Ugly Architecture of Toronto - Liberty Street

What happens to a neighborhood when it is planned by developers rather than urban planners?

You end up with Liberty Street in Liberty Village. This article is more about ugly urban planning rather than ugly architecture as it is hard to distinguish one building from another the way they are so jammed together.

The first time I drove east along Liberty St a few months ago and saw this bend in the road, I knew I would be writing about it. This part of the street reminds me of a river flowing on in the open then disappearing into a canyon. The only difference is canyons are beautiful and this here is just a mess!

The unbelievable thing when you look at the picture above is that developers want to tear down the 100 year old building on the right and throw up another condo high rise. Locals are fighting this one but likely will lose!

This part of Liberty St will always be in the dark. I took this picture today at 2pm on a bright sunny afternoon!

Liberty Street offers the only way for residents to leave east or west from the village. There are only 3 ways to drive out to the north and no southern exits from the village. Yet as overdeveloped as it already is, builders keep on building, and still want to build more!

Other cities take note. This is what will happen should you let the developers do the planning.

It's time for Toronto to give its planning back to the urban planners. If the urban planners are giving neighborhoods like this their blessing, then fire them and hire someone with a love for the city of Toronto.

Ugly Architecture of Toronto - The Lumsden Building

Toronto has many examples of great architecture and some bad.

These days there are many really ugly condos being built in the city. Ugly architecture is not just a feature of the 21st century, however. There are some older examples such as the Lumsden Building sitting on the corner of Yonge and Adelaide. Once it was listed as 6 Adelaide St East but the address has now been changed to 113 Yonge St.

I am not sure what the architect was trying to do. All the windows have the same pattern around them and as a whole it does not work. The pictures do not do it justice. I have always disliked this building.

The main entrance off of Adelaide St east is the only redeeming feature of the building.

The building was originally named after Charles C. Cumming's wife, using her maiden name. He was the original owner of the building. It was started in 1909 and completed in 1910. I find it interesting that right beside it on the east side is a really gorgeous building, built just a year before. Perhaps J.A. MacKenzie, the architect, was trying to one up it. He failed. Tomorrow I will feature that building.

Finally here is a great older shot of the building.

Ugly Architecture of Toronto - 150 Sudbury Street

This has been burning at me for awhile. Toronto is a city which is not really known for it's architectural design, but has so many beautiful buildings, is seeing a blight on it's skyline.So many condos are being built, and so many of them are really ugly.

I want to highlight in these posts some of the more hideous buildings in our city. Not only the new, really bad ones that are being built, but also some of the old. The shame is many of the first one's I will post are in my own neighborhood.

I can't believe that architects put forth some of these designs.

I mean, developers don't care. They come in, put up crappy looking and possibly crappy built buildings, all designed to put bags of money in their vaults. And then they leave and leave behind the blight they have left on the the neighborhood and city, not caring, as they have their cash.

Not that I have anything against condos. They are being built and bought so there is a need. I am not sure as to what legal criteria the City of Toronto has to turn down a design of a building but ugly buildings are being built.

The very first one I am showcasing is in my neighborhood. Just look at this abomination! I knew one day a condo would be built to block out the setting sun. How could I imagine that it would be ugly like this!?

Hey! Let's add a few bricks. This will show people we know about design. No, it makes a mess!

Look at the size of the balconies! Two of you can sit out, as long as your legs don't line up, or you can store 1 bike!

I have never been inside but noticed when a woman came outside to water her plants, how the heating system was installed. It looks like a factory from the early 1900s, where the pipes just hang from the ceiling. I noticed how all units seemed to be the same and took a picture of an empty unit.

Finally, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. I like the address sign!