The evolution of KW

[tomh009]

And then there's just the big bulk of the building. IMO height is not so important as width for these kinds of things. Most of the time people are looking forward or sideways, not up, so there isn't really that much of a difference between a 4 storey building or a 40 storey building. However, when you have a big building that's almost 100m wide, that's a rather long walk next to a building where what's in your field of view isn't changing. Especially due to the lack of setbacks and narrow sidewalks, if you're on the north side of King, the Kaufman building is going to take up the entire half of your field of view, with the asphalt of King taking up much of the other half (and up until 1-2 years ago some low slung buildings).

I walked this today, for the express purpose of observing the perimeter.  The parking lot is better than the average parking lot, thanks to the landscaping, but it's still a parking lot.  That won't change until/unless there is further development of the property.

The building has four different segments facing King, built in 1925, 1910, 1911 and 1920, as I recall.  The oldest parts are better, as there is more brick detail, making for a somewhat more interesting facade.  Two entrances do break up the street wall, but not much else.  First floor is too high for retail, though, and the basement (how is it used?) windows are obscured.  Some improvements could be inexpensive: mount some greenery on the columns, and do something (glass murals/stained glass/something) with the basement windows.  These could be done for less than $100 per unit, I expect, easily handled by the condo corporation should they wish to do so.

That said, the other half of the view (or really about two thirds) is not just the street, it's also the buildings beyond the street, on the other side.  1 Victoria will make this more interesting when finished, and there are other interesting buildings on the adjoining blocks (UW Pharmacy, TD Bank).

So for me, while not fantastic, it's not awful, either (although maybe my standards are too low?).  And it could be improved if the condo owners wish to do so.