The Columbus Centre / TCDSB Dante Alighieri Academy
901 Lawrence Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario
Type: New construction
Size: 400,000 sf
Project Cost: $70 million
Development Partners:
- Villa Charities
- Toronto Catholic District School Board
- Province of Ontario
Status: Cancelled in 2018
Description
Located at Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue West in North York, the Columbus Centre / Dante Alighieri Academy is a failed redevelopment proposal for a mixed use building that included an intergenerational community centre and school. Under the proposal, the Toronto Catholic School Board (TCDSB)’s Dante Alighieri High School would have been part of the new joint facility with the Columbus Centre, known as the cultural heart of the GTA’s Italian Canadian community. The project was announced in December 2012 and an application for site plan approval was made in 2016. The new facility was to open in 2020. However, the deal fell through in February 2018 after public opposition and TCDSB’s rejection under direction from the province Minister of Education, who said that they would not support a project that destroys the historic Columbus Centre.
Complexity / Collaboration
Currently, the Columbus Centre houses fitness amenities, banquet rooms, restaurants, long-term care facilities, and an art gallery which brings together art, culture, fitness, and culinary experiences. The proposed development was a partnership effort between TCDSB and Villa Charities, a non-profit organization that owns the property. The existing structure would be demolished to build new facilities, some of which the high school would share with the centre. The reasons for redevelopment included boosting revenue, enhancing programming, and providing finances for expensive restructuring of the existing buildings that could not otherwise be aff orded. Currently, the facility is costly and inefficient to operate. By partnering in a joint facility, each organization was seen as able to offer stakeholders a greater variety of services, invest savings from lower operating costs in programming and facilities and encourage intergenerational learning.
User Interaction/Partnership Framework
The Columbus Centre and Dante Alighieri were each going to have their own entrances leading to separate and shared spaces, and would operate independently of one another. The ground floor was to include a large central auditorium capable of hosting gatherings, as well as a banquet hall and cafeteria to serve both the community centre and school. Level two would be dedicated to classroom space for the school, with one end containing dance studios and the other containing a library/resource centre. Level three would contain additional classrooms, photography, graphics, media arts studios and lounges, while the fourth floor would support the school’s science classrooms and laboratories.
Costs / Funding
The Columbus Center was built in 1980 with public funds and private donations. The cost of the redevelopment was expected to be over $70 million, financed equally by Villa Charities and the TCDSB. In 2011, TCDSB received $32 million from the province to rebuild Dante Alighieri Academy, which was facing issues of overcrowding. Villa Charities would sell three of the twelve acres it now owns. The school board would purchase a piece of the property and own the new structure, while Villa Charities would get a long-term lease of 99 years to co-use the facilities.
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