Hume: Revamped hydro building still has power
June 4, 2010
Christopher Hume
STAR COLUMNIST
South of Casa Loma, north of the railway tracks, this is a part of Toronto that offers a bit of everything. Formerly industrial, but also residential, it’s an area in transition but one that will always include a mix of uses.
No one would complain about this, of course, it is the urban condition par excellence, exactly what we are trying to create throughout Toronto, or at least should be. But as is now the case throughout the city, what this means is that districts once devoted to industry are now being re-invented as residential neighbourhoods. Though sprawl continues apparently unabated, more people than ever are attracted by the appeal of urban life. Given the priorities of the 21st century, that makes a whole lot of sense.
What makes this precinct especially compelling is the mix not just of uses but also of the grand and the humble. Up on the hill there’s Casa Loma, Sir Henry Pellat’s personal castle. Designed by architect E.J. Lennox, it remains the most spectacular private residence ever built in Toronto. Though operated with a minimum of imagination, it manages to be a tourist magnet through the sheer power of its architecture.
Down below, George Brown College brings thousands of students into the area and the more sedate Toronto Archives is nearby.
Toronto Hydro has also had a presence in the district for decades and still does. Defined by the railway line, the south edge of the neighbourhood feels definitive and rather abrupt. On the other hand, it’s likely the reason this part of town has always set apart from the rest of the city.
chume@thestar.ca
CONDO CRITIC
Madison Avenue Lofts, 376 Macpherson Ave.: Carved out of a
former Toronto Hydro building, this lowrise box has been turned into a
surprisingly effective condo complex. With its large windows and
courtyard organization, it demonstrates once again the domestic
potential inherent in much industrial architecture.
There’s nothing fancy about the building, but there doesn’t need
to be. It has a kind of blunt honesty that makes it hard to dislike. And
because of its industrial heritage, it’s not one of those condos
designed by architects under the guidance of the marketing department.
It’s more robust than pretty, though the garden-like courtyard is
genuinely appealing.
GRADE: A
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Email us at condos@thestar.ca
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