i guess time will tell, but included sketches seem to show a small addition to TC only, no main hall, no classrooms for school, etc

All this glass doesn't look good for lasketiir chances ...

Väga tore uudis ja paras paik EM rahvale. Ilusti rongi jaama ligidal kõikidele.

Mul on raske ette kujutada laupäeva hommikul lasteaia, skautide ja gaidide tulekut. Parkimine on praktiliselt olematu. See näeb rohkem olema staatiline muuseum/kunstinäitus kui elav ja tegev maja

Minul sama mure. Kus on parkla? (60 parkimis' kohta)
Aarelinnadest sudalinna soit pole ka eriti monus.

Bravo! Ühis koht Tartu Collegis on alati olnud kõige parem idee!!

Looks perfect place for boomers to sip coffee and get together for knitting lessons ... Not so good when coming from suburb with kids

It doesn't look like the most efficient use of space from the drawings, but I'm looking forward to getting more details at the meeting.

If EM, ESK, TC & ETCU are all involved and think it's a sound plan- then I'll wait to hear the proposal before sounding off.

Would moving the arhiiv open up some more parking under TC?

The location debate (downtowners/ ideal TTC access/ consolidated community center / central location vs. drivers/ suburbanites/ out-of-towners / east-enders) will be painful and predictable. Is there any geographic data on the active Estonian community in southern Ontario available? Even a ballpark breakdown of an ESK/ETCU mailing list by city or postal code is more useful than listening to 100 people tell us about their commutes.

Nüüd tuleb jätta küsimused nagu "miks mitte varem?", ukse taha ja olla rõõmsad selle üle, et on leitud võimalus koostööks EESTI Maja, Tartu College'1, Toronto Eesti Ühispanga ja Sihtkapitali juhtkondade vahel, mis on ainus realistlik tee asjale lahenduse leidmiseks!!! Tubblid mehed ja naised - täis-purjeis edasi!!!

Johannes Pahapill.
Tsiteeri | Teavita administraatorit

For the moment, I will ignore the very real question of lack of parking (and loss to community events because of this) to ask the following question: can this facility house 600, 700 people or more for community events indoors, such as Rahvajõulupuu? What about handling Independence Day celebrations? I think we would want to grow our community with exciting events to also welcome the community at large at the new building (which we are no longer able to achieve effectively at the present one). From the drawings, it doesn’t look like we have a large communal space indoors. Both mentioned events are winter ones needing mainly indoor facilities.

I am glad that these community organizations are working together and this is a beautiful design, but are we not desperately trying to fit a square peg into a round hole by choosing this particular property? Do we even have the go-ahead form the city that we can build on (it looks more like over) their parking lot?

Might we not get more bang for our buck on another piece of land?

I hope that's just a massing model.
Great Land score! LocationLocationLocation

Unless you are a student or belong to an organization, I don't see any reason to go into a crowded city with no parking within a kilometre. The drawing is nonsense with wasted outdoor space that might have been better used for the parking lot that it is now. Anyone over 40 will not take the trouble to take Subways unless you work downtown but for leisure, forget it. Who will be on the deed as the new owners of this so called Eesti Maja? I think our shareholders have been taken for a long ride in more ways than one.

No proposal can satisfy everyone.
Many thanks to those who have labored long and hard for this one.
To the critics I say, come up with something better.

Kõik sõltub rahast. Seda uut EM üllitist ei ole võimalik ehitada ilma EM müügist saadud rahata. Kas me aga saaksime sama rahaga ehitada rohkem EM kui seda võimaldab kesklinnas ($$$) asuv plats? Kas veel kaaluda Läti majaga ühinemist? Palju parem asukoht kui Spadina&Bloor.

Mulle paistab, et EM juhatus on väsinud kogu sellest jandist ja nad on õnnelikud, et keegi tegi otsuse nende eest.

Yep, you can vote out the volunteer boards if you are willing to step up and get involved. The sad reality is that nobody wants to do the thankless job ...

