Doors Open 2006 Toronto s Architectural Festival Sure Has Become Popular

J udging by the line-ups of        up with my friend Shauna, who      architecture buffs on the       shares my passion, and our first   streets, Toronto’s free         destination was One King West,     architecture festival, Doors          the former Dominion Bank           Open, is a resounding success.        Building, built in 1914, that has  Since 2000 Doors Open has been        now been turned into a hotel /     providing free access to              condominium development. This      architecturally or culturally         building was new on the Doors      significant buildings that would      Open list and even at 11 am there  normally be closed to the public      was a lineup that took a solid     or charge an entrance fee.            half hour to get into the                                                building.                          This year more than 140 locations                                        participated and included             Original design elements of this   buildings dating back to the War      building include a sweeping Art    of 1812, the Victorian era, early     Nouveau staircase and the          20th century skyscrapers, places      magnificent former Banking Hall    of worship as well as                 which includes gold-leaf           environmentally progressive           stenciling featuring the nine      “green” buildings. More than one      provinces that made up Canada at   million people have explored          that time. The former Banking      Toronto’s architectural heritage      Hall dazzles with 30 foot          since the inception of this           ceilings (covering 3 floors),      festival.                             marble floors and pillars and                                            imposing cathedral windows. Today  Being an avowed architecture fan      it is part of the Dominion Club,   myself, I made my way downtown        a private social and dining club   around 10 am this morning to          that is part of the hotel and is   partake of the annual                 only available to members, suite   architectural delights. I linked      owners and hotel guests.                                                 include retail space.              We moved on to the basement where                                        we had an opportunity to admire       The banking hall is gigantic and   and walk into the original bank       features a visually stunning       vault. The round vault door is 4      ornamental coffered ceiling. A     feet thick, weighs 40 tonnes and      giant window faces eastwards and   can actually be moved with one        oversize bronze chandeliers are    finger. In 1913, it took 18           suspended from the ceiling. The    horses to bring it up along Yonge     32nd floor used to hold an         Street from the harbour, and the      observatory but this was closed    street was damaged in the             when Commerce Court West was       process. At the present time the      built. The limestone walls         vault is empty but the hotel          feature intricate carvings. We     plans to turn it into private         also had a chance to see the       dining facilities.                    vault in the basement, weighing                                          in at an astounding 52 tons,       Just a few steps west, at 25 King     protected by a huge square door.   West is Commerce Court North,         The vault is now empty and also    originally called the Canadian        features the oversize broker’s     Bank of Commerce Building, and        safety deposit boxes, also unused  today still the head office of        now, which used to hold important  the Canadian Imperial Bank of         documents.                         Commerce. This 34-story office                                           tower, built in the classic Art       After our exposure to banking      Deco skyscraper style, was opened     architecture, we switched genres   in 1931 and remained the highest      and discovered revitalized         building in the British               industrial architecture at 401     Commonwealth until 1962. Commerce     Richmond Street West. This large   Court North is part of a complex      building used to be the Macdonald  of 4 office towers that also          Manufacturing Company, tin         lithographers who applied             An one storey structure            decorative paintings on tin cans.     (including a vault holding tin     After having being in an extended     sheets as raw material) were       state of disrepair, this building     removed to make space for this     was transformed by Margie             courtyard which is now also        Zeidler, daughter of the famous       adorned with two big wire          architect Eberhard Zeidler who        sculptures that feature colourful  had designed Toronto’s Eaton          textile designs and masks, making  Centre and Ontario Place.             them appear like ballet dancers.                                                                            We were right in time for a           Our guide took us up to the roof   guided tour at 1 pm and started       garden: 6500 square feet of urban  in the renovated lobby of this        sanctuary featuring flowers,       former industrial building. The       vines and bushes against the       character of the original             background of Toronto’s skyline,   building including uncovered          all created by the dedicated       brickwork is intact. The factory      efforts of Mike Moody, the         was constructed in 4 stages           Property Manager at 401 Richmond.  between 1899 and 1923. In one of      After a walk over the renovated    the hallways downstairs original      Skywalk, a lovingly restored 2nd   tin sheets showing some               and 3rd floor walkway connecting   ornamental designs were used as       the two sides of the building,     ceiling tiles. In between the         Mike gave us an introduction to    building there is a courtyard         window restoration.                that provides air, light and                                             plant life to this urban              One of the key features of 401     environment. A playground in the      Richmond are its over 800 grand    corner announces that there is a      double-hung windows, consisting    day-care centre in the building.      of wooden cross bars with small                                          window panes in between. These     windows had been in a very poor       innovation communities and the     state of repair and rather than       owner, Urbanspace Property Group,  discarding them, a conscious          has made a commitment to keeping   decision was made to restore          the rents below market to give     them.                                 these small entrepreneurs and                                            organizations some assistance.     