When it opened in 1971, it was Ontario’s $29 million answer to Montreal’s Expo ’67, if not in terms of civic pride then in dreams of waterfront and economic stimulus (a Toronto theme that never seems to go away). Designed by Toronto’s Eberhard Zeidler, it was constructed on fill dumped into Lake Ontario off the CNE shore, including three old lake freighters that were sunk and filled with sand to act as anchors for the landfill. The five pods that were suspended over the lake are like nothing else in the world, and the Cinesphere had the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre. For those who like to fret about Toronto’s world-class-ness, we’ve got some beauties right here. Once housing exhibits, the pods are only used for wedding and event rentals now. With floor-to-ceiling glass, they have some of the best views of Toronto, and few people get to see them.
Like Expo ’67, its opening brought with it a kind of Trudeaumaniacal excitement. If Expo let Canada be sexy, Ontario Place said this historically uptight province could be too. Ads from that first year proclaimed the glories of “The Girls of Ontario Place” claiming “There’s a lot to see at Ontario Place, and some of the easiest things on the eye are the attractive guides.” The Globe and Mail even did a photo spread of said girls, writing, “The 100 girls who are the hostesses at Ontario Place for the summer… have hot pants and pantsuits, a midi, a jacket and a stretchy yellow-and-white bubble blouse. Most popular are the hot pants. One girl commented ‘I’ve just got to shorten them.’”
Today, Ontario Place could use more hot pants. The uniforms (on both sexes) are frumpy and oversized now (though perhaps on account of the deep-fried foods that are served in huge portions — even the coffee bar is called a “fill station”). On a recent trip there, I spent over $15 just to enter the grounds for a walk that included few free attractions and a lot of either rundown or neglected buildings. On the east side, where the beloved children’s village once was, a dead, mostly paved space called “South Beach” is located near the waterslide park. The other older bits that have survived here and there are unloved, and the newer games and attractions seem temporary, as if part of the CNE.
[. . .]
Ontario Place needs a near-complete rethink. We should bring back the park, make it free and turn it into a great Toronto public space. Build housing in and around it, so it’s a 24-hour neighbourhood, not just alive during the summer daylight hours. As dense communities are growing in nearby Liberty Village and Fort York, putting people in Ontario Place would nearly surround the CNE with life.
Yet whatever we do with this place, we must retain the hot-pants parts: the pods and sphere. Modernist buildings at this age are at greatest risk. Like awkward teenagers, they are unloved and are routinely disrespected, but parents don’t disown them; they know they’ll come around in a few years. Also at risk is a particular Toronto look that Zeidler gave us at Ontario Place and at his Eaton Centre, itself about to get a $120-million renovation which will likely remove many of the 1970s “futuristic” Space Shuttle–era details. Because of the age of both these places, and their connections to fun times, it’s easy to dismiss our built heritage as nostalgia.
The Annex is about to get in on the Neapolitan pizza craze. But it won't be courtesy of the folks behind Pizza e Pazzi, Queen Margherita Pizza or Pizzeria Libretto. Vacant since a bailiff's notice was posted on its front door last June, the space that used to house the anything-but-Irish James Joyce pub will soon be home to a Famoso Pizzeria, a franchise that established roots in Alberta back in 2006 but is now making a push east. Along with the Annex location, the company's website also promises a restaurant at Yorkdale Mall in Spring 2012.
That should offer at least some indication as to what type of restaurant Famoso is for those who haven't heard of it. As one Edmonton Sun columnist put it, these franchises are kind of like an upscale, Neapolitan-style version of Boston Pizza, complete with corporate branding and sights on national domination. In other words, a perfect fit at Yorkdale — but what about the Annex? Not to be an asshole, but there are obviously just a few more options for Neapolitan pizza in downtown Toronto than there are in Jasper.
No doubt some will bemoan the further corporatization of the neighbourhood — though, in truth, that happened long ago and has ebbed and flowed for the last half decade or so — but one wonders if that attitude will carry much weight should the pizza prove as authentic as the company claims it is. Will the cookie-cutter interior and family-friendly atmosphere lead the Annex crowd to venture outward for its pizza fix (sorry, Hey Lucy)? Or is Famoso's just what the neighbourhood's been waiting for?
Spadina
Spad-ee-na, Spad-eye-na, however you want to say it, the broad, majestic avenue is one of Toronto's cultural hot-spots and a vital thoroughfare. Derived from the Ojibwa word "ishpadinaa" meaning "high or sudden hill", Spadina was the name chosen by Dr. William Baldwin (of Baldwin Street) for his property at the top of the escarpment behind today's Davenport Road. Designed by Baldwin, Spadina Avenue was the name of the street between Bloor and Queen. The section below Queen was known as Brock Street until 1884. Pheobe Street is named for Baldwin's wife.
