Great Canadian Skyline Thread II

[wg_flamip]

Originally Posted by megadude

Is there anything remotely close in Old Toronto? As in a road that feels rural or at least very much out of place, with a few houses, surrounded by nature. But the houses are modest, 30+ years old, maybe even a workshop on site. Maybe at some point around Evergreen Brick Works or Pottery Road?

The only area I can think of that matches your criteria is the fringe of the residential area on Ward's Island (like here).

The area around the Brick Works and Pottery Rd. was completely transformed when the DVP was put in. Very few of the buildings that were in the area survived. AFAIK, only the Brick Works, Todmorden Mills and Fantasy Farm remain.

Not in the Old City, but Claireville in the farthest northwest of Etobicoke has a similar feel as well, though maybe a bit more industrial (see here)

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

That's exactly it; the insane lengths he will go to grasp at straws defending an undefendable assertion.

You mean, the unassailable assertion... that this, below,

1) is a wooden shack;

2) given its location at 68 6A Street Northeast, Calgary, AB, is right outside Calgary's CBD, and thus, is a stone's throw away from some of the tallest towers in the entire country - a pretty stark contrast in the eyes of most reasonable observers interested in buildings and urbanism.

wooden_shack



And again for good measure:

(if you guys continue to deny that this is a wooden shack, I'll agree with rousseau, let's get Calgary's tap water tested)


wooden_shack_2

[lio45]

(Challenge for anyone here: find me anything similar to the above within a few blocks of FCP in Toronto or PVM in Montreal.)

[905er]

Originally Posted by lio45

(Challenge for anyone here: find me anything similar to the above within a few blocks of FCP in Toronto or PVM in Montreal.)

trust me, it exists in Toronto

[lio45]

Originally Posted by 905er

trust me, it exists in Toronto

Sure, but not a few blocks away from some of Toronto's tallest towers. That epic contrast is what's the point here; it's not surprising that such shacks can be found within Toronto/Montreal/Vancouver/Calgary city limits if one knows where to look, it's surprising that they're right next to the city's tallest.

[Chadillaccc]

Lol, if you're using FCP - the tallest building in a metro 6 times larger and a century older than Calgary - as your starting point.... well my point stands, all you can do is grasp at straws here. But to that point, that house is 2 kilometres away from Brookfield Place, Calgary's analog for FCP. Not "a few blocks"... so again, maybe you need to learn what you're talking about. Maybe get your own water tested biscuit, because you've been grasping at these same straws trying to make this argument for 11 days now. How do you not see how pathetic you look by this point? Your cognitive dissonance is really quite something to watch.

To be clear, obviously that single house could be defined as a wooden shack. However, that is not what is at issue, you asserted that downtown Calgary is surrounded by wooden shacks. You clearly had to dig through all of streetview to just find one. I admire your misguided devotion to this farce, but come on man, seriously pathetic. I digress... yes, at least you're right in that one single home can be seen as a wood shack, sure.

[kool maudit]

This is ridiculous. This is just a stupid thing to have emotions about.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

This is ridiculous. This is just a stupid thing to have emotions about.

Yep. I'm shocked. Two cities that developed a lot at different times have different things going on them. It's shocking.

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by lio45

Sure, but not a few blocks away from some of Toronto's tallest towers. That epic contrast is what's the point here; it's not surprising that such shacks can be found within Toronto/Montreal/Vancouver/Calgary city limits if one knows where to look, it's surprising that they're right next to the city's tallest.

Holy fcuk you have issues....and apparently no life!

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Yep. I'm shocked. Two cities that developed a lot at different times have different things going on them. It's shocking.

Exactly. Who would expect Calgary, Alberta to be thick with prewar tenements? Who would take offense to some traveler's mistaken idea that it might be?

The cities of the world are more than just greater or lesser approximations of Manhattan in 1932. Calgary is a young frontier-ish place with mountains and oil money and open plains. I've never been, but if I went there I'd be thinking about things that go along with that general set of icons. I'm sure I would find some surprises, too!

