Sherway Gardens Pictures?

[Jayomatic]

Hey, does anyone have any photos of the interior of Sherway before the renovation? I'm just trying to picture what the areas outside Eatons and Simpsons used to look like. I remember there being more colour in there.

 

[adma]

Did this tweak your interest?

 

[Towered]

For all the extensive renovations done over the years, Sherway had more character in its distant past.

 

[Jayomatic]

That Torontoist article sure did tweak my interest. I just remember my mother taking me there as a kid. Coming from Hamilton my mom would come to Sherway maybe a couple times a year and I would always just sit there looking at the colours and ceilings but now I can't seem to remember exactly how they were.

 

[LowPolygon]

there was a very big buzz around the opening of Sherway in 1971. it was the first big mall opening since Yorkdale in 1965. also it had been delayed for years, by various community opponents.

sherway was the first mall that reflected the changes of the 1960's, and it subtly referenced the values of the counter culture. it had a strange 'back to nature' vibe, an almost rambling village-y feel, low ceilings, lots of green, orange, brown and beige painted textured concrete.

the most dramatic visuals were provided by the atriums outside the Simpsons and Eatons stores. one of them was circular and had an almost psychedelic reflective foil effect on the walls. it was quite spectacular as i recall. i'd love to see photos of this again, but nothing seems to be out there.

etobicoke archives would have a bunch of things i reckon, as would the archives for the respective dept stores...

 

[LowPolygon]

found this--it was Simpsons

 

[Jayomatic]

^ Awesome, thanks! I somehow remember staring at that circular ceiling feature. Maybe I remember looking at those colours after eating some candy and going completely bonkers.

 

[khris]

Wow that skylight is awesome!

 

[Towered]

Yes, I remember that well! You can't really see it in that pic, but that skylight was shaped like a funnel. I thought it was a little bit scary when I was a kid because I thought it looked like a tornado and would suck me up if I walked underneath it

I do miss those old interior stylings at Sherway. Every renovation that has been done has completely eliminated the sense of playfulness and fun that was there before, leaving a banal, uninteresting landscape, well in tune with the beige stucco armada that has taken us hostage for the past decade or so. The most recent desecration at Sherway was within the last year, when they removed the circular psychedelic artwork on the outside of the Bay entrance. There used to be a far greater variety in the retail as well...these days it seems that 90% of the shops are trendy clothes for snobby women.

 

[Hydrogen]

Compare that above image to TLS of today.

 

[casaguy]

^Exactly. That old entrance to Simpson's (although dated) is still quite stunning. Is TLS what our future holds?

 

[junctionist]

So one retail building today is well below the quality of another from 1971. This doesn't seem to be enough to make a prediction of what the future holds for retail buildings in general.

Sherway looks stunning in that photo. You can't expect much long term design vision from a shopping mall though. There's the fear that to stay in business you have make updates and look fresh and stylish, just like the shoppers.

 

[Dan416]

I'd like to see pictures of Square One when it first opened!

 

[Alvar]

Square One was amazing. So sad to see that the last renovation completely destroyed any vestiges of the original mall. Really, such a classic. I mourn the gentrification of the great malls of Toronto - Yorkdale, Sherway Gardens, Square One, Scarborough Town Centre, and of course, The Eaton Centre.

 

[ShonTron]

I'd like to see pictures of Square One when it first opened!

I'm sure I saw pictures here of the interior courtyard a few years ago.