Mike demonstrated this                                                   painstaking process, from taking      Just a few minutes up Spadina      the windows out of the wall,          Avenue was our next stop on our    removing the old glass, heat          architectural tour: the Anshei     stripping of several layers of        Minsk Synagogue is located at 10   old paint and putty, to replacing     St. Andrews Street, just 2         the rotted wooden cross bars,         streets north of the Dundas and    reglazing, puttying, painting and     Spadina intersection, Toronto’s    weather stripping. This process       largest Chinatown area. This area  originally used to take 3 hours       adjoins the Kensington area which  per window sash, but now Mike and     used to be Toronto’s original      his crew are able to completely       Jewish area. Most of the original  restore one of these windows in       Jewish residents have relocated    45 minutes. Of the 800 windows,       over the past few decades to       about 80% are restored now. I was     suburban areas north of the city.  just marveling at the painstaking     Opened in 1930, the Anshei Minsk   nature of this process and the        Synagogue was one of about 30      dedication of the people involved     synagogues in the downtown core    to retaining and refurbishing the     when there were still about 30     original architectural features.      synagogues in this area. Today                                           there is only one with daily       Today the complex at 401 Richmond     prayer service.                    houses around 150 tenants, many                                          of them from the arts and social      Rabbi Shmuel Spero talked to the   crowd, telling them about             another heritage property owned    Toronto’s Jewish history and the      by Urban Space Properties.         transformation of the historic        Another member of the prominent    Kensington area. Nowadays more        Zeidler family, Christina          Jewish people moving back             Zeidler, was responsible for       downtown.                             reinventing this historic                                                property. Ground for the original  The Minsk has the feel of a           hotel was broken in 1889 and the   traditional eastern European          original owner, Susanna Robinson,  synagogue of the 1930s. The main      was a widow who operated and       and upper floors are made of          lived at the hotel with 13         hardwood and stained glass            children. This hotel was           windows feature the Star of           originally located right opposite  David. An ornate chandelier,          3 major train stations: the Grand  hanging from the ceiling, also        Trunk Railway, the CPR and the     features Jewish symbols. I wish       CNR. None of the train stations    we had had more time to sit down      are in existence any longer, and   and listen to Rabbi Spero, but we     the Gladstone is no longer the     had to get going to make it to        last place to get liquor before    our 3 pm tour at the Gladstone        reaching Hamilton as it once was.  Hotel. When we got there about 40                                        or 50 people were already waiting     The Gladstone is the oldest        for the tour, testimony to the        continuously operating hotel in    fact that Doors Open in general       Toronto, built in the              and the Gladstone Hotel               Richardsonian Romanesque Style     specifically were a key               which was so popular during        destination for many Torontonians     Victorian times. Two restored      this Sunday afternoon.                pillars in the hotel’s Melody Bar                                        are unique in Toronto for their    The historic Gladstone Hotel is       faux marble finish, using a true   European fresco technique.            Tower Suite, also known as the                                           “Rock Star Suite”, and the         The Gladstone’s elevator is one       luxurious third floor Corner       of the last hand-operated             Suite, both of which provide       elevators in Toronto and the          magnificent views of the city.     common areas on the second, third     Unfortunately we weren’t able to   and fourth floors are used for        catch a glimpse of these special   photo exhibitions. The second         rooms, something that would have   floor provides ten adjoining          interested me greatly.             rooms for meetings, workshops or                                         exhibitions. During our visit         After our tour it was close to 4   there were a number of different      pm and Doors Open 2006 had         artists on display, one piece of      officially come to an end. We      art in particular caught my           took the opportunity to sit down   attention: a large framed photo       in the Ballroom Café, located      montage with many small photos        right next to the beautifully      depicting “Things I Left In The       restored 250 seat Ballroom at the  Fridge Too Long”. I thought this      Gladstone Hotel. We snuck in our   was a particularly humorous and       brunch order just before brunch    relevant piece of art and I think     was finished. I savoured a         I even recognized some of the         Grilled Vegetable Mufuletta        items shown on the pictures from      Sandwich with a tasty side salad   my own failed refrigeration           of mixed greens in a balsamic      experiments....                       vinaigrette while Shauna partook                                         of the Eggs Florentine with        We had a chance to see 2 of the       salmon. The food was delicious     37 hotel rooms, all of which are      and well-deserved after a whole    unique and designed by different      day of explorations, celebrating   artists. The hotel also features      Toronto’s architectural heritage   two special suites: the two-story     and social history.                                                      communities that they serve and    Final lesson: Toronto's               Doors Open is a great teaching     architectural treasures are all       tool to learn about Toronto's      about the people and the              social history.                    About the Author: Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our FREE ebooks about travel. Published At: www.Isnare.com