Toronto Lawrence Allen Centre | ?m | 4s | RioCan | Pappas

[someMidTowner]

New thread for the ongoing renovation of Lawrence Square, which has officially rebranded as the Lawrence Allen Centre. More details to follow.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Plus ça change...

AoD

 

[raptor]

Lipstick on a pig

 

[someMidTowner]

Here's what the renovations have done inside though:

 

[Toronto1834]

There is so much surface parking literally 100 metres from a subway station, why not develop some of it with housing?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

There is so much surface parking literally 100 metres from a subway station, why not develop some of it with housing?

Better yet - why not redevelop all of it? A mall here so close to Yorkdale's rain shadow is bound to be unconvincing.

AoD

 

[ProjectEnd]

Under Moscoe, there was a plan to do just that and continue Marlee Avenue northward through the site. When Colle came on, that seems to have died.

 

[AlbertC]

Yeah, this continues to be a missed opportunity. A Galleria-esque redevelopment would have been ideal, especially with its close proximity to Lawrence West station.

 

[Edward Skira]

I'm amazed at the inside! I had no idea. Never been inside. Figured it was as dumpy as the outside. And I certainly never realized how big it is.

 

[someMidTowner]

I'm amazed at the inside! I had no idea. Never been inside. Figured it was as dumpy as the outside. And I certainly never realized how big it is.

It definitely used to be dumpy before the renovations. The skylights were there but the finishes were all so dark that a good amount of the light was being absorbed.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It has an oddly Walden Galleria vibe.

AoD

 

[someMidTowner]

Uno mas to get a better feel for it:

 

[Tuscani01]

Wow, they've done a really good job with the interior. Feels so much brighter and open.

 

[interchange42]

Better yet - why not redevelop all of it? A mall here so close to Yorkdale's rain shadow is bound to be unconvincing.

AoD

They've gotta get a different assortment of stores from Yorkdale if they want to survive, and, um, a little more downmarket is where they need to take this… so I'm surprised this looks so much better than I had expect inside. I was definitely expecting less.

42

 

[pw20]

Suspect this is an interim reno until RioCan is ready to unlock the full value of the asset as the Lawrence Heights redevelopment spreads southwards. I believe the ultimate plan is to extend Marlee north, which will bisect the mall entirely. RioCan is just capturing the most value for the next decade or so until they have to tear it down.