Union Via Concourse

[[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

I haven't heard or read anything about the plans for the Via concourse in the Toronto Union Station refurbishment. Anyone know what is planned? Hopefully something, as in my opinion it's always been one of the most sorry looking parts of the station!

[Derek Boles [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Other than beating their drum when the new Panorama Lounge was opened in 2012, VIA has been virtually silent on what is going to happen with their space in the station. The washrooms at the north end of the concourse have already been refurbished and completed. VIA offices will be relocated to the fourth floor of the Centre Block, formerly occupied by Toronto Terminals Railway.

The big problem with the concourse, in my opinion, is the low ceiling and the resulting claustrophobic feeling one has when waiting for a train. This goes back a hundred years ago when they started building the station and weren’t sure whether the tracks would be elevated (which they eventually were) or come in at ground level. Unfortunately, that’s not going to change. They’re building a mall underneath the VIA concourse and it will be more integrated into the two GO concourses (York and Bay streets) that flank VIA on the west and east sides.

The “vitrines,” what they call those display windows that flank the east and west arrivals corridors, will be refurbished and many of them will house historical displays on the history of the station, a project I am somewhat marginally involved with.

The city has made much of how they want to improve the north-south pedestrian flow-through and this will be apparent in the VIA concourse as you will be able to proceed directly out to Union Plaza. You can do this now but you have to dodge around what used to be the VIA Panorama Lounge. There’s a floor plan of what it will look like at:

Loading Image...

This rendering is a few years old and they are making many changes as a consequence of the realities of construction.

They will, of course, refurbish the concourse so it doesn’t look as seedy as it does now. Currently the big crane that they are using to rebuild the train shed sits off-centre in the concourse covered over with paneling. This is supposed to be taken out soon and, once that happens, I expect the refurbishment will begin.

It would be nice if they could restore the original ticket windows on the north side of the Great Hall. I think that will happen but I’m not sure if VIA will be using them.

One aspect of the station renovation that they still illustrate in some of the architectural renderings is the restoration of the original marble circular structure in the centre of the Great Hall with the four-sided clock. This was taken out in 1967 and replaced with a four-sided bulletin board showing CN and CP arrivals and departures. This became an embarassment by the mid-1970s when the CP sides of the board only showed a few trains compared to the dozens on the CN sides. It was replaced by the current monstrosity in 1986.

Sadly, the graceful original marble structure will NOT be replaced, despite the renderings. They claim that it was completely destroyed and would have to be reconstructed, which is certainly true. In my opinion, they won’t restore it because the city wants to be able to rent the Great Hall out for various functions and restoring the structure would limit that. I’m hoping that, once these plans become more public, that public pressure will force them to rethink this decision. You can see what it looked like at:

Loading Image...

A current estimate of the cost of the Union Station revitalization is now close to $800 million. I expect that will rise before it’s completed in 2016.

Derek Boles

1. Union Via Concourse
Date: Sat Aug 2, 2014 5:59 am ((PDT))
I haven't heard or read anything about the plans for the Via concourse in the Toronto Union Station refurbishment. Anyone know what is planned? Hopefully something, as in my opinion it's always been one of the most sorry looking parts of the station!

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['Don Thomas' [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

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Could that circular marble structure be made portable so it could be moved
out in sections when the Great Hall is required for rental events?

Don Thomas

-----Original Message-----
From: Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org
[mailto:Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org]
Sent: August-03-14 5:11 AM
To: Canadian-Passenger-Rail-***@public.gmane.org
Subject: [CanPassRail] Re: Union Via Concourse

Other than beating their drum when the new Panorama Lounge was opened in
2012, VIA has been virtually silent on what is going to happen with their
space in the station. The washrooms at the north end of the concourse have
already been refurbished and completed. VIA offices will be relocated to the
fourth floor of the Centre Block, formerly occupied by Toronto Terminals
Railway.

The big problem with the concourse, in my opinion, is the low ceiling and
the resulting claustrophobic feeling one has when waiting for a train. This
goes back a hundred years ago when they started building the station and
weren't sure whether the tracks would be elevated (which they eventually
were) or come in at ground level. Unfortunately, that's not going to change.
They're building a mall underneath the VIA concourse and it will be more
integrated into the two GO concourses (York and Bay streets) that flank VIA
on the west and east sides.

The "vitrines," what they call those display windows that flank the east and
west arrivals corridors, will be refurbished and many of them will house
historical displays on the history of the station, a project I am somewhat
marginally involved with.

The city has made much of how they want to improve the north-south
pedestrian flow-through and this will be apparent in the VIA concourse as
you will be able to proceed directly out to Union Plaza. You can do this now
but you have to dodge around what used to be the VIA Panorama Lounge.
There's a floor plan of what it will look like at:

http://urbantoronto.ca/sites/default/files/imagecache/display-slideshow/imag
es/projects/1230/urbantoronto-1230-3712.jpg

This rendering is a few years old and they are making many changes as a
consequence of the realities of construction.

They will, of course, refurbish the concourse so it doesn't look as seedy as
it does now. Currently the big crane that they are using to rebuild the
train shed sits off-centre in the concourse covered over with paneling. This
is supposed to be taken out soon and, once that happens, I expect the
refurbishment will begin.

It would be nice if they could restore the original ticket windows on the
north side of the Great Hall. I think that will happen but I'm not sure if
VIA will be using them.

