The Disaster on Bloor

I am in Toronto today. I always like visiting here. It is a very cosmopolitan city with great restaurants and terrific cultural venues. Of course, I am here on business so I won't see much of that.

What I did see was a major addition going on at the Royal Ontario Museum. I swear when I first saw it, I though the building was in the middle of demolition. It looks for all the world like rubble from a tornado. I actually approached it the same way I approached Ground Zero in November of 2001.

When done, it will look like this and this.

While right now it just looks scary. I have faith that, in the end, it will be stunning and will be adopted by the city as a symbol of Toronto.

How do I know that? Because I live in Chicago (well, close to Chicago) and work in close proximity to the new Frank Gehry Millennium Park pavilion. While it was going up, I grumbled about it; declaring it "gimmicky" and saying that it would never look finished. I was wrong. See for yourself here.

An odd coincidence is that Ghery is a Toronto native. Maybe major cities on major lakes have a lot in common.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm sorry, but that expansion looks more like the flying saucer on soldier field than the pavilion in Mil Park. Come home soon honey.
Apr 21, 2006, 9:01:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Well, at least you know the first comment wasn't from me...

DGF
Apr 21, 2006, 10:04:00 PM
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