Hume: Everything you want in a condo, and less
May 14, 2010
Christopher Hume
North of Danforth, Broadview Ave. becomes a different world. Leaving Riverdale Park behind, it closes in and becomes a landscape of residential towers, many from the 1970s, lowrise apartments of an earlier vintage and assorted convenience stores and houses. Among its hidden gems is one of the city’s few remaining taxidermists, a holdover of a different era. It also serves as a route to and from the Don Valley Parkway and beyond that to the post-war inner suburbs of East York.
Needless to say, the whole is less then the sum of its parts. But at the same time, Broadview is lively and growing livelier. New construction is starting to change the face of the street; much of the new stuff considerably more urban than what was done in previous decades when buildings were set back from the sidewalk and surrounded by acres of empty green space.
On the west, many of the buildings are highrise, but less so on the east, where established lowrise neighbourhoods are now sought after. And although there are spectacular views to the west over the Don Valley, they are long gone, hidden behind a row of giant slabs.
Then, of course, there are the advantages of being well within the city but just enough outside the core not to have to worry about the usual irritations. On the other hand, for reasons of urban geography the street is under some development pressure. The tallest condo tower in the area, Skyy, opened recently and undoubtedly is a sign of things to come.
chume@thestar.ca
957 Broadview Ave.
There’s nothing wildly exciting about this modest project, but there doesn’t need to be. In a display of excellent civic manners, it fits unobtrusively into its site on the northeast corner of Broadview and Fulton Aves. refusing to call attention to itself.
Such displays of architectural restraint are rare – and welcome – in Toronto, where we’re better at building buildings than building communities. Its masonry and stucco exteriors come with just enough decoration to keep it from complete anonymity. Thankfully, the garages are not on Broadview, which means the front facade is free to be a facade.
And at three storeys, it certainly can’t be accused of blocking the views. This is an infill project of the sort that Toronto could use in almost every neighbourhood. Because of its compactness and willingness to remain unobtrusive, it would be at home almost anywhere.
Grade: B-
What do you think? Email us at condos@thestar.ca
Read more Condo Critic
- 5
Condos that tower above the rest
- Yet another condo tower
- King
Street condo an architectural pauper
- Broadway
Ave. represents city's changing face
- Maple
Leaf Square isn't just for fans
- Davenport
a bit of a mess - but it works
- Cityplace
proving its critics wrong
- Yorkville
rich with everything but substance
- Aging
neighbourhood rediscovered
- Eglinton
a victim of good intentions
- Wellesley
struggles for an identity
- Charles
sustains its charm
- Change
is good at Yonge/Eglinton
- Tower
fits into scenic location
- 'Series
of boxes' still fits into Ave and Dav
- Despite
change, King St. E. keeps identity
- What's
not to like about Riverdale?
- Queensway
has lack of connection
- Future
of Ellesmere could heal 'Scarberia's' wounds
- West is
best, as Wallace Ave. shows
- Jane/Finch
rehab faces uncertain future
- When the car becomes
king we all lose
- Past and present can
co-exist
- New
projects pay little respect to past
- Diversity
at heart of
Richmond experience
- Esplanade appeal easy
to understand
- Development
anticipates future
- King
St. E. has it all, let's not ruin it now
- Quiet,
domestic and lowrise Roncesvalles
- Roncesvalles
retains its village flavour
- Industrial
architecture improves with age
- Offices,
condos complete transformation
- Sum
not greater than the parts
- New
Regent Park revitalizing neighbourhood
- East end evolution
more interesting than ever
- Aging
area shows signs of new urbanism
- Industrial Carlaw
evolving into residential neighbourhood
- Neglected
district shows great potential
- Bloor certainly one
of the best streets
- Complex has the right
height and heft for location
- Residential
revival has mixed results
- 'A ghastly mix of
confused intentions'
- Well
situated street is a hodge podge
- Mt. Pleasant bridges
mythical divide
- Boom adds housing to
urban byways
- Throughfare
thoroughly suburban
- Jarvis St. ready for
its second closeup
- Pedestrians take back
seat to cars here
- Re-imagining
Scarborough
- Corner represents
past and future
- River cries for
development
- An exercise in built
chaos
- Treating
the past with respect
- New and old clash on
Richmond