[urbandreamer]

Honest Ed's would be the ideal site for:
The Ed Mirvish Theatre Museum (or art gallery?) with 10 story condominium above it! So a four story gallery (the sign could be mounted inside) space with condos on top.

Honest Ed's is the only place west of the rockies that reminds me of Vancouver's DES. Just really a sad place in decay. Time for a Woodward's style redevelopment--although not as tall.

 

[adma]

Although unlike Woodward's, it remains an active retail operation; and the "sad decay" is mostly internal and, besides, has long been excused away as part of the "only the floors are crooked" point of the place--though yes, maybe there's come the point where it's no longer a saleable laughing matter.

Besides Sam's, maybe a comparison point from another end (even if it was a chain) is Knob Hill Farms: the funky no-frills New-Canadian-friendly shabbiness that ultimately got to be too shabby for its own good, esp. against the competition its success made possible...

 

[Observer Walt]

Adma's points are well taken, particularly the comparisons to Sam's and Knob Hill. The time for these old-style, deliberately shabby retailing places may now have passed.

Whatever happens to the site, I hope appropriate consideration will be given to maintaining the character of Mirvish Village along Markham Street. This block is one of the city's treasures. But I won't shed too many tears if the Honest Ed's property gets redeveloped with something mid-rise and mixed-use. It would be part of the natural process of change in the city.

 

[ShonTron]

I was in Honest Ed's in May and bought a bunch of 10 cent post cards of Toronto from the mid 1970s - the CN Tower under construction, the CNE still in its prime, FCP, Scotia Plaza and BCE still absent from the skyline - seemed like the right place to buy these cards.

Bathurst and Bloor would make a great redevelopment site for a mixed use development, but I do not think excessive height is desirable here - 20-30 floors max.

 

[syn]

Assuming they go through with redevelopment, why don't they reduce the store size and add some residential? That could be the perfect mix...keep the lively exterior though, it's great.

Honest Ed's is a Toronto institution, I'd hate to see it vanish completely.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Perhaps it could be the site for the oft-discussed Museum of Toronto.

 

[urbandreamer]

just thought of the perfect use: the u of t buys the property to build retail at base+student housing mixed with affordable housing. For the left wing annexers, how appropriate would that be?! Let's see: it's right beside a subway station, the u of t is mere minutes away, the u of t needs more land, the annex needs more students...., students and working poor are kind of alike but fundamentally different--perfect!

Thus, retail@base, 10 floors of student housing stepping down to markham st and 10 floors of affordable housing above the shops facing noisy bloor/bathurst. That's an honest idea from this ed(itor.)