Toronto Ryerson's Mattamy Athletics Centre + Loblaws at the Gardens | ?m | ?s | Ryerson University | Turner Fleischer

Hardly surprising. Loblaw is definitely not in the position to be spending millions in revamping an old building for a new store.

Not surprising, but very disappointing.
 
Perhaps Ryerson will fight to obtain this property. It would make a better mixed-use classroom/sports venue/retail complex than a single-use grocery store.
 
Don't the 5 last paragraphs of the story scream "no, Ryerson is not interested"?

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^ It's not that they're not interested. Sheldon says the cost would be prohibitive so they're "a long shot" for the Gardens.

If there were to be an investor willing to convert the Gardens into a multi purpose facility with Ryerson picking up part of the tab to gain rights to use the rink and a section of the building for classrooms, I think it could be done.

Ryerson would be my number one tenant choice for Maple Leaf Gardens. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having it either... if they could afford.

This section could be relatively easily converted into a lecture hall. The seating structure is already there:

2057251301_b31e79a73d.jpg


There is room beyond the stands to build out for a speaking floor and projector wall. Now what would the rest of the building be used as? Where can an investor find potential? That's for further thinking...
 
Still have to say I'd much rather see this than a lecture hall, grocery store or all-purpose sport facility:

DSC00057_small.jpg
 
What a shame that nothing is being done with this.
I really worry that it's going to be neglected for so long, that it ends up just crumbling (I believe it already has started to).
Eventually it may be too late to do anything at all with it.
 
Despite suggestions Ryerson University might covet the site for a sports facility, university president Sheldon Levy rejected such a move.

"It would be, I think, enormously expensive to retrofit that building. We are such a long shot. We are better to put our time and energy in something that is more feasible."
Click to expand...

It sounds like Ryerson is not interested.
 
MetroMan said:
^ It's not that they're not interested. Sheldon says the cost would be prohibitive so they're "a long shot" for the Gardens.

If there were to be an investor willing to convert the Gardens into a multi purpose facility with Ryerson picking up part of the tab to gain rights to use the rink and a section of the building for classrooms, I think it could be done.

Ryerson would be my number one tenant choice for Maple Leaf Gardens. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having it either... if they could afford.

This section could be relatively easily converted into a lecture hall. The seating structure is already there:

2057251301_b31e79a73d.jpg


There is room beyond the stands to build out for a speaking floor and projector wall. Now what would the rest of the building be used as? Where can an investor find potential? That's for further thinking...
Click to expand...


I would think that Ryerson could get so much better bang for its buck elsewhere, such that their involvement would be very unlikely, except through some Section 37-type arrangement (akin to the requirement that some theatres in TLS be made available to Ryerson during the daytime). You won't see much in the way of Section 37 contributions, however, except in some redevelopment scenario involving significant additional height and density -- i.e. a condo tower or something on top of the building.
 
I agree. Ryerson will probably never touch this thing and perhaps that is a good thing.

And yes, a dream would be to turn this into a modern art gallery like the Tate. Ah, we can dream.
 
...yes, a gallery would be a cool idea.

I was also wondering if it could be adapted into an entertainment venue that might include a Radio City Music Hall-type auditorium and special events venues for trade shows or conferences etc. Could even add a year-round ice skating facility and bowling lanes etc. Maybe get a little closer in spirit to what some were hoping TLS might have been.... all in a gorgeously refurbished art deco wrapping.
 
I don't know if that would violate ML$E's clause of not allowing the Gardens to be an entertainment or sports venue as it would potentially compete with their their own real estate (ACC, Ricoh, Maple Leaf Square).
 
Like i said before,no one has the 50-100 million just to renovate this old derilict building, this thing will stay empty there for the next 10 years with no takers,unless the city lets a developer blow out the roof keep the same facade and build high.There is nothing inside this barn that is worth saving.
 
Despite that assessment, there will be a lot of people who will want to see as much retained as possible for the historical significance of the building to this city, this nation, this freakin' universe. How many Stanley Cups were lost in this building? I can't count that high, and you can't tear that kind of history down!

That said, an art gallery or an aquarium are both ideas that could work inside these walls, but are both probably even longer shots than a Ryerson intervention. I still think we're going to see Loblaws in here with a section set aside as a shrine to hockey games past: it's just that we're going to have to wait a while.

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