Although I don't think The Matador could be considered a historical monument the rationale behind tearing it down exemplifies the thinking of the bureaucracy and political attitude at Toronto City Hall. No YMCA should have a parking lot....it defeats it's purpose. There a many other uses for the space....one of my favorites would be turn it into a senior's center so many of Ann's original customers have a place to hang out.
43 years of history vs. 20 parking spots
Christopher Hume43 years of history vs. 20 parking spots
The gap between what the city does and what it says is growing wider.
2 comments:
There are many things wrong with this plan
At a time when the City closed rec facilities to save about $700,000, they are expropriating a historical landmark for $800,000 so they can build 14 parking spaces. Nice.
It highlights the utter lack of leadership or common sense at City Hall when they will expropriate for a parking lot, but will not do so to help the people at 1011 Lansdowne, for example.
The City has gone on and on about the loss of our creative cluster in West Queen West to developers and the OMB (and we can debate about who is to blame until the cows come home, but it really doesn't matter anymore because it is all gone and it is not coming back), but there will be no one else to blame on this one. The City shows no respect for our cultural history or our cultural future.
One thing that struck me in the article was this: they are negotiating to buy the Matador, but they are unhappy with the price being asked, so they are threatening to expropriate it. If that is not negotiating in bad faith, then I am not sure what is.
That a city that bills itself as a green city built for transit and bikes is willing to spend $70,000 per parking space while our bike lanes are in disrepair is unconscionable.
The City blew $1.3 million to save Theatre Passe Muraille, but wants to bulldoze cultural icons it deems "unworthy", and who lack lobbying pull at City Hall.
At a time of fiscal crisis, spending $800,000 (plus demolition, plus disposal, plus construction, so it will be well over $1 million) on this is totally crazy. It is a waste of money, and it is a cultural icon that should be preserved. In an ironic twist, the City has pissed off the left AND the right in one fell swoop. Nice trick.
If it wasn't for the press, no one would have known about this travesty. This highlights the lack of communication between the City and its citizens, and shows the contempt the City has for the people and the things they hold dear.
It seems obvious that the Matador in its current incarnation is not commercially viable. So, instead of a parking lot, what should be done? This is an ideal space to encourage the arts in a community that needs it. Look at the stuff going on around Bloor and Lansdowne for Nuit Blanche. It is inspirational. Space should be reused to provide rehearsal and performance space for all the community art groups that desperately needed space. Investments in infrastructure are investments in people. Jane Jacobs said we need a creative class in our cites to provide the ingenuity and energy that will drive our city. Let's think about that as we park our cars in one of the $70,000 Matador parking spots.
I know Anne. She has been fantastic to me and many other musicians she has helped many times. Why is it that we need some big banner that says 'arts center' when it already is. Perhaps, people are more comfortable with banners.
I have had the good fortune to play with a number of well known talented people and met many there. So to me the Matador was a true 'arts center'.
God I hope they think this through.
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