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Historical Importance
Canada’s first subway system first began with proposals as early as 1911 but it wasn’t until 1942 when the Toronto Transit Commission proceeded with a subway plan that would go along Yonge Street. In 1949 construction started for the Yonge Street Line and continued to cause major traffic disruptions for six years, until it was finally completed in March 1954. In 1959, the Bloor-Danforth Line was approved and this extension included an additional subway line from north of Union Station to St. George, which was completed in February 1963. In 1966, the Bloor-Danforth subway opened between Woodbine and Keele stations. Finally, in 1978 the Spadina Line was constructed which opened from St. George North to Wilson Avenue, including Dupont Station. The Spadina Line was mainly created due to the strong opposition of the citizens regarding the Spadina Expressway.
Architectural Importance
The extension of the Spadina Line came with the decision to include public artwork to contrast the early stations of the Yonge-University and Bloor-Danforth lines which were based on standardized designs that were meant to be functional, durable, and efficient. By the late 1960s, these stations were starting to seem overly utilitarian and sterile in comparison to the new avant-garde Montreal Metro.
The Spadina Subway Art project chose eight new stations along the Spadina Line to have artwork displayed, which collaborated with three architecture firms and nine artists. Dupont Station was to be designed collaboratively by Dunlop Farrow Aitken Architects, and James Sutherland as the artist.
Dunlop Farrow Aitken Architects was founded in 1958 and was one of the largest Canadian firms that were operating at the time. The firm was chosen to design the subway station during the late 1970s but is no longer active. George Farrow one of the partners in the firm, and he branched off to be the founder of Farrow Partners. Dunlop Architects based in Toronto and Hamilton was founded by Dan Dunlop in 1953 and was well known for his education and state-of-the-art medical and research facilities. With a firm size of one hundred employees, it was amalgamated into Stantec in October of 2004.
James Sutherland is a Toronto based artist who studied architecture after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and English Literature at the University of British Columbia in the 60s. After working in many architecture firms, he formed his own studio to design architectural-scale graphics and murals which included Dupont Subway Station.
The artwork is planned to be integrated into the structure of each of the new stations and was designed to provide an exciting view for the riders. The T.T.C. thought that incorporating art into the subways was an effective way of bringing people to the art in a highly visible way as it would be a part of their daily everyday routine. The artwork incorporated in the subways in comparison to the early stations would provide a visual warmth for the riders, creating a more positive environment to commute.
The project was broken down into three phases starting with phase one as a feasibility study. From May 1974 to December 1974, the T.T.C. researched documentation of integrated artwork in other subway systems around the world. They worked with the head architect in charge of each station, and locations were selected and possible concepts were explored that would fit the architectural style.
Phase two is the selection of artists, and this phase commenced from January 1975 to December 1975. The selection was based on an open competition since it was a public project. There was an open call to review the works of the artists who wished to take part, and a total of four hundred artists submitted their work. Thirty-five artists were chosen to continue, and each was assigned a station location with specifications and were asked to prepare “idea sketches”. The proposed designs had to meet detailed specifications for durability, safety, and maintenance. Twelve artists were selected based on the sketches, and each was paid to produce maquettes of their designs, with information on materials, production, installation, time schedules, and cost estimates. The selection of artists was finalized to nine commissions, which included James Sutherland.
Cultural Importance
In January 1976 the project was halted after the announcement of the artist winners, even though it was already approved by the T.T.C., due to strong opposition from the public. The public thought the art was an unnecessary addition, coupled with the fact there were previous protests about the high consultant fees of the project. One of the commissioners Paul Godfrey says, “We were wrong in proceeding with the art programme in the present economic climate, and I don’t mind admitting it."
In order to get the project running again with the public’s support, artists, professional organizers, dealers, art patrons, and concerned citizens came forward in a positive way and held a special exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The exhibition was made up of the maquettes made during phase two of the process so that the public would be able to view and critique the artwork. In May 1976, a fund was started made up of private and corporate donations. On June 29, 1976, it was announced that the Spadina Subway Art project would be continued.
Phase three commenced and work began in the fall of 1976. The artwork displayed at Dupont Station is called Spadina Summer Under All Seasons. The mosaic tile was effectively used in a modern context as the decorative treatment of the curving walls. The walls are vandal-proof and relatively economical but aesthetically consistent with the shimmering background wall tiles. The glass mosaic tile mural takes up 2000 sq. ft. and is located on the double-height platform and mezzanine levels of the station. It is described as, “Like a multi-colored flower garden, this mural forms a total environment within the station. Enormous plants and flowers open their petals and stamens in a glistening floral pattern made up of glass mosaic tiles”. Although James Sutherland was the artist in charge of Dupont Station, he merely supervised the work but was not directly involved in the actual fabrication. The entrances at Dupont Station also make their presence felt at street level as the two transparent pavilions framed with bright orange metal straps are placed diagonally on opposite corners of the street to help define the intersection of Dupont and Spadina. It is considered to be one of the most successful stations that combines architecture with vibrant and well-integrated artwork. A city’s subway stations are one of the most important elements of civic identity and pride for the residents and visitors.
