It's nearly two years since this was announced now.
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John Street Roundhouse: Toronto Railway Heritage Centre, Steam Whistle, The Rec Room
JasonParis
Moderator
Maybe they are ho-ho-holding the construction.
ganjavih
Senior Member
DavidJamesTO
Active Member
According to the Sun, it's opening in July:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/05/31/9628261-sun.html
(Toward the bottom of the article.)
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/05/31/9628261-sun.html
(Toward the bottom of the article.)
Uncle Teddy
Senior Member
An article in the paper on the weekend about the moving of a diesel engine from the CNE to the roundhouse. The move will cost $150,000 and is being paid for by Leon's.
MetroMan
Senior Member
Noooooo! I love that diesel engine at the CNE! EFFF!!
The CNE never took advantage of that engine and the Stanley Barracks during the fair. It's always stuck backstage with a parking lot surrounding it. Pitty.
The CNE never took advantage of that engine and the Stanley Barracks during the fair. It's always stuck backstage with a parking lot surrounding it. Pitty.
DavidJamesTO
Active Member
If you mean the steam engine, yes it's on it's way. It will be better taken care of at the roundhouse; long-term, they even want to restore it to operating condition!
Tewder
Senior Member
Agreed MetroMan. I have advocated that the building be moved to the Fort York site. Not as an addition to the fort itself but as part of the bigger 'national historic site' complex (maybe Scadding cabin too?). Creating a substantial grouping of 'lost and forgotten' historic buildings such as this is not ideal, I know, but helps rescue them from neglect and makes the sum more of a draw than the parts, so to speak. Historic markers could commemorate the original locations.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I was surprised today to find the whole Roundhouse Park area had been fenced off. It appears the whole area is being regraded, I even saw a large mature tree pulled out of the ground and laying sideways.
I'll cover what I photographed under "Buildings, Architecture & Urban Design" / "Toronto Parks"
marcus_a_j
Senior Member
From NRU June 26, 2009
drum118
Superstar
June 27
Most of the funiture and fixtures where in place 3 weeks ago.
Until the grounds are done, it will not open. Not walkway to it at this time.
Most of the funiture and fixtures where in place 3 weeks ago.
Until the grounds are done, it will not open. Not walkway to it at this time.
gregv
Active Member
T Life article
http://www.torontolife.com/daily/st...roversial-downtown-leons-set-to-open-in-july/
Inside the semi-controversial downtown Leon’s, set to open in July
June 24, 2009 | 2:14 pm | Karon Liu
Donning construction helmets and fluorescent red vests, the media took a preview tour of the John Street Roundhouse yesterday as crews feverishly prepared for the opening of its newest occupants: a railway museum and the first downtown Leon’s furniture store.
Leon’s occupies roughly a third of the 70-year-old building (also home to Steam Whistle Brewing); the company came under fire when it announced it would move into the heritage site, drawing criticism from councillor Adam Vaughan and Steam Whistle president Cam Heaps, who both argued that the furniture retailer wouldn’t be a good fit.
Two years and $25 million later, Leon’s, which turns 100 this year, is scheduled to open on July 8, but historical and cultural buffs need not worry about a suburban big box ruining the aesthetic of the Roundhouse.
A discreet platinum sign has replaced the company’s garish yellow logo, and much of the original ceiling and brick walls have been restored. Impressively, should Leon’s decide to move out, the floors and fixtures can be removed without damaging the building because they aren’t permanently installed (the store’s floors sit on top of the railway tracks).
“We originally wanted to build a mezzanine so that we could have more retail space,†says Leon’s president Terry Leon. “But once we saw the building, we immediately scrapped that idea, because there was no way we were going to mess with its original integrity.â€
As a result, this is not an average Leon’s but an attempt to captivate downtowners. The merchandise has been tailored to suit 700-foot condos rather than spacious three-bed, two-bath dwellings, offering smaller sofas, lower bed frames and dining tables that seat four, not eight. The hideous oak finishes and deflated-looking leather couches synonymous with the company have been replaced by sleek furniture, dark woods and fresh fabric colours, like apple green and robin’s egg blue.
At the end of the store is a working dual kitchen in which Leon says cooking demonstrations and celebrity cook-offs will be held. A little farther down is the electronics department, where non-tech-savvy homeowners can attend bi-weekly seminars.
The public’s reaction won’t be known for another few weeks, but Leon’s has taken the precautionary route by working with the city’s culture division and local historians. After all, with millions already spent, this is hardly a No Money Miracle.
