Zeidler

Christina Zeidler comes from a family of architects, her father has shaped Toronto, and she has left an impact on all the little hipsters in town. She is the brains, talent and power behind the Gladstone Hotel and pretty much my new hero.

Zeidler came to talk to one of my classes yesterday and left a big impression on all of us. The story of her hotel reads like an endearing children's story: Girl has a dream. Girl finds a run down building. Girl helps all of her new friends that live in the building find new homes. Girl turns the building into a community-oriented, artist decorated, wildly successful hipster hangout/ hotel. Girl lives happily ever after.

Only her happily ever after consists of fighting for Parkdale's community rights.

Just a few weeks ago I went to visit a new friend at her apartment in Parkdale. It was an amazing artist loft across from the Drake Hotel, with high ceilings and windy hallways. We were invoking ghosts and getting our palms read, yet this building's future was already told: it is getting torn down to be replaced by condominiums.

This is exactly what Zeidler is fighting against, or rather, offering different solutions to the problem. She is part of an organization called Active 18 that is bringing the locals of the Parkdale area together to demand a say in the revitalization of their area. Already they have made strides, winning a building by ArtScape that is going to be inhabited by 70 local artists and is structurally made for artist folk; meaning high ceilings, big rooms and cheap rent. While this is great, they are still concerned with the hundreds of people getting pushed out of the area for commercial gain.

If you would like to help Zeidler in her fight for local rights, you can join Active 18 and go to local meetings. Or you can help out with the West End Food Co-op.

Also, take a look at XBlog, it focuses on the art community in Toronto. So, if you really are not too concerned about the Queen West area, but are focused on a wider scope, you can get some ideas there!