[PHOTO] John A. MacDonald on VIctoria Row, Charlottetown

In 2009, a statue of Canada's first prime minister, John A. MacDonald, was erected in Charlottetown at a cost of 80 thousand dollars, sitting on a bench at the western end of Victoria Row on Queen Street. Spacing Atlantic suggested in 2009 that there was some controversy over the statue, as much over the American nationality of sculptor Michael Halterman as of the cost, but it has remained, a recent addition to Canada's MacDonald's statuary collection.

[PHOTO] Soon to go, 480-494 Yonge

I was passing by Sunday when I saw this sign announcing that this block, on the west side of Yonge between College and Wellesley was slated for redevelopment into condos. Urban Toronto has more.

Renderings depicting the podium of a proposed 45-storey residential tower at Yonge and Grosvenor have been posted on Quadrangle Architects' website. The KingSett Capital development spans several properties along the west side of Yonge Street, from 480 to 494 Yonge, including a heritage clock tower which was originally part of Old Fire Hall No. 3 before landmarking the St. Charles Tavern.

The redevelopment proposal calls for demolition of the long-since-defaced former fire hall and incorporation of its clock tower into the three-storey podium of the new building. The modern glass and corten steel base of the building, to house over 2,200 square metres of commercial space in three potential units, will be recessed to allow for the clock tower to take centre stage amid a pedestrian plaza area.

UrbanToronto spoke with Sami Kazemi, Senior Associate at Quadrangle Architects, who provided us with some additional information about the project. "Before starting any design work, we needed to understand the history and significance of this site. We found that it was not only significant for the heritage elements that physically remain, but also for its more recent history as the St. Charles Tavern and what that represents in the collective memory of Toronto. Through our research and consultation with the City’s urban design and heritage staff, it became apparent that the clock tower has the potential to regain its stature and visibility on Yonge Street, as both a landmark and visual marker within the community and city, and so our design is anchored around this opportunity respectfully."