Leon’s at the Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-642-0630, leons.ca.
http://www.torontolife.com/daily/st...roversial-downtown-leons-set-to-open-in-july/
Inside the semi-controversial downtown Leon’s, set to open in July
June 24, 2009 | 2:14 pm | Karon Liu
Donning construction helmets and fluorescent red vests, the media took a preview tour of the John Street Roundhouse yesterday as crews feverishly prepared for the opening of its newest occupants: a railway museum and the first downtown Leon’s furniture store.
Leon’s occupies roughly a third of the 70-year-old building (also home to Steam Whistle Brewing); the company came under fire when it announced it would move into the heritage site, drawing criticism from councillor Adam Vaughan and Steam Whistle president Cam Heaps, who both argued that the furniture retailer wouldn’t be a good fit.
Two years and $25 million later, Leon’s, which turns 100 this year, is scheduled to open on July 8, but historical and cultural buffs need not worry about a suburban big box ruining the aesthetic of the Roundhouse.
A discreet platinum sign has replaced the company’s garish yellow logo, and much of the original ceiling and brick walls have been restored. Impressively, should Leon’s decide to move out, the floors and fixtures can be removed without damaging the building because they aren’t permanently installed (the store’s floors sit on top of the railway tracks).
“We originally wanted to build a mezzanine so that we could have more retail space,†says Leon’s president Terry Leon. “But once we saw the building, we immediately scrapped that idea, because there was no way we were going to mess with its original integrity.â€
As a result, this is not an average Leon’s but an attempt to captivate downtowners. The merchandise has been tailored to suit 700-foot condos rather than spacious three-bed, two-bath dwellings, offering smaller sofas, lower bed frames and dining tables that seat four, not eight. The hideous oak finishes and deflated-looking leather couches synonymous with the company have been replaced by sleek furniture, dark woods and fresh fabric colours, like apple green and robin’s egg blue.
At the end of the store is a working dual kitchen in which Leon says cooking demonstrations and celebrity cook-offs will be held. A little farther down is the electronics department, where non-tech-savvy homeowners can attend bi-weekly seminars.
The public’s reaction won’t be known for another few weeks, but Leon’s has taken the precautionary route by working with the city’s culture division and local historians. After all, with millions already spent, this is hardly a No Money Miracle.
Leon’s at the Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-642-0630, leons.ca.
yyzer
Senior Member
Hume gives it thumbs up....
Restored roundhouse is city's best new accent piece
July 9, 2009
Christopher Hume
You know we have crossed a threshold when the president of the furniture retailer Leon's tells you his latest store – installed in the old CPR roundhouse – is the most beautiful ever.
Not only that: then you realize he's right.
When the plan was announced a couple of years ago, most observers were apoplectic; Leon's, the big box retailer whose stores are a dreary suburban fixture, moving into the historic railway facility in the shadow of the CN Tower?
It didn't make sense and, worse, was offensive.
But yesterday the new outlet was unveiled and suddenly all was forgiven. True, in an ideal world, the roundhouse would have become a train museum, or something similar, but this is Toronto, a city notorious for selling off its heritage to the highest bidder. The fact is we're fortunate that Leon's was prepared to make the commitment, at a cost of about $25 million.
And the company actually did the right thing. That means maximum preservation and minimal intervention. Everywhere you turn there are signs of the building that was – beams and ceilings of Douglas fir, old equipment, pipes, iron railings and, of course, the structure itself, an impressive circular heap centred around an enormous turntable big enough to accommodate even the largest steam engines from an earlier age.
Still, the idea of selling furniture in a former locomotive repair shed may sound incongruous, even bizarre, but it's hard to imagine these couches, tables and chairs could look any better.
The 1929 structure, which certainly wasn't conceived as an architectural showcase, has a natural dignity and integrity that has survived intact, that has not just been restored but also revealed.
"There's not one thing that's set off alarm bells," admits Derek Boles of the Toronto Railway Heritage Association. "It works for me."
In time, the association will itself renovate three of the roundhouse's bays to be used as a museum. And if the day ever comes to reconvert the whole facility, the current restoration is reversible. So, for example, the freshly poured concrete floors can be removed to expose the original inspection pits below.
At the same time, the new Leon's is the latest example of a phenomenon that will change the face of retailing in North America. As the company's president and CEO, Terry Leon, points out, this is his first store in downtown Toronto.
"Downtown has changed dramatically over the last 10 or 15 years," he explains. "It used to be industrial – now it's becoming residential."
