One hundred years of healing - York University · Toronto has the biggest condo market in North...
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Promote your WEB SITE to upscale, leading edge prospects. To advertise in Report on Business Internet Directory phone: 1.866.999.9237 A16 G THE GLOBE AND MAIL • THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2011 • NEWS H unter Milborne takes in the spectacular view from the roof of the old Imperial Oil building at 111 St. Clair Avenue West. The handsome limestone- clad office tower with its lobby mural by York Wilson is being transformed into the Imperial Plaza, “the gold standard in lux- ury living.” Glass-walled pent- house suites just went on sale for between $5.1-million and $8.4-million. What sort of people will buy these cloud palaces? Mr. Mil- borne, the grey-haired dean of Toronto condo salesmen, smiles. “Rich people.” There seems to be no shortage of them. Dozens of urban aeries like the Imperial penthouses are going on sale in Toronto, cater- ing to a new thirst for high-end, high-rise living. A 9,000-square- foot, 55th-floor penthouse at the Four Seasons project in Yorkville just went for $28-million, a Ca- nadian record. Aura, at Yonge and Gerrard, which is to be Can- ada’s tallest condo tower, is flog- ging a 75th-floor unit for $17.5-million. Names like the Shangri-la Toronto, the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton and the Trump In- ternational Hotel and Tower all lure buyers with a vision of cos- mopolitan downtown living. “Imagine a life so perfect it could well be a fairy tale,” says the Ritz-Carlton’s online come- on. It’s hard to not to feel a bit nauseated, or at least amused, at the Bonfire of the Vanities excess of it all. The bespoke Italian kitchens. The valet parking. The spas that would make Nero blush. At the Imperial Plaza, top-floor residents have their own express elevator because (says a representative) “people who buy these private resi- dences don’t want to be mixed in with just anybody.” Still, the flowering of top-floor luxury has to be a good thing for Toronto, a visible symbol of its rise as an international city. Toronto has the biggest condo market in North America, with one unit sold every 13 minutes. April high-rise condo sales set a record for that month. The recent action at the high-end is just the latest development in a maturing market that now offers a huge variety of prices and liv- ing styles, from downtown cubbyhole lofts to glittering wa- terfront high-rises. Some of the luxury buyers are wealthy foreigners who see Toronto as a good place to hang their hat or to invest in real estate. “They’ve done their due diligence, they’ve looked around the world, and they’re choosing Toronto,” says developer Paul Golini, executive vice-president of Empire Communities. “That’s an endorsement of the political, economic and social environ- ment we provide.” The prices attract them, too. Compared to New York, where luxury apartments can go for $10,000 to $12,000 a square foot, the $2,000 to $3,000 that luxury units here are fetching is a bar- gain. But, according to Mr. Milborne, the vast majority of luxury buyers are well-heeled locals – business owners who are trading in hard-to-maintain mansions in Rosedale or Forest Hill for a con- cierge and a rooftop terrace. Their success reflects Toronto’s. A city that looked to get whacked in the global recession – its manufacturing base erod- ing, its economic pre-eminence under threat from Western up- and-comers such as Calgary – has bounced back smartly. The Imperial, for all its preten- sions, is a neat project. The de- velopers are celebrating the building’s heritage as “a master- piece of mid-century Interna- tional Style modernism.” The wonderful glassed-in lobby is being preserved and spruced up. Units on the lower floors start in the $300,000s – but, sorry, you have to ride the elevator with everyone else. LUXURY CONDOMINIUMS In Toronto, plenty of people will pay top dollar for life at the top ..................................................................................................................................... MARCUS GEE [email protected] ................................................................ Dozens of portraits of women in starched white caps and crisp white dresses grace the walls of the Gladstone Hotel’s third-floor gallery. The images – from the pages of the Women’s College Hospital nursing school yearbooks – appear innocuous at first. How- ever, Toronto artist Nina Levitt pointed out that nearly all of the white-clad women in the photo- graphs also have white skin. Ms. Levitt, who teaches visual arts at York University, was com- missioned to create a body of work about the history of the hospital. In searching through the hospi- tal archives, she found that wom- en of visible minorities appear to have been left out of the school’s yearbooks – even when some were clearly in class photographs taken in the same year. She found just four Asian women among the yearbook photo- graphs. Ms. Levitt said the hospital archivist told her the yearbooks were likely student-produced, which could help explain the anomaly. “It’s cliquey, so maybe some women were not part of the stu- dent body in the same way [as others] due to racism,” Ms. Levitt said. The yearbook pages, taken from 1959 to 1971, speak to the ways both medicine and the world have changed since the hospital was founded 100 years ago. Ms. Levitt’s work will be fea- tured as part of an art exhibit called Being She: The Culture of Women’s Health and Health Care Through the Lens of Wholeness, which includes photo install- ations and a juried art show drawn from local submissions. The exhibit is being held to celebrate Women’s College Hos- pital’s 100th anniversary. The Woman’s Medical College was created in 1883 at the initia- tive of Dr. Emily Stowe, a Toronto woman who trained in the Unit- ed States at a time when Cana- dian medical schools would not admit women. It built its first hospital in 1911 and changed its name to Women’s College Hospi- tal. It was merged with Sunny- brook Health Sciences Centre for seven years, but became inde- pendent again in 2006. The exhibit also features artists Meryl McMaster, Jane Martin and Sarah Anne Johnson. Admission is free and the ex- hibit is open to the public until Aug. 1. Three works of art from Being She, a photo-based exhibit featuring the work of Canadian artists. WOMEN’S HEALTH One hundred years of healing Celebrating the centennial of Women’s College Hospital, an art exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel explores the culture of women’s health care .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... KIM MACKRAEL ................................................................
Transcript of One hundred years of healing - York University · Toronto has the biggest condo market in North...
Promoteyour
WEB SITEto
upscale,leading
edgeprospects.
To advertisein
Report onBusiness
Internet Directoryphone:
1.866.999.9237
A16 G T H E G LO B E A N D M A I L • T H U R S DAY , J U N E 9 , 2 0 1 1• NEWS
Hunter Milborne takes in thespectacular view from the
roof of the old Imperial Oilbuilding at 111 St. Clair AvenueWest. The handsome limestone-clad office tower with its lobbymural by York Wilson is beingtransformed into the ImperialPlaza, “the gold standard in lux-ury living.” Glass-walled pent-house suites just went on salefor between $5.1-million and$8.4-million.
What sort of people will buythese cloud palaces? Mr. Mil-borne, the grey-haired dean ofToronto condo salesmen, smiles.“Rich people.”
There seems to be no shortageof them. Dozens of urban aerieslike the Imperial penthouses aregoing on sale in Toronto, cater-ing to a new thirst for high-end,high-rise living. A 9,000-square-foot, 55th-floor penthouse at theFour Seasons project in Yorkvillejust went for $28-million, a Ca-nadian record. Aura, at Yongeand Gerrard, which is to be Can-ada’s tallest condo tower, is flog-ging a 75th-floor unit for$17.5-million.
Names like the Shangri-laToronto, the Residences at theRitz-Carlton and the Trump In-ternational Hotel and Tower alllure buyers with a vision of cos-mopolitan downtown living.“Imagine a life so perfect itcould well be a fairy tale,” saysthe Ritz-Carlton’s online come-on.
It’s hard to not to feel a bitnauseated, or at least amused, atthe Bonfire of the Vanities excessof it all. The bespoke Italiankitchens. The valet parking. Thespas that would make Neroblush. At the Imperial Plaza,top-floor residents have theirown express elevator because(says a representative) “peoplewho buy these private resi-dences don’t want to be mixed
in with just anybody.”Still, the flowering of top-floor
luxury has to be a good thingfor Toronto, a visible symbol ofits rise as an international city.Toronto has the biggest condomarket in North America, withone unit sold every 13 minutes.April high-rise condo sales set arecord for that month. Therecent action at the high-end isjust the latest development in amaturing market that now offersa huge variety of prices and liv-ing styles, from downtowncubbyhole lofts to glittering wa-terfront high-rises.
