Excerpt from www.thestar.com:
The temple, which opened officially on Aug. 8, is quite unlike anything seen in an area where monster homes proliferate. Occupying a restricted site on Steeles Ave. on Markham's southern edge, this remarkable structure hovers above the ground on one of the longest pre-stressed concrete cantilevers in North America.
Supported on an impossibly small number of rectangular columns, the temple is a one-storey building suspended several metres high.
As architect Brigitte Shim explains, parking requirements were the reason for such bold engineering, done by Toronto’s Blackwell and Bowick. Like most suburban cities, Markham is a City in a Parking Lot. Every element of its built environment is organized around the car and must have a minimum number of parking spots.
For the record, the Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism melds the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism to alleviate human suffering through community service and the cultivation of body and mind.
Though set back from the sidewalk, the building won’t be ignored. A row of Corten steel louvers reaches out from the exterior at an improbably sharp angle. The warmth of the rusted metal complements the raw concrete, both industrial materials but used here to evoke something quite different. This is, after all, a temple, whatever that means in the 21st century. Shim has attempted nothing less than to redefine what regulations refer to as a “place of worship.”
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Excerpt from www.taoist.org: Wong Dai Sin is a Taoist immortal who is particularly well known and venerated in Hong Kong as well as communities in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. According to his story, although he was a simple shepherd boy, he displayed great virtue and was able to cultivate immortality by practising the Taoist arts on Mount Chisong (“Red Pine”) in Zhejiang. Afterward, he became known for “helping all and promoting goodness.”With this temple, we hope to help spread his spirit of sincerity, perseverance and compassion and provide a place for all who wish to benefit from the practice of Taoism.
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Excerpt from www.ladiesgolfclub.com:
Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto is North America’s only remaining private golf club established by women for women. The Club was founded in 1924 by Ada Mackenzie.
In the early 20th century, it wasn’t easy for female golfers to get access to tee times and practice facilities. After playing at women’s clubs in Britain, Ada set about creating a women's golf club in Toronto. After much hard work and fundraising, Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto Ltd. was established in Thornhill in 1924.
In 1925, nine holes were available for play. The official opening event on August 23, 1926, was a match between Ada Mackenzie and Helen Paget of Royal Ottawa Club on the new Stanley Thompson designed course.
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