Over a year has passed since the venerable Dufferin jog passed into history with the opening of a new underpass connecting Dufferin Street to itself on either side of Queen Street West. The novelty of bypassing Gladstone Avenue might have worn off by now, but the tunnel itself still seems austere, lined as it is with two rows of conspicuously blank insets in the concrete that were supposed to house artwork.
Toronto artist Luis Jacob won the city-sponsored public competition to decorate the walls of the underpass in May of 2009, but so far nothing has appeared, leading locals and art scene regulars to wonder what happened to the project. Jacob's name had certainly been in the news in the meantime — the Peruvian-born Parkdale native has opened shows in Montreal, New York and Europe, which have increased his international reputation considerably.
Jacob's artwork — a series of vividly-coloured panels reminiscent of psychedelic tie-dye art — was titled "Community Spirits" when his winning entry was announced nearly three years ago, but seems to have changed to "They Sleep With One Eye Open" when Jacob was profiled in the Toronto Star just over a year later. After calls to his brother's studio went unanswered — Marco Jacob is an architect and designer who helped him fabricate the maquette for his competition entry — I was finally able to talk to Jacob after inquiring at City Hall.
The artist, who was also briefly a member of local indie stars the Hidden Cameras, said that issues with constructing the panels had held up installation of the work.
"It's a huge project," Jacob said, "and because it's a permanent piece of public art, there's a lot to consider, because it has to look good, but it also has to withstand the elements and everything else, so there's been a lot of design work and finally the fabrication."
While the artwork will be sheltered from rain and snow, they still had to contend with the salt and water spray from cars potentially attacking the work.
"I knew it had to be a metal structure, durable materials. We're using powder-coated aluminum for some of the material, so that's going to protect it from corrosion. Anything that you build that's a permanent part of the city, even if it's an artwork, it has to be durable, so these kinds of things are a consideration."
TTC Karen Stintz got even more support than bargained for: city council passed her motion to unbury key light-rail lines by a final vote of 25-18, defeating Mayor Rob Ford's plan to put them underground.
On the second part of her motion, calling for an expert panel to study transit options for Sheppard, passed 28-15, with an amendment that leaves the door open for a subway.
The vote to unbury the eastern leg of the Eglinton Crosstown had to be taken three times, after councillors said they pushed the wrong button (the first vote was 26-17, then a second tally was 27-16). The final and third vote passed the motion, 25-18.
The debate over the future of Toronto transit turned into a battle over expert panels Wednesday, with the mayor and Ms. Stintz lining up competing proposals to study the issue.
Their focus: how best to spend $8.4-billion in provincial funding for transit in the city.
However, Mr. Ford lost his motion to delay council's decision on transit for 30 days so that an expert panel could be appointed to examine the issue. Mr. Ford’s panel, which would look at options for the proposed Eglinton Crosstown line east from Laird Avenue, would be chaired by a “prominent, trusted and neutral leader” selected by the mayor, TTC chair and head of the planning committee. It would also include staff from Metrolinx, the TTC and the city and two other members selected by the chair who are not current or former elected officials. The mayor's motion was defeated 19-24.
A letter from Ms. Stintz, circulated just moments before the start of a special council meeting, includes a recommendation that a different expert panel look at transit options for Sheppard Avenue. That panel would include former mayor David Crombie, University of Toronto professor Eric Miller and Gordon Chong, Mr. Ford’s hand-picked adviser on his Sheppard subway plan.
It would also include senior representatives from Metrolinx, the TTC, the Toronto Board of Trade and the CivicAction Alliance.
Mayor Ford told the meeting that more facts and figures are needed before councillors can debate the issue. He also repeated his argument that the public wants underground rapid transit. “The people of Toronto have spoken loud and clear,” he said. “People do not want streetcar city. They want a subway city.”
The plan presented by Ms. Stintz puts aside Mr. Ford’s controversial Sheppard subway plan for the moment. It calls for the panel to report back to a special meeting of council. The original plan asked for a report no later than Feb. 21, but that date will be pushed back to the end of March, Ms. Stintz told reporters.
Ms. Stintz, who as recently as Tuesday met with Mr. Ford to try to reach a solution he would support, said her proposal acknowledges the importance of the mayor’s pledge to extend the Sheppard subway. “Council should give him the opportunity to honour that campaign commitment,” she said.
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