The most important question is: does this design serve the needs of the Estonian community?

1. I don’t have the details yet, but my gut tells me that this design does not offer a proper gathering place for a large group of people at one time for events and meetings. A large space is a must and central to the notion of community. Without a large space, we will have to continually rent ($) space elsewhere, which defeats the purpose of this proposed Estonian centre. To those who believe that Estonians will not come out in large numbers anymore, well … let’s see how many people turn out for the upcoming townhall meeting. I imagine that the place will be packed since it is no longer restricted to shareholders having a say.

2. Why are we stuck on building around the perimeter of a parking lot built above a subway system that will harm and erode the structure more quickly by the massive vibrations courtesy of the TTC? A smarter plan would be to purchase the buildings beside the one the bank bought and build a community centre there AND use the existing city parking lot to park for our events. Has this avenue of expanding beside the bank building been examined? Why is this not an option?

I think this is a wonderful plan, and I hope that those who share my sentiments will be vocal and visible in their support. In my opinion, a place like the one proposed here casts our community in a far more positive, and substantial light than our current cultural home. This plan has great potential as the catalyst for continued success by and for Estonians in the years to come.

The urbanites appear to have won the day with a confident proposal for development attached to Tartu College along the Bloor Corridor, which was an excellent investment years ago. But there is another corridor along the DVP, that includes the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, the Ismaili Centre, and yes, the Estonian House. The EM woodsy property, quiet but close to a major ravine thoroughfare, was also a good choice for the Estonian Canadian community. Indeed, the two Estonian centres evolved somewhat differently, with different cultural links, local and international. It's a pity we can't have both in good shape.

What is the logic in building above 2 main subway lines? Sounds precarious to me!! It has also come to my attention that there are 2 towers(one at 42 storeys and the other at 38) proposed on either side of Tartu College. Wouldn't this compromise privacy, block sunlight and create traffic congestion?

I think it will be impossible to permission to setup a new firing range..

That would be a monumental task

so parking will be an issue for sure

right now we struggle with enough parking... and you are saying that Beside Tartu College that parents will want to drive around looking for a parking spot.

Best to keep the Eesti Kool at a church... with parking. Baptisti kirik would be the best solution.. subway access and parking... Peetri Kirik not easy to get to via transit and no parking... Also... the image makes it looks like a large space.. I think this is an illusion and not to scale.

would be happy to be proven wrong

Sadly, the current EH has become dilapidated. Pails in hallways and periods during which there is no heat. Clearly, the place would need an incredible (and I mean INCREDIBLE) cash infusion to be bought up to current standards. Cans of paint don't deal with the issue that the oldest part of the building is a 19th century school house having a 19th century boiler heating it. Let's make things work to get a facility we can all be proud of. Let's make Madison Avenue work!

The big events people may be concerned about are the rahvapidu (popular fête, popular/public /village festival or celebration) vs fancy dress balls/fundraising dinners/seminars for invited guests. Recent examples might include the performance at EM of the Academic Women’s Choir of Tartu U, in which the singers stood throughout the hall with guests seated at tables, to deliver a mesmerizing and unforgettable folk chant (a different feel from the performance at Trinity-St. Paul’s Church); the folk dance (rahvatants) and choral party last spring, and the intimate and well-moderated taste of the Laulupidu program in 2014, rather than the frat cocktail parties, high end concerts, or events on the scale of Maple Leaf Gardens that you suggest. It’s a difference that has always existed within Ülemaailmsed Eesti Paevad. It might also be affirmed as the difference between a centre for the advancement of Estonian culture (as in Advancement Associations of any kind, including the Advancement of Baltic Studies), and a place for the enjoyment of cultural activity, children’s upbringing, home cooking, marksmanship, and fellowship as such. At TC you’re talking through an intercom, or a microphone, or presenting your business at the reception, and this is fine in context. There’s been in various ways more of a drop-in presence for visitors at the “Estonian House in Toronto”, with a difference in attitude. How often I’ve met people at the e-store! I`ve gone to ask school teachers from Estonia for language and culture advice, and later received further apt “counselling” on my venture when I saw them at the rahvapidu at a fortunetelling booth. Each of the two institutions, the TC and EM, has been decisive about what belongs and what does not belong to its raison d`être. The point is there have been the two notions of service to the community. At the very least there needs to be a dialogue, if a merger is contemplated, to pull together support in mindful strength and numbers going forward.

