One of the oldest and most recognizable buildings on campus, University College, or UC as it is know, is one building that many students with an urge for exploration have attempted in the past, especially in an attempt to stand on top of the main tower.
Location | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U of T Downtown | ||||||
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) | ||||||
Built | Status | Difficulty | ||||
1858 | Active (Secured) | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ||||
Hazards Risk | Security Risk | AUE Rating | ||||
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | ||||
Hazard Observations | Security Observations | |||||
Asbestos | Campus Police |
Finally succeeding at UC has been long in the making. Ever since my first year, the tower has been sitting there, challenging me. Now, past my third year, that challenge has been met.
Was it worth it? Heck yes. To see the door of names up there, some of which date back to the late sixties, makes it worth it. The view makes it worth it. The quasi-interesting mechanical rooms on the way up make it worth it.
The only thing that didn't make it worth it was the spiral staircase. Oh, how I hate spiral staircases (although this one is nothing compared to the one at the Malt Plant).
Supposedly, the roof of the tower is unstable and a hazard, but walking around up there seemed to prove otherwise. The floor was slightly weakened around the drains, but was still very sound. Security is practically non-existent, if you go late enough at night.
My recommendation? UC is worth a visit, at least once for the view from the tower. The basement mechanical rooms are fairly uneventful with no interesting corridors (or machinery, for that matter). Once you've been up the tower, though, you've seen it all.
Before anyone asks, I'll point out something out. None of those photos are overexposed; that is exactly what it looked like that night once the snow had stopped falling. I wouldn't have put them up since the first gallery is basically the same, but the brightness and snow on the ground made them unique enough to be shown.