The integrity of the Toronto Dominion Centre is at stake again. Last December I launched a successful campaign to prevent the main tenant Ernst and Young from adding two oversized wall signs on Tower 5 of the TD centre. The variance committee rejected the decision made by city staff based on my appeal, the support letters that some of you sent and the numerous Facebook followers (Save Toronto Dominion Centres facades). The good news was mentioned in the Torontoist, the Globe and Mail and even the Chicago Tribune. In his article deploring the invasion of corporate logos on skyscrapers, the Chicago journalist Blair Kamin cited the decision made by the city variance committee as an example to follow. Here are his own words: In contrast, Toronto's sign variance committee in December turned down a developer's request to erect two large, illuminated signs on the Ernst & Young Tower, an addition to the Toronto-Dominion Centre high-rise complex designed by the late Chicago modernist Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. (After that vote, the architectural historian Marie-Josee Therrien, who led a campaign against the sign plan, told the website torontoist.com: "I request that we reconsider the entire signage issue, and do not allow for any signs because of the integrity of the building. Think of it as a copyright for an artist  would you put a logo on a monumental work of art?" Chicago Tribune, January 19 2012. http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2012/01/ads-on-chicago-skyscrapers-are-a-sad-sign-of-the-times-advertising-clutter-has-no-place-on-chicagos-.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+chicagotribune/theskyline+(Chicag

Despite this success, the battle is not over as Cadillac Fairview and B + H, only six months after their application was denied, have re-applied asking for permission to add two wall signs, just slightly smaller than the size of their previous application. The Sign By-law unit released its notice of decision on May 25. The final approval is dependant on the decision that a newly formed Variance committee will make on September 25. The current city policy stipulates that the sign face area should not exceed 25 square metres. The applicant is asking for two signs of 39.39 square metres each. I have contacted the city staff on many occasions to request that a Heritage Impact Assessment be commissioned, as Tower 5 is adjacent to a designated heritage property. As of yet, I havent heard about the existence of such a document. This is more than a sign variance issue, it is a heritage issue that concerns our modern corporate landscape. The TD centre is one of the best examples of Mies Van der Rohe architecture in the world. Its integrity will be threatened by the addition of this signage.

If you believe, that this an important heritage issue, please attend the Variance committee meeting on September 25, at 9:30, room 1, at Toronto City Hall or write a letter to the chair of the Variance committee: Tracey Hamilton, c/o Yvonne Davies, Scarborough Civic Centre, 3rd floor, 150 Borough Dr., Toronto, ON M1P 4N7. The agenda of the meeting will be posted at: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/decisionBodyProfile.do?function=doPrepare&decisionBodyId=361#Meeting-2012.SB12