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Gladstone Hotel Purchase, Renovation

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MetroMan1000

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The Gladstone Hotel was purchased a while back just before it was apparently going to close down.
The new owner committed a certain $million or $millions to renovate it.

So far, all I heard is that they did some new bathrooms and the only visible change outside is a sloppy coat of paint and the removal of the lettering "The Gladstone Hotel" since they will be known as The Gladstone House instead.

They need to keep up, the nearby, newly renovated Drake Hotel is the new hip n' hot spot in our city.

Gladstone should try to mimic this success by renovating their bar on the main floor and perhaps an art gallery on the Gladstone/Queen corner to cater to the artist crowd residing in the building.

Anybody got news?
 
I found this roaming on the internet:

The "Richardsonian Romanesque" style dominated Toronto a hundred years ago, leaving behind private houses, U of T landmarks, Old City Hall and Queen's Park. To my eye, though, the Gladstone Hotel near Queen and Dufferin is the most charming. Finished in 1890 and designed by George M. Miller, it was originally a railroad hotel serving Parkdale station, and the lions and dragons on its facade recall those glory days. Now under new ownership, it seems likely to become a "boutique hotel."

It's been over a year, no more news. So what's going on? :wtf:

Anyway, for starters they should get rid of that streetcar stop shelter. It fits terribly in front of the Gladstone's front door.
 
I was at the Gladstone a couple of weeks ago. It is definately in a state of half rennovation. They sure need more bartenders though. The place is huge.
 
My wife and I went into the Gladstone last week and passed by the Drake. the Drake had a line up of well dressed people so we didn't go in. I didn't notice any renovations to the Gladstone but the place looked fine. The Drake ofcourse looks great and looks finished.
 
I would love to see them bring it back to it's original look (view picture above). Put back those flag masts, add trees to the Gladstone Avenue sidewalk, clean up the building and fix up the interior to appeal to new crowds.
Ok, the Karaoke is famous there, but the place is a craphole falling apart.

That whole area is slated to be fixed up... hopefully sooner than later.

This year, a study is going into the feasibility of completing the Dufferin street underpass. Right now, Dufferin street ends just before Queen and you have to go onto Gladstone, then onto Queen, and finally back onto Dufferin. The plan is to widen the rail bridge and run dufferin street under it.

This would take the pressure off Gladstone and turn it back into a nice quiet street.
 
This year, a study is going into the feasibility of completing the Dufferin street underpass. Right now, Dufferin street ends just before Queen and you have to go onto Gladstone, then onto Queen, and finally back onto Dufferin. The plan is to widen the rail bridge and run dufferin street under it.
Click to expand...

i hope they do that. dufferin is very isolated the way it is now.

do you have anymore details about the study?
 
MetroMan1000:
Dufferin Street underpass? You shittin' me? It's about bloody time - if they actually do anything more than study the issue. That things only been on the books for almost a century now - if they move on it, I might just hemorrhage and die.
 
David Miller himself told me at the Gladstone Hotel months before he became mayor. He said the feasibility study would be underway this year. It used to be his ward until they rearranged the wards in Parkdale; so it's a pet project of his for quite some time. Now that he's mayor, he's sure to make it happen. I believe it falls under the waterfront plans to have a continuous Dufferin go all the way down to the EX.

But of course, plans are plans, although from what i read in local newspapers, this seems like its finally going ahead.
 
A friend knows the Drake people. Dot com money. Bought the place for under a million and put $6 million into it according to my friend. The place is so wired you can watch live performance downstairs from your room. You don't need to go down two flights of stairs. The wired world is a little strange at times.
 
It definitely looks like $6 Million went into that. And man was I pleasantly surprised :tup:
 
I think Margaret Zeidler (Eb's daughter) bought the place and still wanted the place to have low rents...maybe that's to do with the lack of reno?

GB
 
I heard in person from the mouth of new owner -- forgot her name, you're probably right though -- that she wanted to make the place the centerpiece of the new Art & Design district by allowing artists to move in with low rent. However, I also heard her say that the place was going to undergo a million dollar (or millions, cant remember) renovation.

They have some pretty cool art spaces in there though.

The place is an eye sore though.. the old entrance doors are terrible, they dont even line up when they close, the canopy over the entrance has paint peeling off and full of cracks, the lobby need some serious fixes... they dont even have a computer...
I would like to see something like the Drake done with the Gladstone, otherwise, I don't think they can survive with that competition basically next door.
 
Metro:

Actually Magaret Z. had a history of doing that sort of thing - I believe one of the first loft conversion projects was started by her (I forgot the name, will update when I have it).

I thought the dilpidated state would contrast nicely with the Noveau-rich Drake though (and as much as I'd like to see renos, I think the Drake sounded a bit too self-absorbed).

GB
 
I'd like to see something done eventually with Jilly's ( or whatever it's called ) at Broadview and Queen. It's a wonderful building from the same era. Eastenders crave new sensations too.
 
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