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

Went by earlier today - it looks like Roots is renovating and cutting their existing space in half. That map above just got a bit more credible.
 
H&M hoarding is down inside the atrium and outside on the Yonge-Dundas corner (it's still up along most of Dundas).

The entrance at the corner is much better than before. It's where it should have been all along.

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The atrium looks a lot more open. I can't remember how it was before but the glass ceiling gets emphasized more now. My eyes were drawn up to this large expansive skylight.

Outside, the media tower clearly looks neglected. Nothing but the low resolution LED display was working. The difference between the print like H&M display and the terrible Eaton Centre media tower is very jarring. Perhaps they'll replace the tower with something more streamlined, allowing for more natural light through the atrium ceiling.

Finally, regarding Apple/Nordstrom/Uniqlo, in person it's very clear that the space on the right is not going to be two store fronts i.e. Uniqlo and a narrow hallway to Nordstrom. Uniqlo will probably take the corner space which we thought was Apple and on the right side will be the Nordstrom entrance. Uniqlo would need to be far too small and the hallway to Nordstrom would need to be far too narrow. In person, it doesn't make any sense. You can also see that the walls behind the shorter hoarding are the final walls because they have the finished detailing like the chrome trim above. They wouldn't add the final details if they were going to tear it down. to build a hallway to Nordstrom.

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If Apple is indeed moving (I still can't imagine them sitting out this redevelopment), it's possible that they would move into the Roots outdoor space as there is something going on there and the Eaton Centre map does show two separate stores.
 
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Why is that automatic door opener plate (first picture) turned sideways?

Gotta love that jagged concrete edge around the building and the adjacent asphalt strip. A real touch of class.
 
MetroMan said:
it's possible that they would move into the Roots outdoor space as there is something going on there and the Eaton Centre map does show two separate stores.
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Is root getting rid of that space or are they just renovating as last I saw there was only a trap and not a wall in the back of it, plus it would be a smaller space then the current aple store
 
EastYorkTTCFan said:
Is root getting rid of that space or are they just renovating as last I saw there was only a trap and not a wall in the back of it, plus it would be a smaller space then the current aple store
Click to expand...

Roots announced around a year ago that they were planning on renovating the Eaton Centre location to their new concept flagship. They seem to be renovating it in portions so the store doesn't have to completely close during construction.
 
MetroMan said:
Finally, regarding Apple/Nordstrom/Uniqlo, in person it's very clear that the space on the right is not going to be two store fronts i.e. Uniqlo and a narrow hallway to Nordstrom. Uniqlo will probably take the corner space which we thought was Apple and on the right side will be the Nordstrom entrance. Uniqlo would need to be far too small and the hallway to Nordstrom would need to be far too narrow. In person, it doesn't make any sense. You can also see that the walls behind the shorter hoarding are the final walls because they have the finished detailing like the chrome trim above. They wouldn't add the final details if they were going to tear it down. to build a hallway to Nordstrom.

S7iyufS.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pics!
There could still be a corridor to Nordstrom (a low ceiling'd corridor).
The lease plans always showed a 2nd level wall above the Nordstrom corridor.
And the Nordstrom corridor would probably be lined with windows to provide a retailer (Uniqlo) with more display frontage.
The wall with the chrome trim could just be the 2nd level wall (but who knows why they wouldn't have put windows on that 2nd level?)
Ultimately we won't know until the hoardings come down.

officedweller said:
From the Cadillac Fairview leasing website, it looks like the Nordstrom floorplate will be substantially smaller than the Eaton's / Sears floorplate:

There's a long passageway from the Dundas Atrium (flanked by 2 large 2-storey retail spaces):

http://www.cfretail.com/EN/PropertySearch/Pages/TorontoEatonCentre.aspx

There's a similar Nordstrom floorplate on the next level up:

http://www.cfretail.com/EN/PropertySearch/Pages/TorontoEatonCentre.aspx
Click to expand...
 
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salsa said:
No matter what the topic, your posts are relentlessly negative.
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That's an observation (my previous comment). I do indeed have a lot of negative things to say (a result of living in a city with such banal leaders/developers), but I have posted some positive things as well, here and there. I don't find much that is worth lionizing in terms of what is being built in this city (though I think our most exciting projects are yet to come; i.e. The Well), and our public realm leaves little room for praise (however, Queens Quay and everything Waterfront Toronto has done and is doing, is excellent). I'm not trying to be negative for the sake of sounding miserable. That's just a reflexive response to a city that almost always settles for the mundane when we should be striving for excellence. I just express what I see and how I feel, without any filter. I recognize this city's immense potential and it annoys me to see us squander it so frequently. The St. Lawrence Market (north building) and the Fork York pedestrian bridge are perfect examples of this. If we're the "greatest city in the world", then it would be nice to see some tangible evidence in the form of architecture/design and public spaces that match the top tier cities on the planet (and even ones that are less successful than ours). Livability here is great, but the city could look much better than it does.

It's also not very easy to smile when one looks at what a disgrace the Eaton Centre has become compared to its original design. It continues to become more sterile as time goes on.
 
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Armour is pretty bang on - the panorama of the interior of the Eaton Center above is a great example of what's wrong with Toronto's design sensibilities right now. That space used to be pretty spectacular - now it's a complete mess. CF had an opportunity to return some of the magic to the mall with this renovation - and has only succeeded in cluttering it up even more. The rest of the city is no exemption - Toronto cuts corners with design to make a buck.
 
Perhaps I feel this way because I never experienced the eaton centre in its apparent glory. It's a mall. It's for shopping, it looks no worse than any other mall out there. I'd rather more retail than a bigger atrium.

I get the desire for better architecture I just think it's weird that people expect that in the form of a mall struggling to make the most of its limited space.

I agree it's not the most glorious structure. I just don't think most people care. It's more about the retail.
 
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