The initial sneer and the aspirational fury it produced are both pretty silly.

[rbt]

Originally Posted by lio45

(Challenge for anyone here: find me anything similar to the above within a few blocks of FCP in Toronto or PVM in Montreal.)

You won't find much like that near FCP today. 20 years ago, when FCP was surrounded mostly by parking lots and a driving range, there were several buildings of similar quality.

[MolsonExport]

/another thread is ruined by pedantry and twisted panties.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

Exactly. Who would expect Calgary, Alberta to be thick with prewar tenements? Who would take offense to some traveler's mistaken idea that it might be?

The cities of the world are more than just greater or lesser approximations of Manhattan in 1932. Calgary is a young frontier-ish place with mountains and oil money and open plains. I've never been, but if I went there I'd be thinking about things that go along with that general set of icons. I'm sure I would find some surprises, too!

The initial sneer and the aspirational fury it produced are both pretty silly.

It is still better than the Current Events section.

But, to get us back on topic. St. John's from a while ago (2008). If someone has the same view from now I'd like to see if anything has changed.


Waterfront by (HomeInMyShoes), on Flickr

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by Pavlov

I should have known that someone would find something to nitpick!

Anyway, according to google maps, those are a roughly 35 minute walk (2.7 km) from the CBD. They're ugly as hell but I don't think they're repulsive or a sign of an unhealthy urban neighborhood (especially in the context of a North American prairie city with less than 1.5 million people).

Honestly I think people are pretty hard on Calgary on this forum. Its made great strides in the last twenty years in terms of urbanity.

I was being facetious. I love Calgary, and I take some little pride in never engaging in city vs. city crap.

Calgary is a victim of it's own amazing growth. People see a massive skyline with monster office towers and forget it's a metro of less than 2 million. No one derides Winnipeg for the same thing because it doesn't produce the same perception when you see the smaller CBD in a skyline photo.

Calgary is a city that vastly outgrew it's bones, and it shows every now and then in places like Lio's photo. It takes time to fill out.

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

The initial sneer and the aspirational fury it produced are both pretty silly.

Agree.

For what it's worth, I apologize to my fellow formers for my role in this silly but protracted argument. Sometimes I just can't help myself.

[Pavlov]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

I was being facetious. I love Calgary, and I take some little pride in never engaging in city vs. city crap.

Calgary is a victim of it's own amazing growth. People see a massive skyline with monster office towers and forget it's a metro of less than 2 million. No one derides Winnipeg for the same thing because it doesn't produce the same perception when you see the smaller CBD in a skyline photo.

Calgary is a city that vastly outgrew it's bones, and it shows every now and then in places like Lio's photo. It takes time to fill out.

Well, in that case, I missed the entire point of your post. Whoops.

[kool maudit]

For what it's worth, I think those old houses are interesting and evocative. They make me think of the old prairie and the west, particularly the one on the left.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by rbt

You won't find much like that near FCP today. 20 years ago, when FCP was surrounded mostly by parking lots and a driving range, there were several buildings of similar quality.

And that would have been "fascinating".

I don't see why that's controversial. It's simply reality. So weird that we can't discuss this on a site dedicated to urban affairs / buildings without crazy people throwing tantrums.

[MolsonExport]

[niwell]

I also think that example is fascinating, and interesting view into Calgary's fading past. But we all know it's the term "shack" that's getting people riled up - which it was obviously intended to do with a specific target in mind. Without fueling the fire too much, in my mind that's an old, somewhat dilapidated woodframe house, not a shack. A shack is an ad-hoc slum dwelling, and shack town is another colloquialism for slum/informal settlement/shantytown/favela, etc.

As WS pointed out above, from a construction perspective the Calgary house is probably not dissimilar from these (I know someone who lived in one, they are truly grim inside), which are actually much closer to FCP than the Calgary example: https://goo.gl/maps/qfPKo4BNDQayDGyx8

This is all incredibly stupid but at least a fun distraction compared to other parts of SSP.