News   Mar 18, 2024
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10 Dundas East

If we did start again from scratch, I think this block would really benefit from being broken up, with on-street pedestrian connections cutting through it.

Oh and of course, a northern entrance to Dundas station.
 
I think part of the reason why the layout is such a dog's breakfast is because Ryerson didn't let them implode the parking lot. If they didn't have to build around it, then the layout could have made much more sense. As it is, the loading dock has to go all the way to the back wall of the lobby. If the parking was moved underground, the loading dock could've also been moved, and the retail element could have extended all the way up Victoria like a galleria. Similarly the HMV building could have been incorporated.

I don't think there's any real fixing the building without demolishing it. I imagine someone will come along in 10-15 years and rip the whole block down and stick a few towers on the site, atop a podium that does a better job of doing food/entertainment/learning/office better than the current state. Even if you ripped down the Ryerson lot, you've still got the elevator cores and stairwells in the way, and forget about moving those. The building needs another passenger elevator for the lower floors because it mysteriously only has one.

I remember reading a long time ago that the pillars for the building were designed to handle a roller coaster that never was. Perhaps that's why the office layout on the top floors doesn't extend deep into the lot?
wow, I didn't know about the roller coaster note.
 
Nothing speaks urban vibrancy like a Winners!

Although that sounds like sarcasm, a Winners is absolutely a contributor to urban vibrancy. So is a Dollerama or a Shoppers. It provides walkable retail to a growing urban population.
 
Any retail in the area will be walkable, by context and not by the virtual of what the company is. Just isn't sure whether it is good, or whether it represents a wasted opportunity. Then again, it's 10 Dundas...

AoD
 
Although that sounds like sarcasm, a Winners is absolutely a contributor to urban vibrancy. So is a Dollerama or a Shoppers. It provides walkable retail to a growing urban population.
Meanwhile, Winners's sister stores, Marshall's and HomeSense, have revitalized Lawrence Square (which would otherwise become a dead mall).
 
Oh really? I didn't realize that. I used to work in that building for 5 years up until a few months ago, and never walked in to Winners.

Gawd, everything in that area has "limited hours." The Judith and Charles at FCP closes at 3 PM on Saturdays and doesn't even do Sundays.
 
Gawd, everything in that area has "limited hours." The Judith and Charles at FCP closes at 3 PM on Saturdays and doesn't even do Sundays.
The downtown PATH in the Financial District is really VERY quiet on weekends and I doubt that most stores there are going to attract more people into it. From time to time, the places under Brookfield Place - which is adjacent to Union Station - seem to try to open longer but after a few weeks or months revert to closing.
 

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