Canadian Demolitions - Page 9

MolsonExport · #**161** Posted **Oct 4, 2013, 12:26 AM**

ah, the old Montreal smoked meets. I went to one at McKibbin's on Bishop. Serge, Habsfan, Harls, GS Mtl, Patrick Scantland, Elsonic....a few others as well. Good times.
The exterior of Hotel de la Montagne had all the charm of a 1970s-era Longueuil apartment block. but the rooftop patio was great.

harls · #**162** Posted **Oct 10, 2013, 2:28 PM**

—.. this place has a date with the wrecking ball? My memories! *sob*

Dwils01 · #**163** Posted **Oct 14, 2013, 8:48 PM**

Women's College Hospital Toronto.

Picture by me.

kwoldtimer · #**164** Posted **Oct 14, 2013, 9:01 PM**

Is the Womens College Hospital building being completely demolished? I thought it was a national historic site.

Rico Rommheim · #**165** Posted **Oct 14, 2013, 9:45 PM**

Lots of oldies going down in Toronto it seems. shame.

Martin Mtl · #**166** Posted **Oct 14, 2013, 9:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Is the Womens College Hospital building being completely demolished? I thought it was a national historic site.

Another Art Deco lost for Toronto. Sad.

Drybrain · #**167** Posted **Oct 14, 2013, 10:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Is the Womens College Hospital building being completely demolished? I thought it was a national historic site.

The land was designated historic, but not the building. It's too bad. It wasn't the greatest art-deco structure around, but there aren't that many in Toronto, and it had a great profile from College Street.

lio45 · #**168** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 12:40 AM**

Wow. A shame!

J.OT13 · #**169** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 1:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drybrain

The land was designated historic, but not the building. It's too bad. It wasn't the greatest art-deco structure around, but there aren't that many in Toronto, and it had a great profile from College Street.

The land..? The LAND..! Are you kidding me!? How can the land be historic but not the building?

Drybrain · #**170** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 1:11 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The land..? The LAND..! Are you kidding me!? How can the land be historic but not the building?

I guess it was the historical importance of the location as a working hospital complex, making major contributions to Canadian medicine, and womens' increasing role as doctors, etc. The designation applied to the whole property but none of the individual buildings on site. BUT, this entry on the Parks Canada web page does specifically mention the 1935 art-deco structure as a major building on the property.

lio45 · #**171** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 1:28 AM**

I don't think Toronto is doing itself a favor by getting rid of pre-war buildings.

MolsonExport · #**172** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 1:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dwils01

Women's College Hospital Toronto.

Picture by me.

câline de bine

lio45 · #**173** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 2:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drybrain

BUT, this entry on the Parks Canada web page...

Reading that historic site entry, and then looking at the picture in this thread... I'm thinking they're going to have to delete that entry, sweep it under the rug, and pretend it never existed.

WhipperSnapper · #**174** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 2:41 AM**

It's a hospital. Modernizing the old wing would have been obscenely expensive and for what cause. It wasn't a great piece of architecture hidden behind additions and expansions.

Innsertnamehere · #**175** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 2:43 AM**

^ pretty much. The replacement is ugly as hell though.

J.OT13 · #**176** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 2:53 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

It's a hospital. Modernizing the old wing would have been obscenely expensive and for what cause. It wasn't a great piece of architecture hidden behind additions and expansions.

Even if it would have been too expensive to modernize as a modern hospital, they still could have turned it into condos or offices. Also, the building was still very much visible even with the new additions. They're is not nearly as bad as say the Ottawa Montfort Hospital additions. Now there's an example of additions hiding the original building;

Innsertnamehere · #**177** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 3:17 AM**

If they had turned it into condos or offices, dare tell me, but where would the hospital go?

J.OT13 · #**178** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 3:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

If they had turned it into condos or offices, dare tell me, but where would the hospital go?

I don't know, isn't the new hospital u/c right next door? Between Google maps and images of the new hospital, it seems the site of the old building is to be turned into a park.

If so, the building didn't need to come down at all.

Innsertnamehere · #**179** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 4:19 AM**

Only part of it. The square portion at the rear that doesn't stick out has been built, but the smaller portion that sticks out requires the demo to be built.

WhipperSnapper · #**180** Posted **Oct 15, 2013, 6:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Even if it would have been too expensive to modernize as a modern hospital, they still could have turned it into condos or offices. Also, the building was still very much visible even with the new additions. They're is not nearly as bad as say the Ottawa Montfort Hospital additions. Now there's an example of additions hiding the original building;

A conversion to condos would likely bankrupt The Conservatory Group whicj is backed by one of the richest families in Canada. Conversions are much more expensive than new builds with numerous unknowns that have killed ten times the number of new developers hoping to cash in on this amazing real estate boom. I can, t imagine the surprises in this dank old hospital.