City's Condo Cravings are Self Destruction

Critic Christopher Hume bemoans the destruction of historic homes in Toronto to make way for new residential condo towers.

1 minute read

March 24, 2008, 1:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


"Given the outcry unleashed by the recent burning of a row of buildings on Queen St. W., you'd think that there'd be hell to pay for the deliberate destruction of five houses, all of them beautiful redbrick structures, for something as ordinary, as predictable, even mundane, as another condo. Besides, there are already condo towers to the north and east. Some are good, some bad, but all tall."

"Of course, these are houses, not shops, and they're on Charles, not Queen, a main street. Although the architectural quality is much higher here, they'll go without a fuss. This shouldn't be allowed to happen. It is an urban tragedy. What's unfolding here is the disturbing spectacle of a city tearing itself apart, destroying itself, killing the very things that give it its character and constitute its identity."

"When will we learn that enough is enough? When will we learn to say no? When will we learn that there are more important things than another condo?"

Saturday, March 22, 2008 in The Toronto Star

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