City
Why the Hearn should be saved from demolition
The Hearn Generating Station could be up for demolition in the near future if measures aren't taken to re-purpose the iconic industrial building. As reported in the National Post, Studios of America, the company with the lease on the building, would prefer that the existing structure be retro-fitted with a hockey rink complex, but despite support from councillor Adam Vaughan, it's had no luck in getting a response from the mayor's office on such a plan.
As a spokesperson for the company rather bluntly puts it, "If Rob Ford wants to save the taxpayers $56-million and build his rink there, then God bless him. If someone else wants to demolish and build big box retail, so be it."
Here we go again.
Historically speaking, Toronto has a piss-poor track record with preservation efforts, and the list of structures lost to demolition is as long as it is disappointing. But, in more recent years, there's been a sense that the city is getting better in this capacity. Peter Kuitenbrouwer, the author of the Post article on the Hearn's prospective demolition, cites restoration efforts at the Brick Works, Distillery District and Wychwood Barns as success stories when it comes to the successful re-purposing of industrial sites.
It would be good to keep this in mind when contemplating the fate of the Hearn. While it may not be an architectural marvel, it's absolutely a Toronto icon. And that alone should be reason to preserve the building. As a tweet from Heritage Toronto demonstrated earlier today, other cities have preserved industrial-style buildings with great success (i.e. the Tate Modern). Not only that, if you believe proponents of turning the Hearn into a hockey rink complex, it would actually save money to build such a project within the existing structure rather than starting from scratch.
But it's a little worrisome that the future of the Hearn already seems to be tied to a single re-purposing scenario. The fact of the matter is that are countless ways that the building could be re-used and retro-fitted, and it would be a colossal failure of the imagination were the Hearn merely knocked down.
INSIDE THE HEARN
Photo by dan cronin.jpg.
Photo by ~EvidencE~.
Also by ~EvidencE~.
And one more from ~EvidencE~.
Photo by Inventor_77.
Photo by Jonathan Castellino.
Photo by photosapience.
Photo by smlgphotos (Sean Galbraith).
Photo by ZensLens.
Photo by sniderscion.
Lead photo by photosapience. Image of the Tate Modern from the Wikimedia Commons.
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Also, I'm no structural architect but I'm curious what kind of task bring Hearn up to code would be.
I understand saving a beautiful building from demolition and restoreing it, but why this? what purpose would saving this have?
it isnt important. it isnt nice to look at. It has no real historical value.
Tear it down and build a better waterfront.
i also want to know how these people get in to take those incredible photos...i'm jealous...
Did you look at the picture of the Tate Modern in London? It has pride of place beside the Thames (i.e., London's waterfront), and is a remarkable building, both inside and out. If you don't like it, fine, but there are good reasons to retrofit rather than rebuild, and "heritage" and "beauty" don't need to be at the top of the list.
Consider the waste that would come from destroying a building like that. Whether or not the thing's steel structure and mechanics would be recycled, the demolition would create many tons of pointless waste. Alternatively, building within the existing structure would avoid the environmental costs of demolition—shipping the waste, recycling the steel, etc.; these use energy and have other problems too.
As this article states, it is considered a landmark, much like the "ugly" Canada Malting Silos on the western waterfront, which are being partially preserved. This is our landmark of the eastern waterfront.
With thousands scheduled to move into this section of the waterfront in the coming years, you cannot tell me that this city has no vision to see this building as a needed facility of some sort, to serve the incoming population? Maybe not ice rinks, but there are many other ways to re-purpose this building if the city has vision.
Tearing down is not the easiest solution, especially in regards to a structure like this. It may be the cheapest, but it shouldn't be the Toronto way of dealing with our industrial heritage. See other cities, especially Manchester, UK.
Heritage is not strictly about bricks and mortar people. Just because something isn't a beautiful Victorian home doesn't make it less valuable, please consider Hearn's place in our city's development.
Yes lets wait for that knowledgeable person then.
The Shakes Said it - Not every building is heritage - So what happened here that makes it heritage anyway?
Preservationists, let it go.
Sounds like enough of a reason to me.
Also, in terms of waste, it appears to me that the majority of what makes up the Hearn is steel and brick, both very recyclable (and the stone and concrete wouldn't even have to travel that far for disposal at the spit).
It should really come down to aesthetics and practical use. If someone can come up with a good use for it and the area around it fills in accordingly, keep it. But if you want to a memory of our (relatively short) industrial past, simply looking at the geography of the port lands area will achieve that.
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Though in all honesty, would the quotient have been any different in the past re most threatened/demolished heritage? You might as well be talking about, say, the Foresters Building at Bay + Richmond in 1968, for example. In which case, might as well declare heritage in toto to be a marginal special-interest crock, then...
Additionally, if you think that it's all just steel beams and concrete maybe have a look at some of the photos before it was gutted? Or check out some photos of the office section of the building.
What about the 10 000 historic buildings knocked down from the 50s to 70s?
Probably even less than that of the population protested, or even opposed those decisions.
The Hearn Station should be turned into a world-class experimental vegetable/fruit growing operation. Surrounding parking lots could be converted to acres and acres of greenhouses heated by reclaimed heat from Toronto's sewage as it flows towards Ashbridges Bay Sewage Treatment Plant. The complex would provide current/future jobs and future food - and would encourage intelligent ecotravellers to visit our city.
This concept is preferable to any entertainment (sports, arts, etc.) use, as Toronto needs a year'round source of fresh nourishing food... converting our 1000 km diets in winter and 100 km diets in summer, to year'round 10km diets. The savings are obvious. The strategy is good.
Besides, TORONTO HAS ENOUGH CULTURE. TORONTO NEEDS MORE AGRICULTURE.