An announcement to the press on Thursday July 15 suggests that the provincial government philistines in charge of managing Toronto’s iconic Ontario Place attraction are planning to raze the site, and admit that that the cash-strapped McGuinty government has not ruled out selling off some of the property as waterfront housing.
Quoted in the Toronto Star, Ontario Place acting General Manger Tim Casey said that the formal Request for Information, issued July 15, (link to RFI) will lead to a Request for Proposals this fall, with the probable outcome being the demolition of the attraction’s signature Cinesphere, as well as the complex’s other pavilions.
“It’s very early. But this is exciting. 2011 will be our 40th anniversary. It definitely needs a revitalization, that’s no surprise. It’s a blank slate, we’re open to just about anything.”
Corporation spokesman Hugh Mansfield reiterated the ‘blank slate’ mantra, implying in statement to the Toronto Sun that lakefront condos are not being ruled out. According to the Sun, Mansfield said “nothing, including housing, has been ruled out”.
“We’ve certainly suggested in the RFI that it’s a blank canvas. That’s the way we want people to approach it.”
If the Cinesphere and the floating ‘pods’ at Ontario Place were destroyed, especially to make way for yet more condos, it would constitute a major crime against Toronto’s, Ontario’s and even Canada’s cultural heritage, and a victory for provincial government flunkies such as Casey who appear to have no understanding of the significance of the current site.
Originally opened in 1971, Ontario Place was a ground-breaking architectural marvel featuring five ‘floating’ pods and the striking geodesic dome housing the Cinesphere. The dome provided a signature modernist look not unlike Spaceship Earth at Disney World’s Epcot Centre or the Montreal Biosphere, which was designed by Buckminster Fuller to serve as the centerpiece of the U.S. pavilion at Expo 67.
For nearly 40 years, Ontario Place has had a cherished place in the heart of its visitors, as is made clear by online comments by readers of the major dailies carrying the story:
Don't destroy Ontario Place just return it to its innocent past. It was wonderful then. Commercial space and restaurants that are world class - you must be joking. Don't destroy this wonderful location by making it into the condo canyon destruction of the waterfront a mile to the East. This stupid concrete wall has stopped us from visiting Toronto anymore. Visit somewhere else for a nice waterfront.
- Will 0099, 9:00 am July 16, 2010, National Post
To whatever developers are paying attention: 1. I want the Cinesphere to stay the way it is. 2. I miss the Forum. I like the idea of "free-with-admission" concerts. Bring that back please. I have a lot of happy memories of Ontario Place. Ontario North Now, the kids' place with the hanging maze of punching bags, the wading pool, that was fun!
- Christine Ilott, 10:37 pm July 15, 2010, Toronto Sun
No matter what the redesign involves, let's ensure the historical architectural elements (the pods and the cinesphere) remain.
- T. Hughes, 11:59 am, July 16, The Globe and Mail
Beyond nostalgia, there are very legitimate heritage reasons why a conservation perspective should be maintained at the Ontario Place site. As the home of the world’s first functional IMAX theatre, the Cinesphere is a standing monument to a Canadian technological achievement that has made inroads the world over. But perhaps most important, the entire site is Toronto’s very best example of Structural Expressionism architecture. To destroy it would be a tragedy similar to the loss of Habitat 67 or the CN Tower.
A reaction to the increasing standardization expressed in the modernist International Style, as exemplified by buildings such as TD Centre, Structural Expressionism sought to leverage the technology developments that came into common use by the late 1960s to create a “high tech” look in which the building’s structural elements would be revealed by the design – a “nuts-and-bolts, exposed-pipes, technological look”.
Besides Ontario Place, some of the best examples of Structural Expressionism can be found in Paris’ renowned Pompidou Centre and the I.M. Pei-designed Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.
Structural Expressionism is also sometimes called Late Modernism, which succinctly captures its place in the continuum of modern architecture. It extended the progressive ideas of modernism to their ultimate outcome, making use of the advanced materials brough about during the technology boom of the latter half of the 20th century.
Despite the fact that modernist architecture is the single most defining feature of 20th century design, many of the structures that exemplify it are at profound risk of being lost forever because their architectural significance is not understood.
Although relatively young, works of Modern architecture may be lost because of demolition, neglect, or alterations. Although an awareness of the plight of endangered Modern buildings is growing, the threats continue. Non-profit groups such as the World Monuments Fund, Docomomo International and the Recent Past Preservation Network are working to safeguard and document imperiled Modern architecture. In 2006, the World Monuments Fund launched Modernism at Risk, an advocacy and conservation program.
Ontario Place is of further significance to Canadian architectural history as one of the more notable works by internationally celebrated Canadian architect Eberhard Zeidler. A graduate of Weimar’s Bauhaus University, Zeidler emigrated to Canada in 1951 and developed a number of distinctive modernist structures around the world, including The Eaton Centre in Toronto, Vancouver Expo 86’s Canada Place, and the culturally-sensitive mixed-use MediaPark in Cologne, Germany. Zeidler was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1984, and in 1986 won a medal from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
On many levels, then – cultural, historical, artistic – it would be a grievous offense against the Canadian heritage to allow the destruction of Ontario Place, especially if it were bulldozed simply to fill provincial coffers. And, especially given the degree to which Toronto has become a showplace for world-class architecture in recent years, it would also be tantamount to yet another thumb in the eye from the province to the citizens, taxpayers and voters of the Greater Toronto Area.
Fortunately, nothing is yet a done deal. Being in the Request for Information phase, plans for Ontario Place are in their infancy, and can yet be crafted to include sensitivity to the architectural heritage the site represents. Tourism and Culture Minister Michael Chan, the provincial minister responsible for the Ontario Place Corporation, must take a personal interest in the preservation of the complex’s most distinctive features, and must immediately make a statement to voters pledging to retain Ontario Place’s significance.
The first step should be to demand that the Request for Proposal (RFP) scheduled to be issued this fall contain specific evaluation criteria designed to give increased scoring to competitive submissions maintain these features. The competition must be formally designed so that ‘blank slate’ approaches are rated quantitatively lower than those with a preservation and restoration imperative.
Such a move would recognize the need to revitalize the site and re-connect it with the city, all while ensuring its cultural significance is respected. It can and should be designed to restore Ontario Place to its proper position as an icon of Canadian Modernist design, along with the CN Tower, Toronto City Hall, the Art Gallery of Ontario and TD Centre.
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