Ryerson plan, like quadrangle, opening up to public

By Emma Reilly –

One of “best kept secrets in the world” is on its way to being unveiled to Toronto pedestrians, says architect Bruce Kuwabara.

 Preliminary designs for Ryerson University’s new master plan—the multi-million dollar campus renovation—will finally allow pedestrians to see the Kerr Hall quadrangle, one of the few green spaces in the downtown core. Though the quadrangle is the most picturesque location on the Ryerson campus, it is currently hidden behind the concrete façade of Kerr Hall.

“It’s not very inviting,” says Sam Silvaggio, a resident of nearby Church St. “They should open up the area, make it more warm. It’s so dark and gloomy.”

The quadrangle is an integral part of the master plan’s goal to update, brand, and beautify the university and its environs. Eight panelists—including Kuwabara and former Winnipeg mayor Glenn Murray—spoke at a roundtable discussion yesterday that focused on the potential benefits of sprucing up the notoriously ugly campus.

According to Murray, Ryerson’s facelift could not only make it a more welcoming place for students, but could also lead to greater tax revenue for the city. If the campus looked better, Murray says, it would encourage more people to live in the area, raise property value, increase tax revenue, and lead to more money for the downtown core.

“Ryerson is a huge wealth generator,” says Murray. “Beauty has a huge impact on quality of place and the livability of an area.”

Adam Vaughan, councilor for Ward 20-Trinity Spadina, agrees. He says that Ryerson’s beautification would not only give the city a much-needed boost, but also help solidify its identity.

“Ryerson has a lack of dedication to beauty. It’s an ugly university in many ways,” says Vaughan. “The city is in a similar situation. Its identity has been destroyed… if the city can’t help Ryerson to succeed, both institutions will fail.”

As well as the proposed changes to Kerr Hall and the quadrangle, the roundtable panelists discussed the possibility of creating a clear entrance to the university with a recognizable gateway or arch. According to Ken Greenberg, member of the master plan’s design team, this would allow Ryerson to carve out its own space in the dense, busy area surrounding Dundas Square.

“The commercial presence around Ryerson is so overwhelming that Ryerson has become known as ‘the university behind Sam’s’ or ‘the university behind Metropolis,” says Greenberg.

The master plan was announced by Ryerson president Sheldon Levy on March 8, 2006. It is expected to take 20 years to complete.