Societal Importance
When public art is involved with public opinion, it is a sensitive topic as it becomes the deciding factor whether a project will continue or not, regardless of its merits. If tax dollars are being used for public commissions like the Spadina Art project, the public feels entitled to have a say in the decision-making process. What the public didn’t know was that the T.T.C. did not use any direct tax money, but was funded through private and corporate donations. This is the type of effect the public opinion has on politicians when a protest is voiced, the negative voices are usually louder than the positive ones.
Landscape
The overall landscape inside of Dupont Station is very different from the typical experience one has in any other subway station. The orange mosaic tile is barely noticeable at first glance but once looked at closely, in addition to the abundance of curved edges of the structural design, one can appreciate its uniqueness in form. The platform level opens up into a double-height space in the center, showing off the glass mezzanines above, perfectly emphasizing the two large white mosaic flowers on each platform wall. It is obvious that the details were greatly taken care of as the benches, the transition from wall to floor, the inserts where the stairs and escalators are located, are all carefully carved into a continuous sculpture-like interior. This narrative continues from the platform into the ticket area, and onto the street as one giant art piece hidden under the typical Toronto intersection. The intersection of Dupont and Spadina is mostly made up of low-rise buildings that are run down. It has a specific character as it feels almost “homey” to someone who doesn't actually live there. The quirks and nuances from Spadina extend up to Dupont, as the commercial stores along the main roads support local business’ rather than corporate retail stores. Upon visiting the site, there were many young people walking about, and many children riding their bicycles with their group of friends.
Urban Planning
Dupont Station is located in the neighborhood called the Annex where the boundaries are determined by Bloor, Bathurst, Dupont Streets, and Avenue Road. The Annex today is predominately residential with nearly one hundred people per acre. In appearance, it is an excellent location with well-built homes and tree-lined streets that give the neighborhood a distinctive and attractive residential feel. The residential portion is made up of single-family homes, apartments, and roomers, which are houses with multiple rooms rented to different families. It is traditionally a good place for students and staff attending the University of Toronto to find accommodation as between two to five hundred students live in the area.
There are also now nearly one hundred institutions located in the Annex, consisting of schools, churches, social clubs, offices of non-profit organizations, nursing homes, and religious residences. The streets suffer from heavy street parking generated by the commercial areas of the neighborhood as there is a lack of off-street parking for residences. This also causes rush-hour traffic on the majority of residential streets. There is also a lack of parkland available as only two and a half acres are provided, in comparison to the standard twenty-four acres.
Future planning for the Annex includes a demand for more apartment buildings and flats in converted houses. It will be difficult to encourage a trend for family occupancy as it continues to be dominated by young adults and older people. The expansion of the University of Toronto will also increase the demand for student accommodation, and the needs of additional parks and playground facilities to the existing young families in the area need to be met. The Annex also lacks 1500 to 1800 residential off-street parking spaces but even then the daily traffic will probably not decrease as the high population density of the neighborhood itself also generates considerable traffic.
Political Importance
Accessibility is an important issue that needs to be met by the Toronto Transit Commission, and a study has been released researching which key stations are to be made accessible to the public. Factors such as; general usage, usage by senior citizens, percentage usage by senior citizens, number of surface transit connections, and proximity of senior citizen homes nearby, are all considered when choosing which stations are to be made accessible. Dupont Station scores low on all necessary factors to be considered a key station to convert as the station has low general usage, and the majority of users are young adults. There are also only two surface transit connections available at this station, with one or none senior citizen homes nearby.
There have also been reports made by the residents of the Annex neighborhood to improve Dupont subway station and also the intersection itself. The community has concerns regarding the future subway focus and its effects on the community, transportation efficiency and flexibility, and financial cost to the taxpayer. They do not propose changes to the subway alignment but has recommendations to improve transit efficiency, and its connections with surface transit. The eight recommendations are;
The responses from the city and T.T.C. to the Annex community rejected the majority of the recommendations as the positive outcomes stated in the report are not true. Moving Dupont station from its current location would result in a delay of 6 months, which would not save taxpayers money in a large way. Travel times would not be faster, and if it was it would be an insignificant amount to make a difference.
Historical Significance
Dupont Subway Station is located diagonally across from each other at the intersection of Dupont Street and Spadina Road, in the Annex neighborhood. The entrances are marked by two glass-domed pavilions, which lead to a two-level underground station. The first lower level is the ticket entrance and the second lower level as the subway platforms. It was completed in 1978 by Dunlop Farrow Aitken Architects in collaboration with the artist James Sutherland.
The station was a part of the Spadina Art Project where the subway extension form Spadina going north would include artwork from local artists in the area, Dupont Station being one of the eight stations to include artwork. It supports the Annex neighborhood which is predominately a residential area and is located at a major intersection making it easily accessible on foot. Dupont Station is important as it is uniquely designed to feel fantastical due to the shimmering curving walls that define the space.
The character-defining elements that contribute to the station's importance are;
