Ophelia (242-262 Queen St S) | 11 fl | U/C

[taylortbb]

Crane is coming down today. It feels like it just went up, but looking back it was actually 16-17 months ago. I guess that's not that quick for a shorter building like this.

   

[ac3r]

That picture really illustrates how much larger older buildings were. The York building is only 7 floors while Ophelia is 11, yet they're roughly the same height. The York is 100000 times nicer, with unique architecture and original interiors. Ophelia is small, generic and bland, like a fast food burger and by the time it gets to the age of the York building, it'll probably be falling apart.

An edit: I was just reading an interview with Paulo Mendes da Rocha, one of the best Brazilian architects who was big in the brutalist movement. I came across a part which reflects my disappointment with contemporary residential architecture. Asked by the architect Vladimir Belogolovsky...

VB: Are you working on any housing projects at the moment?

PMdR: No.

VB: Why not?

PMdR: This is not architecture; what they are building is just boxes. There is no room for architecture in these projects; they simply provide the necessities.

VB: You don’t think architecture is possible on a tight budget?

PMdR: These are just boxes with utilities. They are not built to last. They are just like the latest version of a mobile phone. It is just utility, a tool, nothing more.

So true, haha. Whilst the York building is not exactly a marvel of architecture, when you compare Ophelia and many other modern condo buildings to it, you really realize how trash they all are, and how 99% of everything in this region is trash.

The full interview is worth a read and explores why so much current architecture is meaningless as it has ceased being something deeper or meaningful and now simply exists as a functional tool under capitalism: https://www.archdaily.com/796662/paulo-m...-opportune

[Lens]

The York is also up a bit on the grade there which helps. I haven't seen the materials for the sides but I thought there might be stucco going in. Yikes. It'll be interesting to see this lease up since it's Effort Trust, a pretty crappy landlord that borders on slumlord (imo) and one that doesn't really have experience with new buildings that I've seen.

[ac3r]

Yes the grade heightens it, but not by much. Older buildings just have very high ceilings which provides larger, more human living spaces whether they are residential or converts.

The Kaufman Lofts are only 7 floors and yet the building is half the height of 1 Victoria which has 19 floors at 63 meters. Of course, it was a factory back in the day, but still. Most modern architecture is just garbage, but only because the architects are held hostage by what developers aka capitalism dictates. I remember living in an old flat in Paris for a few months that had doors between rooms nearly twice my height (and I'm 6'1). But then in other, modern buildings, the top of the door was mere inches from my head hah. We can blame Louis Sullivan for that, I guess!

[tomh009]

That picture really illustrates how much larger older buildings were. The York building is only 7 floors while Ophelia is 11, yet they're roughly the same height. The York is 100000 times nicer, with unique architecture and original interiors. Ophelia is small, generic and bland, like a fast food burger and by the time it gets to the age of the York building, it'll probably be falling apart.

Ophelia is doomed by being ordinary? But it's a mid-market apartment building, designed to provide housing for people without high incomes. It's certainly not offensive, and looks far better than DTK, let alone the Waterloo student buildings.

The York has unique features and nice interiors. But that is to be expected. It was very much a high-end luxury building when it was built in 1928, and, as the tallest building in the city, a flagship, with elevators and dumbwaiters etc. This is like saying that a classic Rolls Royce is 100000 times nicer than a modern Corolla, which provides mobility to millions of people. It's simply an apples and oranges comparison.

See here what the York was all about:
https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/oha/d...le?id=5012

[tomh009]

Most modern architecture is just garbage, but only because the architects are held hostage by what developers aka capitalism dictates.

Capitalism doesn't dictate floor heights. Under capitalism, supply and demand determines prices: if people were keen to pay for 12' or 15' ceilings, developers would be climbing all over each other trying to offer them. However, most people are not willing to pay the incremental cost of those high ceilings. Don't blame capitalism for that, capitalism has plenty of real problems without assigning it blame for things that it's not responsible for.

[jamincan]

Yes the grade heightens it, but not by much. Older buildings just have very high ceilings which provides larger, more human living spaces whether they are residential or converts.

The Kaufman Lofts are only 7 floors and yet the building is half the height of 1 Victoria which has 19 floors at 63 meters. Of course, it was a factory back in the day, but still. Most modern architecture is just garbage, but only because the architects are held hostage by what developers aka capitalism dictates. I remember living in an old flat in Paris for a few months that had doors between rooms nearly twice my height (and I'm 6'1). But then in other, modern buildings, the top of the door was mere inches from my head hah. We can blame Louis Sullivan for that, I guess!

Kaufman Lofts floor heights are ridiculous for a residential building to the extent that I find them to be *too* high. It would be utterly wasteful for a new build to have that height.

[nms]

See here what the York was all about:
https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/oha/d...le?id=5012

An interesting backstory for sure. A Toronto realty firm proposes a building, a prominent Kitchener builder begins construction, local insurance firms step in to save the construction, more Toronto money comes in to save the project, and there is a big grand opening party. There are a handful of buildings that were built in that period that were the first wave of upscale densifying (build up, not out isn't such a new thing after all!). I wonder what Kitchener's urban landscape would have looked like if more buildings like the York apartments had been built before the Depression and World War II arrived to slow down construction.

[dtkmelissa]

That picture really illustrates how much larger older buildings were. The York building is only 7 floors while Ophelia is 11, yet they're roughly the same height. The York is 100000 times nicer, with unique architecture and original interiors. Ophelia is small, generic and bland, like a fast food burger and by the time it gets to the age of the York building, it'll probably be falling apart.

Ophelia is doomed by being ordinary? But it's a mid-market apartment building, designed to provide housing for people without high incomes. It's certainly not offensive, and looks far better than DTK, let alone the Waterloo student buildings.

The York has unique features and nice interiors. But that is to be expected. It was very much a high-end luxury building when it was built in 1928, and, as the tallest building in the city, a flagship, with elevators and dumbwaiters etc. This is like saying that a classic Rolls Royce is 100000 times nicer than a modern Corolla, which provides mobility to millions of people. It's simply an apples and oranges comparison.

See here what the York was all about:
https://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/en/oha/d...le?id=5012

Hmm, this line from that history is not one I see very often in local media anymore!  "The new building was viewed as a large structure that would be a benefit to the community"

[tomh009]

Ophelia photo update.

   

[tomh009]

Time for another photo as it's been five months. Occupancy must be close as they are now promoting rental units in the building.

Work has not started yet on the two houses that were mandated to be preserved.

   

[westwardloo]

Thanks for the update. I like it, hopefully they can turn the house into some pleasing to the eyes.