Above is a link to my February 2013 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album directly on Flickr and see full-size photos and captions.
September 7 2012: New water fountains adds some moisture and motion to the north half of Nathan Phillips Square in front of City Hall’s clamshell towers …
… while the angular frame for the roof of the square’s new theatre stage is catching visitors’ interest and attention, too
But extensive maintenance and upgrade construction work continues on the square’s popular reflecting pool/skating rink …
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… as does construction on the section of the square between the stage and the new snack bar and skate rental building …
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… while the entire west side of the square, where the new Peace Garden will be built, is yet another giant construction zone — much like the rest of downtown Toronto
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Square gradually getting there: It’s been over a month since I last reported on construction progress for the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization project at City Hall, so I walked over there this morning to see what’s been happening.
As the photos in my July 28 2012 post showed, construction crews still had a long way to go to finish work on the square’s new theatre stage and Peace Garden, along with extensive maintenance and upgrades to the reflecting pool/skating rink.
There hasn’t been significant change over the past five weeks, but there have been noticeable signs of progress.
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July 19 2011: Construction of the relocated Peace Garden continues along the western flank of Nathan Phillips Square next to Osgoode Hall (right) …
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… as does work on a new live performance stage midway between City Hall and the new skate and snack bar pavilion which opened last September (rear).
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Meanwhile, the reflecting pool will be a dry dustbowl throughout the summer as it receives extensive maintenance work and upgrades…
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… including repairs to mechanical facilities along the pool’s entire perimeter …
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… while window upgrade work continues on City Hall’s west tower, seen here July 7 2012. Hundreds of window panes on City Hall’s east tower were replaced last year.
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However, a two-level restaurant that was supposed to be constructed at the square’s southwest corner won’t materialize until some unprojected future time, as part of a third phase of the revitalization project for the 40-year-old square
Slow progress: In recent months a lot of people have been wondering just how much longer downtown Toronto’s building boom is going to last. I keep wondering the same thing about the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization project at Toronto City Hall.
Like much of the downtown area, Nathan Phillips Square remains a giant construction zone for the third consecutive summer as the $40-million-plus revitalization project drags on, with work gradually progressing on a new theatre/stage facility as well as a relocated and enlarged Peace Garden along the west side of the square.
Extensive maintenance and upgrades have forced the closure of the square’s signature reflecting pool/winter skating rink and put another huge section of the square off-limits for months — although that work isn’t part of the revitalization plan.
And as if all that isn’t enough, this is the second year that work has been in progress to replace the 40-year-old window panes in the iconic City Hall towers.
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Skaters enjoy the rink at Nathan Phillips Square under sunny skies and mild 16-degree temperatures Wednesday afternoon. A National Historic Site, Toronto’s Old City Hall provides a grand backdrop for those enjoying their icetime. Built from 1889-1899, Old City Hall was designed by Toronto architect E.J. Lennox.
May 13 2011: Work still hasn’t finished on the former Peace Garden location
Snail’s pace: Looks like the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization is one of those ambitious city projects that is going to take years to complete … and probably not look much like the transformation that was initially promised to Toronto taxpayers. Every time I visit the Square, I expect to see signs of significant construction progress, but never do. While I do notice changes from time to time, I keep getting the distinct impression that the transformation appears to be moving at a snail’s pace. Now I know why. In her latest column in Saturday’s Globe and Mail, Lisa Rochon says “work has been seriously delayed on the square” because of “petty squabbles” between the contractor and the city — a dispute that could result in a two-year delay costing taxpayers an extra $2.4 million. (As I noted in my January 11 2011 post, the project was supposed to take only two years, and cost $42.7 million). I highly recommend reading Ms. Rochon’s column for further insight and information about the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization and other public space projects in Toronto. In the meantime, I’ve posted some recent pics of the Square’s construction progress (or lack thereof) below. Unless a lot of work and general spring cleaning happens in the next couple of weeks, the Square is destined to look tacky and dumpy throughout the summer tourist season. And that’s definitely not a good way to make a positive impression on the hundreds of out-of-town visitors who will pass through the Square each day.
May 13 2011: Without water and operating fountains, the big reflecting pool looks like a large rectangular dustbowl
May 13 2011: The new concession stand and skate rental facility was supposed to be finished by the end of last year, but still has a ways to go
May 13 2011: Another view of the concession building
May 13 2011: A view of the bridge being built to link the concession building with the elevated walkway that surrounds Nathan Phillips Square
May 13 2011: The west end of the Square next to Osgoode Hall, where the Peace Garden is supposed to be relocated
May 13 2011: After being closed all winter, the elevated walkways (and City Hall’s green roof park) have re-opened to the public. The walkways are supposed to get new surfacing and lighting as part of the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization.
