The restoration part has moved along............but the demolition part has not.
 
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I was by recently. I noticed they've moved the Tim Hortons, Subway, and pharmacy into much nicer digs by the new food court, a new (to me) sitting area by the J-wing elevators was opened up, and it looks like there's another couple retail units being worked on.

Also, tons of work on the upper floors you can see in the back from Knight. Much of the old space appears to be under intensive updating
 
Looks like we're getting ready for Demo of the old hospital here:

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Michael Garron Hospital (MHG) Wings Closure 🆕​

As a part of its ongoing campus redevelopment project, Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) will permanently close its A, B and C Wings on March 21, 2025 starting at 6 a.m.

The decommissioning and demolition of these wings is necessary to complete the hospital’s campus transformation, which includes extensive landscaping and the creation of a new driveway off Coxwell Avenue to better facilitate patient pick-ups and drop-offs. This work is expected to be complete in Spring 2026.

If you have any questions or need navigation assistance, please visit volunteers at one of our two Information Desks:

  • Main Information Desk: Located inside the Ken and Marilyn Thomson Patient Care Centre lobby on M1. Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Sammon Avenue Information Desk: Located inside the Sammon Entrance on T1. Open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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TwinHuey said:
I would like to capture some drone shots of this building at the very start of the demolition process.

I'm not passing by very often so I would appreciate a DM or tag if any of you see it happening.

Edit: I've tagged @Northern Light in case he has insider info on the demolition :)
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Looks like demolition is imminent.

The stained glass windows have been removed, and MGH just did a piece on the legacy of the old buildings.

www.tehn.ca

Preserving legacy amid transformation: How Michael Garron Hospital is honouring the past as it prepares for the future | Michael Garron Hospital, Toronto East Health Network (MGH/TEHN)

www.tehn.ca www.tehn.ca

From the above, a render of the new entrance way/drop-off:

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The already relocated cornerstones:

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The now removed Stained Glass Windows which will be displayed somewhere on the campus when this is all done:

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TwinHuey said:
I would like to capture some drone shots of this building at the very start of the demolition process.

I'm not passing by very often so I would appreciate a DM or tag if any of you see it happening.

Edit: I've tagged @Northern Light in case he has insider info on the demolition :)
Click to expand...

I pass by a few times a week so I'll keep a lookout. I want some photos, too.
 
GenerationLee said:
I was out in the area yesterday, and grabbed some photos before this is lost to history. While I understand why this is being redeveloped, I wish this could've been saved. Or, at the very least, integrated the facades into the new wing.
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Respectfully, old hospitals cannot be saved from an infrastructure perspective. *Maybe* part of a façade. But by and large no. Take photos, be sad, and move on.

They are currently updating fire suppression at Sunnybrook in A-E wings (dating from the 1950s, I believe), and they have to take space out of corridors and ceilings to accommodate it. We cannot purchase badly needed equipment because there is no space above the drop ceiling in M Wing (1990s) to accommodate the necessary HVAC.

I get it. The old buildings look nice, and mean a lot, but they can no longer function as hospitals.
 
PL1 said:
Respectfully, old hospitals cannot be saved from an infrastructure perspective. *Maybe* part of a façade. But by and large no. Take photos, be sad, and move on.

They are currently updating fire suppression at Sunnybrook in A-E wings (dating from the 1950s, I believe), and they have to take space out of corridors and ceilings to accommodate it. We cannot purchase badly needed equipment because there is no space above the drop ceiling in M Wing (1990s) to accommodate the necessary HVAC.

I get it. The old buildings look nice, and mean a lot, but they can no longer function as hospitals.
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I think we can make some delineation here, some of these older buildings could serve hospital office and administration quite well. This was done at Toronto Rehab when they rebuilt.

What they cannot do, generally, is serve ongoing hospital/medical function.

That then leaves one to consider the volume of space required for the admin/non-medical services of the hospital, as well as consider whether that space is required for future new buildings.

In the case of MGH, they are saving one of the two original wings, tucked inbehind the Coxwell wings.

That's about all that could be justified space wise, for full retention.

The Hospital site plan envisions that the freed up space, while mostly park-like for a few years, will eventually serve to build the replacement for the concrete bunker wing at the east end of the site , and likely much of the Emergency Ward as well, when that building comes due. Then that freed up land will in turn be a new or replacement wing when the new Sammon wing is old and tired, presumably not for 50 years plus.

If a new building had been planned for this footprint in the near term, then the facade could have been saved, in whole or in part, but as it is only destined to be open space for the next 2 decades, that doesn't work. Relocating the facade was also not feasbile, since this was 'operating hospital' until the new wing on Sammon was complete.

Personally, I'm not as taken as some by the facade here, I've always found the brick a bit too dark, and the windows character-less.

That said, it would have been nice to see a bit more spent on the exterior of the new build,to preserve some of the best of the vibe of the old hospital. (ie. an exterior of brick, a bit more detailing etc.) but budgets are tight......
 
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PL1 said:
Respectfully, old hospitals cannot be saved from an infrastructure perspective. *Maybe* part of a façade. But by and large no. Take photos, be sad, and move on.

They are currently updating fire suppression at Sunnybrook in A-E wings (dating from the 1950s, I believe), and they have to take space out of corridors and ceilings to accommodate it. We cannot purchase badly needed equipment because there is no space above the drop ceiling in M Wing (1990s) to accommodate the necessary HVAC.

I get it. The old buildings look nice, and mean a lot, but they can no longer function as hospitals.
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Allow me to rephrase, without sounding as sentimental as I did. I understand completely that this wing needs to go in order to bring the best in healthcare and related innovations, as in new infrastructure, better spaces and utility functionality, etc, but I wish there was some resemblance of the old structure seen on the exterior. Maybe not a facadomy, but even just referencing the design language of the existant structure, rather than stick to a totally new design.
The existing buildings presence and elegance is certainly different comparing to the new phase on the other street, I just wish to see some of that prior design language used, either in massing, fenestration or materislity.
And I know, thats an unrealistic ask given the climate of public works nowadays.
 
Northern Light said:
I think we can make some delineation here, some of these older buildings could serve hospital office and administration quite well.
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...isn't that why they're leaving that unassuming elder structure in the back there from rest of what is being removed?
 
^I mean, they should be leaving chevron building for admin and tearing down the rest of it instead. That building is just way too cool in it's Batman Deco to touch, IMO.
 
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