One aspect of the station renovation that they still illustrate in some of
the architectural renderings is the restoration of the original marble
circular structure in the centre of the Great Hall with the four-sided
clock. This was taken out in 1967 and replaced with a four-sided bulletin
board showing CN and CP arrivals and departures. This became an embarassment
by the mid-1970s when the CP sides of the board only showed a few trains
compared to the dozens on the CN sides. It was replaced by the current
monstrosity in 1986.

Sadly, the graceful original marble structure will NOT be replaced, despite
the renderings. They claim that it was completely destroyed and would have
to be reconstructed, which is certainly true. In my opinion, they won't
restore it because the city wants to be able to rent the Great Hall out for
various functions and restoring the structure would limit that. I'm hoping
that, once these plans become more public, that public pressure will force
them to rethink this decision. You can see what it looked like at:

http://www.blogto.com/upload/2011/06/2011614-union-ticket-lobby-1923-f1266_i
t0907.jpg

A current estimate of the cost of the Union Station revitalization is now
close to $800 million. I expect that will rise before it's completed in
2016.

Derek Boles

1. Union Via Concourse
Date: Sat Aug 2, 2014 5:59 am ((PDT))
I haven't heard or read anything about the plans for the Via concourse in

the Toronto Union Station refurbishment. Anyone know what is planned?
Hopefully something, as in my opinion it's always been one of the most sorry
looking parts of the station!
------------------------------------

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For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org
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Posted by: "Don Thomas" <thomasd-***@public.gmane.org>
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For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org

[mile179kingston-FFYn/[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

I had so often walked past these 'vitrines'. I resolve to use that word in the coming week! On my last visit to Toronto Union, I had my camera with me, and made a point of photographing them. Some are devoted to VIA advertising, some to City of Toronto advertising, and the rest to various commercial ventures:


Trackside Treasure: Kingston-Toronto Return Trip, July 2014 http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html



http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html

Trackside Treasure: Kingston-Toronto Return Trip, July 2... http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html I was ensconced early in a Business Class car 4001 on VIA no 651 on the way to Toronto for the day. Our consist: 909-4001-4105-4100-4113.



View on tracksidetreasure.bl... http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html
Preview by Yahoo


Eric Gagnon

Kingston, Ontario
http://drivethrus.blogspot.ca http://drivethrus.blogspot.ca



---In Canadian-Passenger-***@yahoogroups.com, <***@...> wrote :
The “vitrines,” what they call those display windows that flank the east and west arrivals corridors, will be refurbished and many of them will house historical displays on the history of the station, a project I am somewhat marginally involved with.
Derek Boles > 1. Union Via Concourse

Date: Sat Aug 2, 2014 5:59 am ((PDT))
I haven't heard or read anything about the plans for the Via concourse in the Toronto Union Station refurbishment. Anyone know what is planned? Hopefully something, as in my opinion it's always been one of the most sorry looking parts of the station!

[Derek Boles [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

The vitrines are an original part of the station built when the concourse was completed in 1930, three years after the station opened in 1927. They were originally intended to show off to visitors arriving in the city goods manufactured locally or sold by local merchants, which is why they are located along the arrivals corridors. It was an era in which new rail stations were expected to show off the prosperity of the cities in which they were located. I guess in Toronto, that meant merchandise and manufactured items. Only a few vitrines still have the glass windows in place. Others have been blocked off and several on the west side were removed by VIA when they relocated their baggage checking facility.

Using the vitrines for historical interpretation is going to present some challenges. For one thing I can’t think of a lot of three-dimensional Union Station items that would fit in there that could be displayed to best advantage. If any of you have ideas on that, please share.

At the meetings I attended, they indicated that some of the larger vitrines would be spaces that visitors could enter to view more traditional two-dimensional displays and mini-theatres where one could watch videos or slide shows.

Derek Boles

1c. Re: Union Via Concourse
Date: Sun Aug 3, 2014 12:18 pm ((PDT))
Trackside Treasure: Kingston-Toronto Return Trip, July 2014 http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html
http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html
Trackside Treasure: Kingston-Toronto Return Trip, July 2... http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html I was ensconced early in a Business Class car 4001 on VIA no 651 on the way to Toronto for the day. Our consist: 909-4001-4105-4100-4113.
View on tracksidetreasure.bl... http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.ca/2014/07/kingston-toronto-return-trip-july-2014.html
Preview by Yahoo
Eric Gagnon
Kingston, Ontario
http://drivethrus.blogspot.ca http://drivethrus.blogspot.ca

------------------------------------

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For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org

[Derek Boles [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

I was at a function a while back during which it was confirmed to me by a couple of the architects that restoring the marble counter and pylon was not in the plans. I suggested some sort of portable structure that could be moved when needed but they didn’t seem too keen on it.

There are very strict heritage easements governing the renovation of the station. A former station manager once told me that they couldn’t replace a door knob without getting permission. One of the goals of the revitalization is restoring the Ticket Lobby (Great Hall) to its as-built appearance so I’m frankly astonished that they don’t plan on restoring this structure and the easements will allow them to do so.

I think that, when these plans become more public, pressure should be applied. I’ll keep the list apprised of when that will be appropriate and effective. Frankly, I believe it’s an incredible cop-out that this restoration could be compromised by the fact that the city thinks the Great Hall should be turned into a profitable wedding and concert venue.

Derek Boles

Post by 'Don Thomas' thomasd-***@public.gmane.org [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]
Re: Union Via Concourse
1b.
Date: Sun Aug 3, 2014 10:22 am ((PDT))
Could that circular marble structure be made portable so it could be moved
out in sections when the Great Hall is required for rental events?
Don Thomas

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------------------------------------

For help, send an email to Canadian-Passenger-Rail-help-***@public.gmane.org