Frank Gehry wants to know: What does it mean to be Canadian?

The world-renowned architect was born in Toronto in 1929 but left as a teenager when his family moved to California. Now, aged 84 and still a citizen, he’s back to design a mixed-use complex on King Street West for impresario David Mirvish.

When Gehry’s first proposal was released last year, city officials reacted with fear and loathing. This time he’s back with a plan that even a Toronto planner could love. The towers are taller — 92 and 82 storeys — but there are only two of them, not three.

Even better, the new proposal retains two of four existing warehouses as well as the Princess of Wales Theatre, originally slated for demolition.

“Three towers gave the scheme a sculptural quality,” Gehry told the Star recently. “With two, it ain’t there. But now I think it’s more Toronto. I wanted to give it a sense of dignity. Many towers lack a sense of dignity, not just in Toronto but all over the world. They’re just tours de force standing alone. I was looking for different kind of body language. I was looking for dignity.”

Though the design has a long way to go, the latest batch of architectural models shows a pair of “dancing” towers, each made up of distinct elements — a box, set slightly askew, on top, “sentinels” running up the sides of both skyscrapers, and softly undulating facades of glass and stone.

“The negative space creates the connection between the buildings,” Gehry explains. “One sentinel is on the south, one is on the north. In one fell swoop, I found our sense of dignity. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get to the real stuff; we’re still exploring a lot of materials. But I think I’ve figured out what dignity is with two buildings in Toronto. Now I’m trying to figure out how to give them humanity. There has to be a warmth to them.”

If anything, the current scheme is reminiscent of the Dancing House, a.k.a. Fred and Ginger, that Gehry designed in the mid-’90s in Prague. The two-part building is a wonderfully wonky take on the historic midrise architecture of the great Czech city.

The Mirvish proposal, which the city has yet to approve, embodies a more formal choreography. But there will be no question these two buildings have a relationship. From the south, the taller west tower will be transparent; the smaller, to the east, opaque. From the north, the pattern will be reversed.

“Fred and Ginger grew up and moved to Toronto,” Gehry jokes. “In a way, two towers feel better. It’s not so crowded.”

Down below at ground level, King stays much the same as it has always been. Gone are the Gehry-esque flourishes that made the first version so instantly memorable. Instead, the warehouse at John remains, as do the Princess of Wales and the terra-cotta façade of another early 20th-century commercial slab. It is a tamer design, less flamboyant, but definitely more dignified.

For the mild-mannered but fiercely ambitious Mirvish, the project is a cultural statement inside and out. An art gallery will be added to the corner warehouse and the Ontario College of Art and Design will operate a satellite facility in the east building. In addition, there will be retail, restaurants, offices and, of course, condos.

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“These are two buildings that say who we are at this moment in our history,” says Mirvish. “I think they’re about creating a city that’s recognizable and unique in a world that’s increasingly the same. We want people to think of Toronto as a place that’s exciting to come to, to live in and raise a family. I think Frank will make a place where people want to live and a public space with new possibilities for the city.”

Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca

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