Some of the luxury buyers arewealthy foreigners who seeToronto as a good place to hangtheir hat or to invest in realestate. “They’ve done their duediligence, they’ve looked aroundthe world, and they’re choosingToronto,” says developer PaulGolini, executive vice-presidentof Empire Communities. “That’san endorsement of the political,economic and social environ-ment we provide.”
The prices attract them, too.Compared to New York, whereluxury apartments can go for$10,000 to $12,000 a square foot,the $2,000 to $3,000 that luxuryunits here are fetching is a bar-gain.
But, according to Mr. Milborne,the vast majority of luxurybuyers are well-heeled locals –business owners who are tradingin hard-to-maintain mansions inRosedale or Forest Hill for a con-cierge and a rooftop terrace.Their success reflects Toronto’s.A city that looked to getwhacked in the global recession– its manufacturing base erod-ing, its economic pre-eminenceunder threat from Western up-and-comers such as Calgary –has bounced back smartly.
The Imperial, for all its preten-sions, is a neat project. The de-velopers are celebrating thebuilding’s heritage as “a master-piece of mid-century Interna-tional Style modernism.” Thewonderful glassed-in lobby isbeing preserved and spruced up.Units on the lower floors start inthe $300,000s – but, sorry, youhave to ride the elevator witheveryone else.
LUXURY CONDOMINIUMS
In Toronto, plenty of people willpay top dollar for life at the top. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MARCUS [email protected]
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Dozens of portraits of women instarched white caps and crispwhite dresses grace the walls ofthe Gladstone Hotel’s third-floorgallery.
The images – from the pages ofthe Women’s College Hospitalnursing school yearbooks –appear innocuous at first. How-ever, Toronto artist Nina Levittpointed out that nearly all of thewhite-clad women in the photo-graphs also have white skin.
Ms. Levitt, who teaches visualarts at York University, was com-missioned to create a body ofwork about the history of thehospital.
In searching through the hospi-tal archives, she found that wom-en of visible minorities appear tohave been left out of the school’syearbooks – even when somewere clearly in class photographstaken in the same year. Shefound just four Asian womenamong the yearbook photo-graphs.
Ms. Levitt said the hospitalarchivist told her the yearbookswere likely student-produced,which could help explain theanomaly.
“It’s cliquey, so maybe somewomen were not part of the stu-dent body in the same way [as
others] due to racism,” Ms. Levittsaid.
The yearbook pages, takenfrom 1959 to 1971, speak to theways both medicine and theworld have changed since thehospital was founded 100 yearsago.
Ms. Levitt’s work will be fea-tured as part of an art exhibitcalled Being She: The Culture ofWomen’s Health and Health CareThrough the Lens of Wholeness,which includes photo install-ations and a juried art showdrawn from local submissions.
The exhibit is being held tocelebrate Women’s College Hos-pital’s 100th anniversary.
The Woman’s Medical Collegewas created in 1883 at the initia-tive of Dr. Emily Stowe, a Torontowoman who trained in the Unit-ed States at a time when Cana-dian medical schools would notadmit women. It built its firsthospital in 1911 and changed itsname to Women’s College Hospi-tal. It was merged with Sunny-brook Health Sciences Centre forseven years, but became inde-pendent again in 2006.
The exhibit also features artistsMeryl McMaster, Jane Martin andSarah Anne Johnson.
Admission is free and the ex-hibit is open to the public untilAug. 1.
Three works of art from Being She,a photo-basedexhibit featuringthe work ofCanadian artists.
WOMEN’S HEALTH
One hundred years of healing Celebrating the centennial of Women’s College Hospital, an art exhibitat the Gladstone Hotel explores the culture of women’s health care
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KIM MACKRAEL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
