Apples and oranges. They are both outstanding examples of their respective styles. Love them both.
Now if you want to measure which building contributes more to Hamilton's built environment, I'd have to go with City Hall, and not just because of its size or function. If we lost the Go station it would be a damn shame, but there are other lovely examples of Art Moderne in this city. If we lost City Hall on the other hand, there are no other examples of the International Style that even come close. It's one of the finest examples of this style in the country, and if we lost it, it would be an incalculable loss not just to Hamilton, but to the entire country.
yea, you know what. Highwater is right.
If I could change my vote, I'd go with City Hall. GO Station is beauty, but City Hall is a nationally unique building. With a proper landscape on the surrounding property with other activities and amenities the building would be shown off for the true gem it is by folks hanging out and enjoying city life on the property.
Apples and oranges. They are both outstanding examples of their respective styles. Love them both.
Now if you want to measure which building contributes more to Hamilton's built environment, I'd have to go with City Hall, and not just because of its size or function. If we lost the Go station it would be a damn shame, but there are other lovely examples of Art Moderne in this city. If we lost City Hall on the other hand, there are no other examples of the International Style that even come close. It's one of the finest examples of this style in the country, and if we lost it, it would be an incalculable loss not just to Hamilton, but to the entire country.
I still think it looks like something out of Thunderbirds :-)
yup...removing asbestos and cleaning out junk.
Getting it all primed for the aluminum, home depot slabs and MacTack.
Should be a real beauty once council's finished with it.
yup...removing asbestos and cleaning out junk.
Getting it all primed for the aluminum, home depot slabs and MacTack.
Should be a real beauty once council's finished with it.
what happened to the stainless steel/marble?
downgrades?
i think I read something about that on here, wasn't sure if it was just sarcasm. A real shame if that is the case. So much potential in this city. So much...
but how do we rate the international style of architecture versus art deco/moderne? it's very subjective, yes, but in my opinion it's no contest. when i think of some of the architects of that era/style [corbu, van der rohe] my skin crawls. i'm goin' with the TH&B.
All style preferences aside I would rather keep the GO station if there had to be a choice. City Hall could be rebuilt if they ever had the money to do it, but once a grand old railway station is lost it's never coming back. It would be a little shack and a strip of pavement.
Were it possible to evaluate the potential of each building, I'd have to side with city hall. A couple of things I would suggest for the building, assuming the city is actually going to follow through with concrete and aluminum for the new facade.
1) Enclose area underneath the deck portion that juts out of the front. I realize it's an important aspect of the architectural style, but it almost hurts to look at it. Glass would be recommended.
2) As per previous proposals, make park area out front more functional - with a fountain, ice rink, fixed-up park, coffee shop (where to put this is anybody's guess), etc.
3) Do something/anything with the back except leave it the way it is. The layout of the parking lot/garage/elevated walkway is hideous to experience in person (imo). I think doing anything with this part of the grounds would bring the whole project way over budget, but it would go some way towards upgrading the facility and surrounding neighborhood. I don't know about anybody else, but I wouldn't want a condo overlooking that!
I realize this belongs partly in the other city hall thread, but, regarding the issues raised here, I think there is a way to preserve the heritage of this building. If heritage is the defining criterion, it will have to be determined how to respond to today's aesthetic preferences while preserving a symbol of the past.
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"Above all, Hamilton must learn to think like a city, not a suburban hybrid where residents drive everywhere. What makes Hamilton interesting is the fact it's a city. The sprawl that surrounds it, which can be found all over North America, is running out of time."
I chose TH&B only b/c it's been a bigger part of my life than City Hall.
I've been inside City Hall maybe 2-3 times my whole life and was never really impressed. Infact I hated the bldg until I joined this board and began to appreciate it's style.
But the TH&B has been a major part of my life with commuting to/from TO, meeting friends or fam, moving away for school, etc.
Despite the fact that Deco (or Art-Moderne) is probably my fave style of Architecture, my choice has sentimental reasons. I just love this station!
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