Despite the rainy weekend, Peter and I went to one of our favourite city events. This is an opportunity for the public to have a peek inside buildings that are normally closed to the public – for free!
On a very rainy Saturday we cut our route down to just 2 buildings, close together. First we stopped at the Goethe Institute, 100 University Ave. It’s a brand new suite of rooms devoted to German culture. The very first room on display offered warm pretzels and apfelstrudel. It was a delicious way to begin our visit.
Another room was devoted to the FIFA World Cup and soccer. We saw a T-shirt that we thought our grandson Gavin would love. But it was not for sale – we had to win it! Contestants had to answer 3 questions about German culture. As we waited in line, we memorized the correct answers from the earlier contestants. But, when it was our turn, we discovered that there were lots of questions, delivered randomly. Busted! We still managed to get 2 out of 3 questions right. And the T-shirt was ours.
You’re welcome, Gavin!
Our next stop was a short subway ride away, at 480 University Ave. An elevator took us to the eleventh floor, the home of HOK Toronto Design Studio. This is an architectural firm famous for many well-known buildings such as: Algonquin College, Memorial University, and Waterloo University. Their most current project, one that comes with some controversy, is the rehabilitation of Centre Block in the Parliament Buildings, including the Senate, the House of Commons, and the Library.
Photo from their brochure
Speakers told us about some of the public discourse, for example: should the front door be expanded and repositioned to make a “statement,” or should it remain partially hidden from view, giving priority to the front lawns where celebrations and other public events take place? It was an interesting point. After so much brain overload, we took a booklet of other projects for future reference, and went home.
On Sunday we waited until the rain finally stopped before venturing out. We grabbed our umbrellas just in case and went to visit a brand new building in a local park. Maybelle Park is a tiny patch of green, an oasis in the middle of towering high rise apartments. The new community centre breathes life into the concrete jungle. It’s a building designed to store equipment, to organize community events, to share a coffee with friends, to host children on a rainy day at camp. It’s a small space with a big purpose.
Notice the bold pigeons resting on top of the sign.
Then we went home, grateful for these experiences organized by the city and local businesses, and thinking about the places we hope to visit next year.
Sue
Seventy In the City 