The big events people may be concerned about are the rahvapidu (popular fête, popular/public /village festival or celebration) vs fancy dress balls/fundraising dinners/seminars for invited guests. Recent examples might include the performance at EM of the Academic Women’s Choir of Tartu U, in which the singers stood throughout the hall with guests seated at tables, to deliver a mesmerizing and unforgettable folk chant (a different feel from the performance at Trinity-St. Paul’s Church); the folk dance (rahvatants) and choral party last spring, and the intimate and well-moderated taste of the Laulupidu program in 2014, rather than the frat cocktail parties, high end concerts, or events on the scale of Maple Leaf Gardens that you suggest. It’s a difference that has always existed within Ülemaailmsed Eesti Paevad. It might also be affirmed as the difference between a centre for the advancement of Estonian culture (as in Advancement Associations of any kind, including the Advancement of Baltic Studies), and a place for the enjoyment of cultural activity, children’s upbringing, home cooking, marksmanship, and fellowship as such. At TC you’re talking through an intercom, or a microphone, or presenting your business at the reception, and this is fine in context. There’s been in various ways more of a drop-in presence for visitors at the “Estonian House in Toronto”, with a difference in attitude. How often I’ve met people at the e-store! I`ve gone to ask school teachers from Estonia for language and culture advice, and later received further apt “counselling” on my venture when I saw them at the rahvapidu at a fortunetelling booth. Each of the two institutions, the TC and EM, has been decisive about what belongs and what does not belong to its raison d`être. The point is there have been the two notions of service to the community. At the very least there needs to be a dialogue, if a merger is contemplated, to pull together support in mindful strength and numbers going forward.

Many comments make reference to dilapidated conditions in the EM in particular, as if students at the TC residence were not complaining about sealed windows, faulty air conditioning, etc. in that building. Major work seems to be needed to bring TC up to standard for its business model, for it to actually remain a place “that works”, of “pride” and “success”. How about levelling the playing field a bit for this discussion? Regarding the leaky roof, community members at EM have had the option of taking action as they appear to have done recently. Regarding the old heater at EM, can anyone explain why visitors to TC have for long complained about the frigid temperatures and drafts there? These issues need to be researched and resolved but should not be confused with broader questions of vision, purpose, and competing (in the best sense) community needs.

Assuming you probably self identify as a "visionary"? This attitude of dismissing community input and perspectives is exactly what helped cause repeated failures with the last 3 EM development projects and could threaten the next ones.
The boards you mention are overwhelmingly manned by people who do not participate in community activities - let alone those that use these important community centers.
This ridiculously labeled "town hall" should be just that- not another overly controlled lecture where the community is force fed someone's personal legacy building project.

Yes the Estonian House is old and much work needs to be done on it. The question that needs to be asked is: Why has the Board failed to maintain and repair the building over the last 10 years? The $300K (the actual figure is unknown because they are not transparent about this) spent on trying to get projects going could have easily repaired things.

Why are we being "pressured" into selling Eesti Maja. Eesti Maja is worth bt. 8-10 million with a foot print of roughly 31,000 sq feet of rentable space. Why sell it to buy a lot half the size and get a building 1/4 the size? I don't care how new or fancy it is..it doesn't make financial sense. Not everything that glitters is gold.

I am looking forward to the Town Hall meeting on the 29th. I would like to ask if Guido Laikve would be willing to provide his professional opinion of the 9 Madison site, so that the shareholders can better understand this proposal.