The old Salvation Army building at Victoria & University, which has sat derelict for many years, is nearing the end of its conversion into the new St. Clair College Mediaplex.
The Mediaplex, is nearly done, and on a super tight deadline in order to qualify for stimulus funding. At first I wasn’t sure about the design, but the more I see it the more it grows on me. The conversion was designed by local architectural firm Architecttura.
What’s your take? Do you like it or not?
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The benches out side along the front are great.
I like it – huge improvement on what was there. Plus, it’s being used!
Are they removing the street parking?
Not sure…Looks kind of 1950’s and looks a tad incomplete. Seems to be taking design cue from DWBIA logoclature?
I like it very much. I am glad they kept the buffed brick and the original lines of the building. The addedd glass panels and black granite update it but not too much.
The only thing is that it may be too modern for that area but that isn’t the architects fault.
I am glad that this building is finally opening. Let’s hope the city can spin off more buildings for developments such as this.
It’s lost its height with all the horizontal lines, but the combination of that and all the glass at ground level has really opened it up to the street and the neighbourhood. And the colours are muted so although the overall design might not blend with the surroundings, it’s not overpowering or too intrusive. Nice job.
Looks ok…. but, needs trees….
Was there no opportunity for a green roof??? Some vegetation cascading from roof decks above would look sharp too…
Great looking facade improvement – can’t wait to tour the facility. Yes, needs some green plants around the site. Even potted trees would add a certain feel to the building.
I like it. Anything’s better than a derelict building with broken out windows.
It’ll be nice to see people moving around this block again, and hopefully a little bit of spin-off might result from the new foot traffic.
thumbs up.
When I first saw the original drawings I was a little hesitant about the design, but now seeing it in person I like it. It may be a little “modern” looking, but that area is a mix of architectural styles. I’m a big fan of the black granite panels, they look sharp!
i don’t know…i’m undecided. maybe it’s the grey sky in the new photo that’s throwing me off. there’s what i think is a media center in Waterloo next to the Waterloo Central Railway station that uses these glass panels as well. it definitly need some green and i like the idea of having vines or something cascading over the roof. i think 3 or 4 flag poles angled towards the street off the overhang of the front door would be nice too.
but you can never complain when stuff gets reused!
on a side note, and i’ve been meaning to mention this for a while, has anyone noticed what seems to be streetcar tracks poking thru the pavement here? they run straight up the center of Victoria and hang a left on Park in perfect unison. you can see them in these photos too.
just something i thought most of you would like to hear.
thanks Andrew!
Its not complete yet, there are plans to put some vegetation on the walls. Maybe some parking on the front will also be removed for some more green space.
O/T – has anyone seen the new “from the vault” thing on the windsor star? great old pics but they sure don’t like people pointing people here for a history lesson! i’ve already suggested coming here 3 times and someone yesterday did and they keep deleting those comments! HA!
don’t worry Andrew, IM outstrips the Star anyday of the week. they’re just turning out some cool pix that you couldn’t get you hands on anyways because the library is closed to the public. and i suspect they are aware of what most of us think about their “quality” reporting skills LOL! 🙂
What did the TD Student Centre used to be? Around back of the building has some very old looking bricks. The front doesn’t look very distinct but I have a feeling there’s some history there.
Jim, here you go.
http://internationalmetropolis.com/2009/05/26/guaranty-trust-building/
Thank you Uzzy, very cool history.
It was nice to see this building be a part of the Doors Open event this year. The tour of the facility was great and the transformation of the building interior was impressive.