Quote:
Originally Posted by Saul Goode
Does anyone else find this a hideously ugly building, monolithically forbidding streetside and a blight on the waterfront? To me it's about as inviting as a root canal.
What a disappointment. What a waste.
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I still have a few issues with the busy-ness of the facade in some respects, but overall I'm more impressed every time I see it.
Contrary to the "ugly and out-of-scale" commentary from some folks, it's clearly been designed with a lot of care for its location. The materials reflect the stone used on other nearby monumental buildings (AGNS and Dominion, mainly), its roofline reflects a graceful descent to the water from the those structures, and it seems to address the water beautifully (full judgement reserved until I experience it).
The Water Street side of things is also vastly improved. The new laneway between the MMA and the Marque is a nice pedestrian thoroughfare, and Water Street itself feels much more inviting with the broader sidewalk and bike path. Every time I was down there this autumn the space was active and busy despite being incomplete.
And while it IS imposing, the attention to street-level detail in the facade makes up for that, some of which is
detailed here.
I think in five years, or less, everyone but the diehards will have embraced it as just part of the city.