Toronto Eaton Centre (Ongoing Renewal) | ?m | ?s | Cadillac Fairview | Zeidler

[AlbertC]

From Zeidler's IG:

Zeidler Architecture on Instagram: "Today marks the 44th anniversary of the opening of the @cftoeatoncentre! At the time of its completion, the megastructure was one of the largest interventions in a downtown area, revolutionizing urban shopping cent

131 likes, 4 comments - wearezeidler on February 10, 2021: "Today marks the 44th anniversary of the opening of the @cftoeatoncentre! At the time of its completion, the megastructure was one of the largest interventions in a downtown area, revolutionizing urban shopping centre architecture...

www.instagram.com

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

From Zeidler's IG:

Zeidler Architecture on Instagram: "Today marks the 44th anniversary of the opening of the @cftoeatoncentre! At the time of its completion, the megastructure was one of the largest interventions in a downtown area, revolutionizing urban shopping cent

131 likes, 4 comments - wearezeidler on February 10, 2021: "Today marks the 44th anniversary of the opening of the @cftoeatoncentre! At the time of its completion, the megastructure was one of the largest interventions in a downtown area, revolutionizing urban shopping centre architecture...

www.instagram.com

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So much more humane then, instead of that anonymous and aseptic thing we have now.

AoD

 

[adHominem]

Sigh. That's the old Eaton Centre I knew and loved. We watched The Silent Partner on the weekend in Christopher Plummer's honour (recommended, btw) and there's some great shots of the old, good EC in it.

 

[gabe]

From Zeidler's IG:

Zeidler Architecture on Instagram: "Today marks the 44th anniversary of the opening of the @cftoeatoncentre! At the time of its completion, the megastructure was one of the largest interventions in a downtown area, revolutionizing urban shopping cent

131 likes, 4 comments - wearezeidler on February 10, 2021: "Today marks the 44th anniversary of the opening of the @cftoeatoncentre! At the time of its completion, the megastructure was one of the largest interventions in a downtown area, revolutionizing urban shopping centre architecture...

www.instagram.com

View attachment 299423View attachment 299424View attachment 299425

Those railings are so impressive. I work for a railing fabricator. Railings like that would cost huge bucks to make and install now a days.

 

[interchange42]

Sigh. That's the old Eaton Centre I knew and loved. We watched The Silent Partner on the weekend in Christopher Plummer's honour (recommended, btw) and there's some great shots of the old, good EC in it.

That 1978 flick where Toronto plays Toronto, is streaming on Criterion, if anyone wants to bask in old Eaton Centre goodness.

42

 

[JasonParis]

A few of those railings remain on some of the upper non-shopping floors. While a part of me likes to see them still, another part of me wonders if CF just skimped a bit on the renovation budget and thought nobody would notice.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

It always felt like an enclosed welcoming city inside a city. That's always been it's biggest charm for me.

 

[Northern Light]

It always felt like an enclosed welcoming city inside a city. That's always been it's biggest charm for me.

The southern portion of the Eaton Centre was always successful on the inside.

The exterior, particularly on the Yonge side, much less so.

The, Dundas frontage was always a bit of a dud.

The latest renos didn't improve that any.

 

[innsertnamehere]

The Yonge frontage used to be better prior to the 90's reno. It was at least quite wide then, instead of jus the gigantic, ugly blank wall it is today. But yea, it was never the highlight of the mall.

The original entrance to Yonge/Dundas was quite nice, as is the Queen St. frontage. Yonge St was the one weak part of the whole project.

Almost all the modifications to the mall completed since have been effective downgrades though.

 

[zang]

The Yonge frontage used to be better prior to the 90's reno. It was at least quite wide then, instead of jus the gigantic, ugly blank wall it is today. But yea, it was never the highlight of the mall.

The original entrance to Yonge/Dundas was quite nice, as is the Queen St. frontage. Yonge St was the one weak part of the whole project.

Get rid of the Yonge side parking and then maybe it can be more. I'm surprised it hasn't been done already if only to maximize CF's profits by allowing the creation of more retail space.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Get rid of the Yonge side parking and then maybe it can be more. I'm surprised it hasn't been done already if only to maximize CF's profits by allowing the creation of more retail space.

It *might* be well-intentioned (the argument put forth - at least according to an old article in Azure that I am quoting off the top of my head - was that then cost of $40M for the Yonge expansion wasn't super economically viable on its own) - but the execution was clumsy and the impact on the public realm undesirable - just like so much of Yonge revitalization in general (YDS, Metropolis/10 Dundas, BIA branding exercise) - loud, cheap and design-challenged.

AoD

 

[zang]

It *might* be well-intentioned (the argument put forth - at least according to an old article in Azure that I am quoting off the top of my head - was that then cost of $40M for the Yonge expansion wasn't super economically viable on its own) - but the execution was clumsy and the impact on the public realm undesirable - just like so much of Yonge revitalization in general (YDS, Metropolis/10 Dundas, BIA branding exercise) - loud, cheap and design-challenged.

AoD

Well, in a race to create our own “Times Square”, what do you expect?

We could do so much more with that area than trying to mimic a garish tourist trap/shopping Mecca.
I’m hoping YongeTOmorrow is just a foot in the door to greater things, but knowing our city bureaucracy, they’ll clap their hands together and say, “welp, we’re done here” and ignore it for another 30 years.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Well, in a race to create our own “Times Square”, what do you expect?

We could do so much more with that area than trying to mimic a garish tourist trap/shopping Mecca.
I’m hoping YongeTOmorrow is just a foot in the door to greater things, but knowing our city bureaucracy, they’ll clap their hands together and say, “welp, we’re done here” and ignore it for another 30 years.

Yep that's my fear with the YongeTOmorrow exercise - a surplus of bureaucratic/BIA excellence.

AoD

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

The southern portion of the Eaton Centre was always successful on the inside.

The exterior, particularly on the Yonge side, much less so.

The, Dundas frontage was always a bit of a dud.

The latest renos didn't improve that any.

I'll agree with the last bit. The others will be agreeing to disagree.

 

[Northern Light]

I'll agree with the last bit. The others will be agreeing to disagree.

You like the Yonge frontage? In any of its iterations?

I'm ok w/disagreement; I've just never heard anyone say they liked it before.

LOL

****

For clarification on the Dundas side, I think the original glass entry was nice; if the mustard-coloured Eatons was regrettable in its exterior choices.

But the frontage along Dundas has never really worked for me.

It was originally a single restaurant, the entry to the original cineplex of tiny boxes; a parkade and a moribund park space.

Its current incarnation essentially hid the parkade w/the Ryerson business building, with Canadian Tire and Best Buy in it; and the resto was replaced by Joey's.

I can't say that makes it appealing.