31 Aug 2016

AGO South Side

South side of the AGO building from Grange Park

Location: Looking north from Grange Park, near Dundas and Beverley
Date photo taken: 12 May 2015

When you think about the Frank Gehry redesign of the Art Gallery of Ontario building, your mind likely jumps to the stunning wood and glass gallery running along Dundas Street, but I have a soft spot for the more understated south side. In an interview prior to the re-opening of the gallery Gehry noted that this building and the neighbourhood around it was one that he had grown up with and knew well. He was concerned about the effect that a new tower would have on Grange Park and on the Georgian manor home that had housed the early collections. He managed to create a building that plays with its surroundings, providing a blue wall that on bright sunny days disappears, leaving the sculptural staircase to seemingly float in mid-air. On grey days, it provides a promise of bluer skies to come.

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