May 13 2011: Another view of the former Peace Garden location, which has been taking months to rebuild as an open section of Nathan Phillips Square
A sunny April 9 afternoon at Toronto City Hall’s Nathan Phillips Square
Scruffy Square: I have passed through Nathan Phillips Square several times since Christmas while busloads of tourists were arriving for a quick City Hall visit. It’s been interesting to watch the out-of-town visitors stream from their buses on Queen Street and wind their way toward the ever-popular winter skating rink/summer reflecting pond and fountain. Many look disappointed when they discover that renovation and construction work on several different parts of the Square make it difficult to get nice photos of Toronto City Hall. They wander around, searching for spots away from construction activity, garbage cans and other visual clutter so they can take pics of each other posing with the iconic clamshell towers in the background. A few couples and families have asked me to take their photo, urging me to “try not to get that stuff in the shot” — referring, of course, to construction crews, building materials and equipment, and temporary fencing around areas where work is in progress. Unfortunately for tourists, “that stuff” is going to be there for at least another year. The city’s long-overdue $43 million Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization project started one year ago this week, but the extensive renovation work is scheduled to continue until at least the middle of 2012. With major construction and landscaping activity underway at three prime places on the Square, most tourists probably won’t get a “perfect” picture of City Hall anytime soon. But I’m hoping they’ll enjoy their time in Toronto so much, they’ll come back once the Square’s makeover is complete. Because the Nathan Phillips Square they’ll see in a few years’ time will look vastly better than the dumpy plaza they’re seeing today.
When I describe the Square as “dumpy,” I don’t mean the messy work areas that, once finished, will immensely improve the look and feel of the entire plaza. I’m speaking about the Square in general, which City Hall has neglected and mistreated for years. I’ve overheard more than a few visitors comment that the plaza looks scruffy, and some out-of-town colleagues have made similar observations. I felt embarrassed when a very-well-travelled friend from South America told me several years ago that he thought Nathan Phillips Square is the “scuzziest” city square he’s seen anywhere in the world. I couldn’t agree more. Whenever I walk through the Square, it reminds me of messy backyards where loads of junk are scattered or stacked all over the place because the homeowners either couldn’t find appropriate places to store it out of sight, or just couldn’t be bothered getting rid of it. The big difference is that Nathan Phillips Square is Toronto’s front yard. And that yard not only has pathetic landscaping in many places, it’s cluttered with a lot of crap, including dilapidated, decades-old benches and picnic tables that look tacky (I really hope those are going to be replaced; the revitalization project website mentions new furniture for the elevated walkways that enclose the Square, but says nothing about seating for the ground level.) Moreover, the Square has become an ad hoc storage area for crowd control barriers, construction materials, and equipment. C’mon, Toronto. If you want to be a world-class city, start acting like one. Clean up your front yard and stop using it for storage. The 1.5 million people who visit the Square each year deserve better.
Thankfully, the city got things right with the podium green roof that opened last spring at the base of the City Hall towers — it’s a wonderful, refreshing urban space of gardens, greenery and tall grasses. It’s unfortunate that more people don’t bother making the trek up the curved podium ramp to check it out, though; there has always been fewer than a dozen people enjoying the park whenever I’ve gone up.
Below are two images from the revitalization project’s website, showing the Square’s new layout and suggesting how it will appear once work is complete and new trees and plants have been put in place. Those are followed by photos of recent construction progress at the Square, as well as pics showing some of the on-site clutter and weather-worn benches and tables.
From the City website, an artistic illustration of how Nathan Phillips Square will appear once the two-year, $43 million revitalization work is completed in 2012
From the city website, a map showing the Square’s new layout
March 7 2011: The second level of the new restaurant starts to take form
March 22 2011: Orange and black tarps draped over the snack bar construction
March 22 2011: Reconstruction of the square’s former Peace Garden location
March 22 2011: West view across the former Peace Garden site
March 22 2011: Southwest view of the former Peace Garden area
March 29 2011: Southeast view of the Square across the former Peace Garden site
March 29 2011: Construction progress on the restaurant & skate pavilion
April 3 2011: Window replacement in progress on City Hall’s east tower
April 8 2011: Work crew removing more windows from the east tower
April 8 2011: Work crew removing more windows from the east tower
April 8 2011: The former Peace Garden site hasn’t changed much in months
April 8 2011: Southwest view toward the new snack bar and skating pavilion
April 8 2011: The west side of the Square where the Peace Garden will be re-installed and a new urban forest planted
April 9 2011: A view of the area where the urban forest will be planted
April 9 2011: The west lawn location for the Peace Garden and urban forest. The building to the west is historic Osgoode Hall.
