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The first phase of Sherway Gardens multi-year $550 Million makeover has opened in Etobicoke on Toronto's western edge. The Cadillac Fairview-owned mall, which first opened as a figure S shape in 1971, has been expanded over the years, filling in the S gaps to create a figure 8, and then adding halls off to the north and south. The newest expansion replaces the north hall with a new looping 10 metre-high hall with skylights above. The mall is now just shy of 1,200,000 square feet in area, and has over 200 stores.
The expansion, seen below in the N-O-P-Q areas of the plan, was designed by Dialog Architects, constructed by PCL, and features interior spaces designed by Gervais Harding. It includes both stores that are new to the mall, some opening their first location in Canada or North America, and some relocating and expanding from other places in the mall. Amongst those who have moved within the mall are Club Monaco, Maison Birks, Roots, Geox, Le Creuset, Harry Rosen, Sporting Life, and the food court.
Lacoste, L'Occitane, Gap, and Banana Republic are still to move into the expansion.
New to the mall and now open in the expansion are H&M, Nespresso, Ted Baker London, Steve Madden, Michael Hill, Duet, Andrews, Saje, Loding, Tory Burch, and Watch It!
Coming soon are Chopard, Samsung, Uno de 50, Kate Spade New York, Free People, De Beers, Eileen Fisher, Reiss, Links London, Caudalie, Wilfred, Judith and Charles.
Stores opening in the Spring of 2016 include Indigo, Sport Chek, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Nordstrom is planned to open in 2017. More stores will be announced as relocations of others are completed.
The food court, formerly known as Gourmet Fair and now rebranded Gourmet Fare, has opened on the second floor of the northwest expansion in an open, high-ceilinged area, and includes 15 food merchants and 1000 seats. Extensive glazing looks to the north over The Queensway, an area of the city expected to change significantly in coming years as a new area plan which includes residential is drawn up by Toronto's Planning Department. The new location of Gourmet Fare also puts it at the mall's front door should the TTC's Bloor-Danforth subway line ever be extended to Sherway Gardens, as the area reserved by the City for the potential subway station is immediately adjacent.
The new location has extensive views over the new curving hall.
The new food court offers a wide variety of seating options, including 2-tops, 4-tops, long tables, and single-sided seating with plug-in outlets for those with computers. Free WiFi is offered.
Many of the food merchants have moved from the previous food court, while other merchants have been added. In other places in the expansion, new food merchants include an Aroma café and the Starbucks-owned Pinkberry frozen yogurt chain from California.
Recreation equipment and fashion retailer Sporting Life has relocated into a 38,000 square foot store mostly on the second floor of the expansion, which can be reached via two bridges from Gourmet Fare, while a front door boutique shop greets those on the main level of the mall.
The 225,000 square foot Hudson's Bay store has been completely renovated, now resembling the Downtown Eaton Centre store.
Along with the new and renovated stores, Sherway is offering a number of new services to make time at the mall more convenient. Cellphone chargers are one of the service improvements, available to borrow at the guest services desk by the main TTC and MiWay entrance to the mall.
Those driving will find new parking decks which include lights over every space, letting drivers know from a distance where spaces are available (green LEDs) or where handicap spaces are open (blue LEDs).
While the bike infrastructure beyond the mall is not particularly friendly yet, the mall is now ready with a couple dozen bike rings near the northwest entrance.
More is to come, including new locations of The Keg (seen below) and Joey's restaurants. Construction here is bringing a green roof where the restaurateurs will be planting herbs to clip and serve with meals.
In the original sections of the mall, a number of the original gardens have been renewed, while new stores are coming to replace those which have relocated.
At the east of the mall, a two-storey hoarding hides the location of both the new Sport Chek and a 132,000 square foot Saks Fifth Avenue. Saks has announced it will be opening on February 25, 2016.
The south hall which included Gourmet Fair on the top floor and Sporting Life at the end is going to be rebuilt. Some stores here will relocate as the upper storey is converted to retail space, and the old Sporting Life will be torn down to be replaced by a 138,000 square foot Nordstrom. The mall's iconic teflon-coated stretched fabric roof will remain over the space, to be worked into the new design.
Outside, the area around the old Sporting Life has been prepared for the Nordstrom rebuild, while a new parking deck is already under construction to the east where the crane is rising.
Want to see more images of what's coming at Sherway Gardens? See our dataBase file for the shopping centre, linked below. Want to talk about the expansion? Choose the associated Forum thread link to get in on the conversation, or you can leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
| Related Companies: | Isotherm Engineering Ltd., PCL Construction, Trillium Architectural Products |
