We at U of T are lucky. Unlike those at Waterloo or York, we have diversity in our architectural character. Our oldest buildings are a century and a half old and our newest ones are prime examples of what the best of modern design has to offer. Design and its close cousin, ‘form’, must follow function. Our newest buildings obviously have excellent form because they meet the demands of our large inner-city university.
So it is with a heavy heart that I reflect upon U of T’s antique architectural gems, namely University College and Old Vic.
These structures boggle the mind. It’s in the details. really – the wrought iron along the exterior, the wainscoting, the carved stone, and the intricate patterns in every nook. Unfortunately, these details do not serve any function for the modern student. These structures were built when classes were smaller and when the most complicated electric gadget was the sowing machine. Nowadays, we fight for plugs for our laptops, shiver in the poorly heated classrooms in the winter, and gasp for breath after the long flights of stairs (here’s looking at you, Old Vic).
What makes UC and Old Vic so fantastic is exactly what makes them poor places for students. They are nice places to visit, and we can tolerate taking an exam there once a term, as well as appreciate the common rooms. However, while appreciating the Victorian ambiance, students also seem reluctant to commit. “It’s like being in Harry Potter,” I once heard someone mumble about UC, “but why does it smell like rotting driftwood?”
These buildings serve better as museums than functional sites of learning. It’s almost painful to see the ad hoc upgrades made to these old premises: air conditioners jutting out windows older than our grandparents, lecture room seats from the 60’s, the laminate flooring of UC’s basement, jarring electric cables bolted to the walls, and weird paint jobs. There are two things that hit you when you enter Old Vic for the first time: 1. This place looks like a giant living room and 2. Why did they think pink and aqua make nice complimentary colours twenty years ago? Too bad about the long staircase to the second and third floors. That’s one down side of taking History of Science courses up there – you arrive to lecture breaking a sweat and panting. In an effort to make these places more compatible with modern student life, they lose what makes them unique and, by corollary, what makes U of T unique.
