Public atria and plazas also convey power and sophistication, but they can be programmed for evening uses like receptions and events.
 
I don't necessarily see storefronts as an automatic generator of street animation. Think of who could afford this space, and then think of the typical retail hours in the Financial District, and we're looking at some closed, dark space at night and on weekends (and the likely tenants would not even be that lively during weekday daytimes). The lobby is a lot more animated than that. But, it is disappointing that the Deloitte lounge is not open to the public, and perhaps had longer hours.

interchange42 said:
[...]All that said, I know the City is checking into whether or not the PATH agreement with Brookfield for the Bay Adelaide Centre covers the space that the Deloitte bistro is in, because if it is, Deloitte may not be able to refuse to serve the public there.
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Oh, that's interesting.
 
Skeezix said:
I don't necessarily see storefronts as an automatic generator of street animation. Think of who could afford this space, and then think of the typical retail hours in the Financial District, and we're looking at some closed, dark space at night and on weekends (and the likely tenants would not even be that lively during weekday daytimes). The lobby is a lot more animated than that. But, it is disappointing that the Deloitte lounge is not open to the public, and perhaps had longer hours.
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Why should Yonge and Adelaide be closed at night and on the weekends? I live nearby and I hate how PATH turns its back on those living in the area. At least the street front locations should be open at those times.
 
I'm hardly an advocate for street animation-killing frontages, as my postings on these forums attest.

Where I disagree with you (and we've had this discussion earlier in this thread) is that I believe that the Bay Adelaide lobbies do contribute to the animation on the street. And I don't think retail storefronts are any kind of magic bullet, for the reasons set out above. Frankly there are two other corners of this intersection with retail storefronts, and they do diddly-squat to liven the place up at night and on weekends.

But I do think the Deloitte lounge should be open to the public (while I doubt that the Planning Act gives the city authority to force retail hours, it certainly does let them control public access). And I do wish, as I said above, that it had longer hours. If people are willing to frequent it outside of business hours, it might.
 
Sud Forno, just to the north should make a difference, with more pulling power after hours. If they're successful, maybe Dineen Coffee will stay open an hour later, and if that works for them, retail on Yonge could start to change in general. With residents moving into INDX shortly, and 88 Scott in the near future, with more projects on the horizon, later hours in this area are bound to happen sooner or later.

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I hate that they are now bringing the lifeless sterility of the Financial District to Yonge Street! It's bad enough that they made a whole district unwalkable, they don't have to kill the animation we have on Yonge. I assumed this would be more of a retail or restaurant complex but I was wrong!
 
I actually have a different view. I like the slight emptiness of the first floor. Sure, it'll be nice when there are a few more amenities in there. But I find it emphasizes space, and can be dramatic when, say, walking through the financial district late at night.
 
Yeah, I would agree with you Miscreant. I don't think they've "killed" animation on Yonge. Frankly, the open and transparent lobby adds far more to the streetscape than the previous marginal retail on the corner, which didn't have great hours. But I think a publicly-accessible lounge on the corner would be even more of an improvement.
 
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Deloitte employees and their guests enjoying lunch at the 1858 Bistro:
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Deloitte employees and their guests loitering in the lobby:
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Deloitte employees and their guests heading to and from reception.
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I'd like to see more of their setup sometime.

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Marcanadian said:
I got kicked off the property last time I tried to take photos, and I was only in the central plaza separating the two buildings. :(
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Same thing happened to my friend and I a few months back. I argued with the security guard, then stood on Temperance St to take more photos, mainly just to be a smartass.
 
Requests not to take photography in places that are essentially public realm, whether they are in fact publicly owned or not, should always be met with a raised eyebrow and a degree of concealed contempt. The poor security guards are only doing what they've been asked to do (and there's little more exciting for them during the day than to stop some phototrespassing from happening), but they're not always around to do their masters' overprotective and naive bidding… so go back often, and shoot as much as you can.

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interchange42 said:
Requests not to take photography in places that are essentially public realm, whether they are in fact publicly owned or not, should always be met with a raised eyebrow and a degree of concealed contempt. The poor security guards are only doing what they've been asked to do (and there's little more exciting for them during the day than to stop some phototrespassing from happening), but they're not always around to do their masters' overprotective and naive bidding… so go back often, and shoot as much as you can.

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Or go back wearing an expensive suit to disguise yourself as a CEO. Order the security guard to fetch you a sandwich while you take your pictures.
 
Perfickt.

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