Death of Clubland (aka: Is Adam Vaughan trying to kill the Club District?)

[Automation Gallery]

And yes, Vaughan and those he represents don't like clubs and are trying to run them out of the area. This is my beef. The whole process of what they're trying to do and deciding that the entire area has to cater to their singular vision.
This is what pisses me off.

Hey, he is a far left NDPer, he also does not like the $500.000 and up price tag on condo units being build around there.... but i guess for this guy it beats out the clubs.....Give him a soother and and a couple of homeless shelters and he would be happy man.

 

[adma]

Hey, he is a far left NDPer,

Actually, Adam Vaughan is of Liberal background, and won as an "independent progressive" against an NDP standard-bearer...

 

[tkip]

It's not hypocrisy, it's freedom and capitalism.
If you didn't want to risk getting kicked out, you should have purchased the land and not let it be developed for residential purposes.
You didn't. A changing environment is a business risk. This is a risk that has blown up in the clubs faces.

This has nothing to do with capitalism. This is interence from an outside special interest group influencing a city counsilor to basically force legit business out of the ward that they personally don't like. This is not freedom.

 

[gristle]

This has nothing to do with capitalism. This is interence from an outside special interest group influencing a city counsilor to basically force legit business out of the ward that they personally don't like. This is not freedom.

What special interest group? The people who live in the area? You view them as a special interest? Are you not the one with the special interest - as in clubs exclusive to everything else?

Name one club that has been closed by Adam Vaughan. Name a club that has been closed by a special any specific interest group that you have neglected to name. If you can't, take a look to find clubs that have closed because the failed financially, or because they broke city or provincial laws.

As Jonny5 clearly noted, a changing environment is a business risk, and this part of town is changing - and will continue to change - whether you like it or not.

 

[MetroMan]

CiRCA may get a reprieve...

It looks like CiRCA may live on as one of the most well known nightclub franchises: Pacha. From the New York Post.

CiRCA was probably one of the most original nightclub concepts to hit Toronto and I was very sad to see it go (even though I don't go clubbing anymore). Pacha will know what to do with the space and could give Guvernment a run for its money.

 

[syn]

It looks like CiRCA may live on as one of the most well known nightclub franchises: Pacha. From the New York Post.

CiRCA was probably one of the most original nightclub concepts to hit Toronto and I was very sad to see it go (even though I don't go clubbing anymore). Pacha will know what to do with the space and could give Guvernment a run for its money.

I didn't get a chance to check it out. What exactly made it such an original concept?

 

[MetroMan]

A few things: There was modern art all over the building. From sculptures to living pieces (models inside glass cases). There was a bathroom bar where everything was tiled to look and feel like a bathroom (sounds weird but it worked). A Kid Robot lounge on the top floor was one of the most memorable places of the club and is perhaps the most photographed parts of CiRCA. Then of course you have the music. The sound system was state of the art and there were weekly visiting DJs and other performers. Pretty much every big contemporary DJ played there in the 3 years that it was open.

All in all, there was a lot of effort put into CiRCA. Every little detail was thought out to give you a unique experience.

It's too bad it closed before being able to live out all the potential that it had and develop some of the original ideas. They began building a music studio and condo suite on the top floor where they were going to invite producers and artists to stay and record exclusive albums that would then be sold or given out at the club. The plan folded when new owners came in and Peter Gatien was bought out. He was the creative force behind the concept so when he left, the club just became very generic and predictably it didn't last much post-Gatien.

If Pacha does indeed buy the place, Toronto will finally get one of the best club franchises in the world. Guvernment needs some competition and this place will do the trick.

 

[Automation Gallery]

Toronto's 'Clubland' no longer booming as condos move in
Former downtown club mecca now filled with daycares, art students

In its heyday it was home to the highest concentration of nightclubs in North America. On any given weekend more than 65,000 partygoers from across the GTA would cram into four blocks.

Bruce Willis used to party here. So did Dan Aykroyd. Remember when they were cool?

But things have changed in clubland. Condos, daycares and art students have been changing the face of an area once ruled by house music and fuelled by cranberry vodka shots.

At its peak, just five years ago, close to 90 nightclubs took over the eight square blocks north of Richmond, past Wellington, from Simcoe to Spadina Ave. Now, about 30 persist, with more going all the time. The latest, Home and Embassy nightclubs, are on chopping block at 117 Peter St. If all goes to plan, a 36-storey condo will spring up in their place.

Read more......http://www.thestar.com/article/848252--toronto-s-clubland-no-longer-booming-as-condos-move-in

 

[taal]

What the article fails to mention - although it seems like it's alluded to at one point, is new venues are opening up further west in the city on queen and further north near bloor.