April 9 2011: Construction machines and muck on the west lawn
April 9 2011: Construction extends to the southwest corner of the Square
April 9 2011: Work on the west lawn, just north of the Winston Churchill sculpture
April 9 2011: Northeast view of the reflecting pool, which will get a new seasonal “disappearing” water fountain featuring nine fountain jets
April 9 2011: East view across the pool toward Old City Hall
April 9 2011: Southwest corner of the new restaurant and skate pavilion
April 9 2011: The south side of the new restaurant and skate pavilion
April 9 2011: Another peek at the south side of the restaurant and snack pavilion
April 9 2011: The second level of the new restaurant and skate pavilion. The restaurant will be connected to the Square’s elevated west walkway, which will be eventually be refurbished with new paving, seating and lighting
April 9 2011: Northwest view of the new restaurant and skate pavilion
April 9 2011: Looking south toward the new restaurant and skate pavilion
April 9 2011: Southeast view toward the new restaurant and skate pavilion. The second-floor link to the elevated walkway is taking shape.
April 9 2011: Trees and gardens formerly occupied this space, which has been dug up to permit construction of the restaurant and the new theatre stage
April 9 2011: A solitary tree stands above old park benches cemented to the ground near the new restaurant and skate pavilion
April 9 2011: Some of the old park benches in the construction area
April 9 2011: A long bench on the ratty lawn along Queen Street. New planting and landscape surfaces will be installed in this area to help improve pedestrian flow into the Square.
April 9 2011: Park benches near the Queen Street entrance to the Square
April 9 2011: Old picnic tables stored under the east walkway along Bay Street
April 9 2011: Nathan Phillips Square used to have beautifully landscaped gardens; however, in recent years, they have been allowed to languish and now look quite shoddy. This one is on the east side of the Square
April 9 2011: The old concrete benches next to the pool have seen better days
April 9 2011: The shaded spaces beneath the elevated walkways have long been used to store equipment and material, like these crowd control barricades under the west walkway.
April 9 2011: Barricades stacked under the west walkway
April 9 2011: Tourists have to walk past this makeshift storage area when they enter the Square from their bus drop-off point on Queen Street
April 9 2011: More window panels have been removed from City Hall’s east tower
Skate pavilion and concession stand construction progress on February 15 2011. More information, photos and renderings of the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization project are available in my January 11 post.
Another view of the new skate pavilion and concession stand
Workers on the site of what used to be the square’s Peace Garden
The garden is gone, and will be relocated to the square’s west side
A large excavation is all that remains of the Peace Garden
November 2010: New skate pavilion and concession stand takes shape
No cash for tourist kiosk or restaurant? The two-year, $42.7 million revitalization of Nathan Phillips Square at City Hall is chugging along, but two of the project’s most appealing features might not get built because of budget cutbacks announced yesterday by Mayor Rob Ford.
According to an article in today’s Globe and Mail, the mayor’s budget cuts mean “a planned tourist booth for the corner of Bay and Queen Streets likely won’t be built. Neither will a restaurant for the square, unless the city can find a partner to share construction costs.”
The plan to revitalize the 40-year-old square, which for years has looked worn, tired, dowdy and downright tacky in many places, has been controversial since it was originally proposed to and debated by City Council. Ford had been vocal about his opposition to the project and its cost while he was a city councillor, as well as throughout the mayoral election campaign last year. The good news is that his proposed 2011 budget doesn’t take money away from the program, so most of the revitalization work should continue as planned. However, there won’t be any cash to cover cost overruns.
The most visible revitalization progress to date has been the ongoing construction of a new skate pavilion and concession stand, replacing the hideous concrete structure that previously stood next to the square’s summer water fountain / winter ice skating rink. Also, the Peace Garden has been completely removed (it will be relocated to the western side of the square).
A two-level restaurant proposed for the southwest corner of the square would have been a highlight of the refurbishment program, as would a tourist information kiosk planned for the southeast entrance to Nathan Phillips Square. Undoubtedly, both would have drawn more tourists and residents to the square; however, it’s been obvious for some time that our new mayor isn’t the least bit interested in making Nathan Phillips Square a more welcoming, enjoyable place for either tourists or taxpayers to visit.
Below are some pics I shot in November of building progress on the new skate pavilion and demolition of the Peace Garden, as well as artistic renderings of the tourist booth, restaurant and skate pavilion. More renderings, along with full project details, can be viewed on the city’s Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization website.
Construction progress of new skate pavilion and concession stand
Construction progress of new skate pavilion and concession stand
Peace Garden demolition and removal
Rendering of new skate pavilion and concession stand
Rendering of restaurant proposed for square’s southwest corner
Rendering of proposed tourist information kiosk
Rendering shows location proposed for tourist info kiosk