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On the corner of Adelaide Street West and Bathurst Street lies an important part of the Canadian theatre landscape. Known as the "Home of the Canadian playright" the Factory Theatre has produced over 900 Canadian plays in mainstage productions, workshops and other formats over its 43 year history. For the majority of those years the Factory Theatre has occupied the heritage building at 125 Bathurst Street that it currently calls home.
The structure actually consists of two heritage buildings, one built in 1869 by Irish immigrant John Mulvey, and an extension built in 1910 by St. Mary's Catholic Parish after purchasing the property from the Mulvey family. The theatre company purchased the property in 1999, and announced a couple years ago a major renovation that would make the theatre more physically accessible via a redesigned entryway with street-level box office, lobby, and passenger elevators.
The original plans, as seen above, under former artistic director Ken Gass and architect Phil Goldsmith, called for a more expansive renovation to the front facade and lobby, while the heritage Mulvey home was to be moved much closer to Bathurst Street. Conflicts over the proposed plans and budget led to the dismissal of Ken Gass, however, and the board opted for a less expensive option with a significantly smaller glass facade and entryway.
Construction on the new lobby commenced in the summer of 2013 and progressed well over the past six months. Recent photos show that the construction of the new glass structure has been completed, with work progressing on the interior where the addition connects to the existing heritage building.
The scaled back design has not been especially popular with Urban Toronto Forum members, with some calling it a "lost opportunity" given the site's heritage designation. We also can't help but agree that the new design has a TTC subway exit-esque quality to it.
What do you think? Have your say in our Forum thread, or voice your opinion in the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.
