Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Good Fences



I'm posting at Good Fences.

June 2014 - Toronto ON


We drive past the Princes' Gates all the time as shown above earlier in May. This intersection is insane with traffic.

 They frame the CNE or Canadian National Exhibition grounds.
We've been through the gates to attend many events such as home shows, the "EX", private dinner affairs etc.
A week ago we decided to stop and get some photos of the gates themselves. The sun was a little too high and bright so we will go back another time.

Looking back towards the gates.
Often mistakenly called the "Princess Gates," the monumental Princes' Gates were officially opened by princes Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), and Prince George (later the Duke of Kent), on August 31, 1927, during that year's CNE. The gates were built in the Beaux-Arts style to celebrate Canada's 60th anniversary of Confederation and were originally to be called "The Diamond Jubilee of Confederation Gates." The name was changed when it was found that the Princes were touring Canada the year of its dedication. First to pass through the gate was a veterans parade, a tradition that later became the annual Warriors' Day Parade.


The gates are made of a mix of stone and concrete. The statue at the top of the arch is the "Goddess of Winged Victory", an interpretation of the original Winged Victory of Samothrace, designed by architect Alfred Chapman of Chapman and Oxley and carved by Charles McKechnie. In her hand she holds a single maple leaf. There are nine pillars to either side of the main arch, representing the nine Canadian provinces in existence at the time of construction. Flanking the central arch are various figures representing progress, industry, agriculture, arts, and science.

During the fall of 1986, the Winged Victory statue was taken down and found to be seriously deteriorating. It was subsequently replaced by a glass-reinforced polymer plastic copy in 1987, designed and fabricated by Engineered Plastics Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, to withstand the elements for over a century. That same year the gates officially became a listed building under the Ontario Heritage Act.

 A good fence.
 Wikipedia states:
Exhibition Place is a mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The 197–acre area includes expo, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provincial, and national historic sites. From mid-August through Labour Day each year, the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), from which the name Exhibition Place is derived, is held on the grounds. During the CNE, Exhibition Place encompasses 260 acres (1.1 km2), expanding to include nearby parks and parking lots. The CNE features games and a midway, among a host of attractions. The fair is one of the largest and most successful of its kind in North America, and an important part of the culture of Toronto, the province, and the nation itself. The grounds have seen a mix of protection for heritage buildings along with new development.

Five buildings on the site (the Fire Hall/Police Station, Government Building, Horticulture Building, Music Building and Press Building), all designed by George Gouinlock, were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1988.











7 comments:

  1. I didn't know that was a replica. It's such an eye catching structure; I've always thought so.

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  2. This is an architectural gem!

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  3. Hi. Jack is. Wow! That is some fence for today's meme. It is magnificent both the architecture and the information you gave us.

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  4. it is really impressive! glad they could replicate the statue with something that'll last a long time. thanks for linking!

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  5. Wow, this is fascinating, sturdy and beautiful.

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  6. Interesting that they put a black wrought iron fence with the monument.

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  7. That iron fence has some really sharp tips. Thank you for visiting my Good Ocean Fence.

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