Site study:
The Loblaws Groceteria Building is located at 500 Lakeshore Blvd. West, at the northeast corner of Bathurst St. and Lakeshore Blvd. The immediate physical context and my reactions are as follows:
A walk from the east takes you through high-rise residential development. Spadina and King, Spadina and Lakeshore, Lakeshore west. A massive bridge over the railway tracks brings together the north and south sides. There are small green spaces and walkways throughout this developed area. The units that adorn this condo-passageway usually have small necessity shops located on their ground floors. From a planning perspective the feeling is that the grid is shifted from the scale of the human to the scale of the automobile. This is manifest physically throughout the lakeshore community. The area can attribute its physical effects to our expanding population and the need for development practices that can accommodate the maturing city.
What I am reacting to within this study are the notions of densification and development within a residential discourse. Because there have been reactions both positive and negative in regards to this phenomenon I am interested in how my intervention will live within this framework.
A walk from the north takes you through a slightly more progressive neighborhood. Bathurst and King, Bathurst and Lakeshore, Lakeshore south-east. Heading south down Bathurst you encounter many mixed-use areas, smaller developments and slightly more green-spaces which eventually terminate in an industrial area. The crossover is generally the trainyard which physically separates the north, downtown community, with the south lakeshore community. There is a small access road to the north of the tracks, elevated slightly and empty lots to the south which face the north elevation of the Groceteria building. South of Bathurst and Lakeshore there are rows of duplex homes which are part of the greater Harbourfront development community. These units, immediately south of Lakeshore, have a low profile and are developed no larger than three stories. There are a few high-rise condo or apartment units mixed into the neighborhood. Where this community intersects with the water it also creates a community centre and school. This area has been developed well for its mostly pedestrian traffic. However, the huge grain elevator building is blocking the west façade of the school’s greenspace. It is also in a state of decomposition which makes it problematic for an environment of people being active outside. I think this is a strong analogy for the entirety of the community. The area has grown faster than it has been able to sustain and maintain its population of buildings.
There is more development along the west stretch of lakeshore after Bathurst. Fort York also borders the west elevation and north west corner of the intersection at Bathurst and Houston just north of Lakeshore. This limits, potentially, further expansion north and also more importantly requires historic context and consideration which in turn determines the local planning.
Access to the site from the south is limited due to the approximate relationship of the residential and commercial units to the shore of lake Ontario.
Its history is compact. 500 Lakeshore Blvd. west was built in 1927 as the headquarters for the Loblaws Groceteria Co. by Sparling, Martin and Forbes. It was built in the international style of Art Deco with classical themes and exaggerated vertical and geometric lines. It is situated on a stone base and clad with brick. There are two sections to the building. The south building, which is four stories was build first in 1927 the adjoining north building was built in 1934 as an expansion and factory. Goods and services from Loblaws were manufactured, packages and shipped on premises. Its approximate relationship the railway lines were paramount to its development and success. Goods were shipped from across the country from both east and west ports and received in Toronto. In our contemporary post-industrial era the use of railway is less than shipping and flying in goods and services. Moreover, physical transaction of goods and services has almost vanished when dealing with the most valued and ‘exotic’ goods and services. These are ideas, which are transmitted electronically.
As I see it, the building site in terms of viable intervention, is positioned well for a kind of development. Being fully conscious of its cultural contexts of ‘new technology international’ and ‘goods and services provider’ I intend to redevelop the program for the environment accordingly.
Taking into account the social and cultural context, there are avenues for exploration and development that can benefit the whole of the city apart from existing analogous to the post-industrial era we inhabit.
The site has a few direct approximations:
1 High-rise condo density.
2 Low-rise town home residential density.
3 Tourism and attractions, CN Tower, ACC, Fort York etc…
4 Commercial, Developers, Media, Community centers.
5 Transportation routes, Go system access, Gardiner expressway, Lakeshore and Bathurst streets.
6 Development potential, vacant sites, retail space, lakeshore.
7 Proximity to the lake.
There is potential in the site for the development of ‘cultural’ institution that focuses on the on the city and development.
Site access by TTC is available but the site is most accessible from the downtown west by foot. It is in close proximity to centers such as OCAD, the DX, Design studios on King west, the convention centre, residential neighborhoods bordering its walkable location.