His timing may be a little off, but no one would question whether there's a fast-growing urban market. Remember the fiasco last year that erupted following an application by SmartCentres and Wal-Mart to build a downtown mall on Eastern Ave.? The Ontario Municipal Board shot it down. By contrast, Leon's pulled out the mayor, a handful of city councillors and hundreds of furniture industry types for its opening.
As Leon also makes clear, many of the products available at the roundhouse will be "smaller, more stylish and more contemporary" than those in its suburban outlets. City dwellers tend to live in smaller space, typically condos. The customers here, Leon continues, don't necessarily drive to go shopping – some don't even drive to work. No need for ocean-sized parking lots or Titanic-scale stores.
And so Toronto continues to evolve. Though much of what's happening ranges from the merely awful to the downright scary, every so often there are signs of enlightenment in an ever-darker world. The most recent unfolded, unexpectedly but spectacularly, at the roundhouse.
Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca
Restored roundhouse is city's best new accent piece
July 9, 2009
Christopher Hume
You know we have crossed a threshold when the president of the furniture retailer Leon's tells you his latest store – installed in the old CPR roundhouse – is the most beautiful ever.
Not only that: then you realize he's right.
When the plan was announced a couple of years ago, most observers were apoplectic; Leon's, the big box retailer whose stores are a dreary suburban fixture, moving into the historic railway facility in the shadow of the CN Tower?
It didn't make sense and, worse, was offensive.
But yesterday the new outlet was unveiled and suddenly all was forgiven. True, in an ideal world, the roundhouse would have become a train museum, or something similar, but this is Toronto, a city notorious for selling off its heritage to the highest bidder. The fact is we're fortunate that Leon's was prepared to make the commitment, at a cost of about $25 million.
And the company actually did the right thing. That means maximum preservation and minimal intervention. Everywhere you turn there are signs of the building that was – beams and ceilings of Douglas fir, old equipment, pipes, iron railings and, of course, the structure itself, an impressive circular heap centred around an enormous turntable big enough to accommodate even the largest steam engines from an earlier age.
Still, the idea of selling furniture in a former locomotive repair shed may sound incongruous, even bizarre, but it's hard to imagine these couches, tables and chairs could look any better.
The 1929 structure, which certainly wasn't conceived as an architectural showcase, has a natural dignity and integrity that has survived intact, that has not just been restored but also revealed.
"There's not one thing that's set off alarm bells," admits Derek Boles of the Toronto Railway Heritage Association. "It works for me."
In time, the association will itself renovate three of the roundhouse's bays to be used as a museum. And if the day ever comes to reconvert the whole facility, the current restoration is reversible. So, for example, the freshly poured concrete floors can be removed to expose the original inspection pits below.
At the same time, the new Leon's is the latest example of a phenomenon that will change the face of retailing in North America. As the company's president and CEO, Terry Leon, points out, this is his first store in downtown Toronto.
"Downtown has changed dramatically over the last 10 or 15 years," he explains. "It used to be industrial – now it's becoming residential."
His timing may be a little off, but no one would question whether there's a fast-growing urban market. Remember the fiasco last year that erupted following an application by SmartCentres and Wal-Mart to build a downtown mall on Eastern Ave.? The Ontario Municipal Board shot it down. By contrast, Leon's pulled out the mayor, a handful of city councillors and hundreds of furniture industry types for its opening.
As Leon also makes clear, many of the products available at the roundhouse will be "smaller, more stylish and more contemporary" than those in its suburban outlets. City dwellers tend to live in smaller space, typically condos. The customers here, Leon continues, don't necessarily drive to go shopping – some don't even drive to work. No need for ocean-sized parking lots or Titanic-scale stores.
And so Toronto continues to evolve. Though much of what's happening ranges from the merely awful to the downright scary, every so often there are signs of enlightenment in an ever-darker world. The most recent unfolded, unexpectedly but spectacularly, at the roundhouse.
Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca
Tewder
Senior Member
I wonder if it is the same horrendously outdated and crappy furniture you find in all of their box stores?
yyzhyd
Active Member
As quoted in the article posted...
"As Leon also makes clear, many of the products available at the roundhouse will be "smaller, more stylish and more contemporary" than those in its suburban outlets. City dwellers tend to live in smaller space, typically condos. The customers here, Leon continues, don't necessarily drive to go shopping – some don't even drive to work. No need for ocean-sized parking lots or Titanic-scale stores."