Museum Station is winning praise as one of the “world’s most beautiful metro stations,” but could more TTC stations have made the cut?

Diamond Schmitt Architects, the firm behind the 2008 redesign of Museum Station, developed redesigns of Osgoode and St. Patrick stations at the time, too.

Like the Museum design, which references the Royal Ontario and Gardiner museums that sit atop the subterranean station, the plans for the other stations tied in nearby landmarks.

St. Patrick’s design referenced the Art Gallery of Ontario while Osgoode was designed to evoke the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, another Diamond Schmitt design.

Paul French, a spokesperson for the firm, says designs that incorporate Toronto’s landmarks can boost civic pride and identity while also helping people find their way through the system.

“When you’re on the subway immersed in your own thoughts and then look up to see a totem poll looking at you, you suddenly know where you are,” French said.

The plans were developed for the Arts on Track program by the Toronto Foundation, a charity focused on city-building initiatives.

The Museum project was funded under what the foundation called a “public philanthropic partnership.” The foundation raised $2 million from private donors, the TTC pitched $1.25 million and the province contributed another $2 million.

A request for comment from the Toronto Foundation on the status of the Arts on Track program was not immediately answered.

Well-designed stations should be top of mind for Toronontians, French says, with transit construction across the city, from the Eglinton Crosstown to the Scarborough Subway to Mayor John Tory’s SmartTrack proposal.

Diamond Schmitt Architects’ proposal for Osgoode Station. Screengrab from Viemo.

Diamond Schmitt Architects’ proposal for St. Patrick Station. Screengrab from Viemo.

Diamond Schmitt Architects’ proposal for St. Patrick Station. Screengrab from Viemo.

Mobile users click here to see a what St. Patrick and Osgoode stations could have looked like.



Diamond Schmitt Architects: TTC subway station design proposal from DiamondSchmittArchitects on Vimeo.

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