classic in style, nor the best space for museum showcasing, but it's something to talk about -- and there are always people out there check it out, taking pictures, etc.
Maybe Greg is unclear of the concept of a discussion forum. A question is asked, and people give their opinion based on the thread question, and do not denigrate other posters for their opinions. Quite a simple concept. Greg I suggest you practice this concept on your kids and friends. If you do not like the thread, move on to something more intellectually stimulating.
Are you kidding? The crystal was touted and celebrated in a way few building additions are. Its odd design, prominent location and cultural importance will naturally draw a lot of comment, one, ten or one hundred years after construction.
The criticism is fair, as are those who say 'wait and see'. I personally think the ROM was distracted by the 'starchitect' factor and wrongly bought into a building that is all form over function. More thought was put into the 'wow' factor than what the building would actually be used for. This is clear from the weird lack of space and the fact that no one thought about the impact of light on exhibits during the design.
I don't hate the building, it's an interesting sight both inside and out. That doesn't mean it's beyond criticism. I certainly think we could have had something better and we need to stop being impressed by the big names in architecture. I'm curious to see how it ages (not literally, but in our perception of it).
Seriously, it only looks pretty cool from the outside. On the inside it is useless. The dinosaurs actually look SMALLER, not bigger in this space. The new addition is constantly filthy, and the exhibits (those poor exhibits) that have been forced into the basement is pathetic. If you take the stairs to the basement section, it's like you are trying to find your level in a parking garage. Did they need an extra addition anyways? Was there not enough space? It seems like there was always TONS of room to walk around and to display items. Sigh.
Okay, on to other things like helping the hungry of Toronto.
I love that crystal. I live a stone's throw from it and never tire admiring it, especially walking West from Yonge at any time of the day. That side of the ROM was truly neglected and ugly. Now it looks great.
What is fugly, is the virtual tourist's photo. That's not a photograph, that's crap. No wonder it doesn't translate into the awesomeness the addition is in real life.
I have yet to see the inside [yeah, yeah, shame...], but I'm not convinced that the best design ought to be the most practical. That kind of thinking is seen in most of Toronto's architecture. Stuck in who knows where and soooo practical. Too bad it's ugly to boot. Great!
I love Alsop's OCAD addition too BTW.
@stevco
I don't know if comment threads count as a discussion forum, they are usually more of a peanut gallery. I just can't believe we are still having this conversation. If people think we blundered the opportunity offered by the ROM they should be present throughout the discussions surrounding the next important public edifice.
Hating a building once it is built isn't that productive - unless you lobby to have it demolished. OCAD, the ROM and AGO have become these utterly bland touchstones around which we rally to prove how conservative we are - and guess what, hindsight is 20/20. Honestly, these (after the fact) conversations about public architecture sound like a chorus of yapping dogs to me... maybe I should move on to something more stimulating, like watching paint dry.
PersonallyI think these discussions are healthy, and if any executive at the ROM is listening they would learn a lot. I went to the ROM with my daughter and we both were really disappointed. From the outside it is visually stunning, but once you enter the building you quickly realize that this is a public space disaster. The entrance is dark, impersonal, and not user friendly at all. I witnessed several elderly patrons wandering around, as they could not figure out how to get into the exhibits, and they were close lined by the almost invisible guide ropes put up everywhere.
The awkward angles continue inside the ROM and make it virtually impossible to display the artifacts in a sensible manner, and are a complete waste of space. As well, you have to avoid walking into sloping ceilings. What a architectural nightmare.
Then when you try and exit the ROM, good luck. The exit is right out of a TIm Burton movie set. The old entrance and exit was simple, inspiring and grand. We all have a right as Ontario tax payers to voice our opinion. And as Alison said, what a shame this money was not put into other social programs that really matter, like teen drug abuse, sexual abuse, or our growing gang violence problem.
I find it pitiful that they did not take into account the icicles that form on the crystals making it a hazard for people to walk into museum and even to pedestrians just walking buy. Anesthetics aside, the crystal has the potential of really harming people!
Its anesthetic properties are probably appreciated by the impaled pedestrians.
I love the ROM's Crystal, and explain why at length here - http://torontomyway.blogspot.com/2010/01/roms-crystal-i-love-it.html