I honestly don't think it's a terrible thing to see night clubs throughout the GTA i.e. a few in Vaughan / Missi / North York / ... which is what we see today for the most part.

 

[Oliver Tweed]

Adam Vaughan's crusade doesn't bother me. Toronto nightlife is not under threat. Just "clubland," which probably ballooned to well beyond what it should have become. Aside from a few good places, it became mostly a string of generic clubs playing the same mediocre playlist of R&B and Hip Hop to hyper kids rolling in from the 905 in daddy's SUV.

Lame.

 

[JayBee]

Meh, would be great if they replaced clubland with interesting things and not just a bunch of condos. Toronto is a pretty boring city and adding a bunch of condos and pushing clubs out will make it even more boring. Would be funny to see the area in 20 years. luxury condos, lofts and hotels with not a single thing to do in the area.

The best thing IMO is what they have in Montreal, Boston, New York...a mix of stores, restaurants, bars, lounges, sprinkled in with a few clubs and a few cool attractions.

I guess Montreal will now be the new destination for out of twoners who want to party.

 

[Urban Shocker]

There's a fearful symmetry to the way that Charles Khabouth, who kick-started clubland with Stilife in the '80s, is helping to administer the coup de grace to the concept with Bisha.

 

[Hipster Duck]

So, I will try to make my response as value neutral as possible: I don't have a problem with 20 year-olds from the 905 driving into town to get drunk, mac on girls and puke in the streets. It's sort of a rite of passage for that age group and most people get it out of their system by the time they're 25. As ridiculous and plastic as the scene might seem, some people revel in it and it's good for them to have a place to let loose.

I do have a problem with all of this sort of activity being concentrated into one area, allowing this kind of behaviour to amplify out of proportion. If clubgoers have a "right to the city", so do the other city dwellers. On Friday and Saturday nights "clubland" basically becomes a no-go zone for anyone who is under 30 or passing through alone. I mean, there is no neighbourhood in Toronto that I would have second thoughts walking through late at night alone, but I used to make a significant detour if I needed to get to the other side of clubland at 2 in the morning. When roving groups of horny young men and drunken girls with a propensity for yelling suddenly become the vast majority of the people on a sidewalk, walking around Richmond, Adelaide and Duncan by yourself is downright unpleasant. If their presence was diluted by other late night venturers, particularly those that don't have a pretext of hunting for pussy in packs: couples on dates, art gallery goers, shoppers filtering out of late night stores, diners leaving restaurants, etc. It would be in the interest of the majority if many of the clubs shut down and were dispersed across the city.

 

[wonderboy416]

I'm glad I was able to experience this place in its heyday, probably 1999-2005 is when I went most.

I don't know how I managed to get so drunk and spend so much money in such a short time. When a club doesn't pick up until 11 or 12 and then has to usher everyone out at 2 it's a very small window of opportunity for everything that goes on and no doubt leaves a bunch of vented up guys wandering around the streets looking to cause trouble as they realize they failed to pick up.
What a great club area needs is an outdoor park and no curfew. Inspire creativity, let local artists and musicians come put on a display and give people the power to drink openly in such a space. Rather than a bunch of horny 20 year old boys you'll get a far more sophisticated crowd and a greater diversity in the clubs that will attract older crowds as well (ie. Jazz clubs). I thought I was all but done with that kind of night life scene until I discovered hongdae and its free park and realize it's not all about the loud music, $6 crappy beers, 30 minute lineups and $15 covers - which is what Toronto clubland focuses on exclusively. The city should have embraced the potential rather than turn it into a bunch of condos who are going to be full of people who are in turn going to complain about the area they CHOSE to move into...

 

[syn]

I'm glad I was able to experience this place in its heyday, probably 1999-2005 is when I went most.

I don't know how I managed to get so drunk and spend so much money in such a short time. When a club doesn't pick up until 11 or 12 and then has to usher everyone out at 2 it's a very small window of opportunity for everything that goes on and no doubt leaves a bunch of vented up guys wandering around the streets looking to cause trouble as they realize they failed to pick up.
What a great club area needs is an outdoor park and no curfew. Inspire creativity, let local artists and musicians come put on a display and give people the power to drink openly in such a space. Rather than a bunch of horny 20 year old boys you'll get a far more sophisticated crowd and a greater diversity in the clubs that will attract older crowds as well (ie. Jazz clubs). I thought I was all but done with that kind of night life scene until I discovered hongdae and its free park and realize it's not all about the loud music, $6 crappy beers, 30 minute lineups and $15 covers - which is what Toronto clubland focuses on exclusively. The city should have embraced the potential rather than turn it into a bunch of condos who are going to be full of people who are in turn going to complain about the area they CHOSE to move into...

Agreed.