A walk from the east takes you through high-rise residential development. Spadina and King, Spadina and Lakeshore, Lakeshore west. A massive bridge over the railway tracks brings together the north and south sides. There are small green spaces and walkways throughout this developed area. The units that adorn this condo-passageway usually have small necessity shops located on their ground floors. From a planning perspective the feeling is that the grid is shifted from the scale of the human to the scale of the automobile. This is manifest physically throughout the lakeshore community. The area can attribute its physical effects to our expanding population and the need for development practices that can accommodate the maturing city.
What I am reacting to within this study are the notions of densification and development within a residential discourse. Because there have been reactions both positive and negative in regards to this phenomenon I am interested in how my intervention will live within this framework.
A walk from the north takes you through a slightly more progressive neighborhood. Bathurst and King, Bathurst and Lakeshore, Lakeshore south-east. Heading south down Bathurst you encounter many mixed-use areas, smaller developments and slightly more green-spaces which eventually terminate in an industrial area. The crossover is generally the trainyard which physically separates the north, downtown community, with the south lakeshore community. There is a small access road to the north of the tracks, elevated slightly and empty lots to the south which face the north elevation of the Groceteria building. South of Bathurst and Lakeshore there are rows of duplex homes which are part of the greater Harbourfront development community. These units, immediately south of Lakeshore, have a low profile and are developed no larger than three stories. There are a few high-rise condo or apartment units mixed into the neighborhood. Where this community intersects with the water it also creates a community centre and school. This area has been developed well for its mostly pedestrian traffic. However, the huge grain elevator building is blocking the west façade of the school’s greenspace. It is also in a state of decomposition which makes it problematic for an environment of people being active outside. I think this is a strong analogy for the entirety of the community. The area has grown faster than it has been able to sustain and maintain its population of buildings.
There is more development along the west stretch of lakeshore after Bathurst. Fort York also borders the west elevation and north west corner of the intersection at Bathurst and Houston just north of Lakeshore. This limits, potentially, further expansion north and also more importantly requires historic context and consideration which in turn determines the local planning.
Access to the site from the south is limited due to the approximate relationship of the residential and commercial units to the shore of lake Ontario.
Its history is compact. 500 Lakeshore Blvd. west was built in 1927 as the headquarters for the Loblaws Groceteria Co. by Sparling, Martin and Forbes. It was built in the international style of Art Deco with classical themes and exaggerated vertical and geometric lines. It is situated on a stone base and clad with brick. There are two sections to the building. The south building, which is four stories was build first in 1927 the adjoining north building was built in 1934 as an expansion and factory. Goods and services from Loblaws were manufactured, packages and shipped on premises. Its approximate relationship the railway lines were paramount to its development and success. Goods were shipped from across the country from both east and west ports and received in Toronto. In our contemporary post-industrial era the use of railway is less than shipping and flying in goods and services. Moreover, physical transaction of goods and services has almost vanished when dealing with the most valued and ‘exotic’ goods and services. These are ideas, which are transmitted electronically.
As I see it, the building site in terms of viable intervention, is positioned well for a kind of development. Being fully conscious of its cultural contexts of ‘new technology international’ and ‘goods and services provider’ I intend to redevelop the program for the environment accordingly.
Taking into account the social and cultural context, there are avenues for exploration and development that can benefit the whole of the city apart from existing analogous to the post-industrial era we inhabit.
The site has a few direct approximations:
1 High-rise condo density.
2 Low-rise town home residential density.
3 Tourism and attractions, CN Tower, ACC, Fort York etc…
4 Commercial, Developers, Media, Community centers.
5 Transportation routes, Go system access, Gardiner expressway, Lakeshore and Bathurst streets.
6 Development potential, vacant sites, retail space, lakeshore.
7 Proximity to the lake.
There is potential in the site for the development of ‘cultural’ institution that focuses on the on the city and development.
Site access by TTC is available but the site is most accessible from the downtown west by foot. It is in close proximity to centers such as OCAD, the DX, Design studios on King west, the convention centre, residential neighborhoods bordering its walkable location.
Descriptive illustrations of the interior spaces
