Hume: History gets a make-over
May 21, 2010
Christopher Hume
If Lansdowne Ave. hasn’t seen better days, it certainly deserves to. From Bloor north, it has become a confused, depressing and sometimes extraordinarily ugly mix of intentions and results. The co-op slab residence on the west side of Lansdowne a block up from Bloor is a serious contender for Toronto’s most wretched piece of architecture. It looks like something from a third-world country, not the richest city in Canada. From there things get better, but not by much. Even the new townhouses on the east side south of Davenport Rd. leave much to be desired. The original housing stock, two- and three-storey heaps that in too many cases have undergone unfortunate renovations, also fails to impress.
Though there are many such thoroughfares in Toronto, Lansdowne feels especially grimy and grungy. In short, it is shabby. What’s hard to understand is why an area so well located, so well serviced by public transit, could have become so rundown. However much we may complain about gentrification, Lansdowne provides a strong argument in its favour. That will eventually happen, of course, and as we speak the old General Electric complex is being transformed into a residential enclave. But even that has locals up in arms as the city and the developer plan to demolish one of the few genuine landmarks in the vicinity, an old smokestack. A quick trip up Lansdowne is enough to convince even the most rabid optimist that Toronto is its own worst enemy. That will probably change in the decades ahead, but for now this is a street that has little to recommend it.
The Foundry Lofts, 1100 Lansdowne Ave.
The idea makes sense – take on old industrial complex and remake as a place for people to live. Let’s face it, old buildings such as those constructed by GE have such good bones that a century later, we are thrilled to be able to live in them. One would think, therefore, that transforming the old plant that sits of the west side of Lansdowne between Davenport and Powerhouse Rd., would be hard to mess up. After all, these sorts of structures don’t need prettification so much as re-appointing. There are many examples in Toronto, from the Distillery District to the police building at Parliament and Eastern. What a project such as this does need, however, are the small external changes that offer clues as to its new purpose. Landscaping, for example, is important, as are entrances and windows. In this case, the building appears to have been left as ratty as it was found, especially along the north and east sides, which are a disappointing to say the least. And as much as one might admire the scars of its industrial past, couldn’t be window sills at least have been cleaned up? Though the original building is deeply impressive, the refurbishment doesn’t seem to have gone beyond the bare necessities.
Grade: C
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