Agreed - why didn't they just fill it with patios? In Europe it would have been tables full of beer as far as the eye can see...

That space was always a wind tunnel, and patios would have been a mess if attempted.
 
The canopy from the current subway entrance on the NW corner is gone and the entrance in the new addition is getting ready to open.

IMG_20150731_083520.jpg
IMG_20150731_083552.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150731_083520.jpg
    IMG_20150731_083520.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 1,378
  • IMG_20150731_083552.jpg
    IMG_20150731_083552.jpg
    186 KB · Views: 1,363
August 4th:

IMG_6349.JPG
IMG_6353.JPG
IMG_6355.JPG
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6349.JPG
    IMG_6349.JPG
    278.7 KB · Views: 1,447
  • IMG_6353.JPG
    IMG_6353.JPG
    241 KB · Views: 1,244
  • IMG_6355.JPG
    IMG_6355.JPG
    228.3 KB · Views: 1,248
Yesterday/this morning;
IMG_20150812_180259.jpg
IMG_20150812_180339.jpg
IMG_20150812_180410.jpg
IMG_20150813_082850.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150812_180259.jpg
    IMG_20150812_180259.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 1,114
  • IMG_20150812_180339.jpg
    IMG_20150812_180339.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 1,094
  • IMG_20150812_180410.jpg
    IMG_20150812_180410.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 1,099
  • IMG_20150813_082850.jpg
    IMG_20150813_082850.jpg
    595.3 KB · Views: 1,084
As ugly as the expansion is, I do think the new smaller 'public' space out front will be much better utilized than the old space. It seems a lot more intimate and protected than the open, windswept space that it once was. Having multiple entrances along it will also help animate it quite a bit.

Does anyone know if the glass cube is the entrance to the rooftop space?
 
As ugly as the expansion is, I do think the new smaller 'public' space out front will be much better utilized than the old space. It seems a lot more intimate and protected than the open, windswept space that it once was. Having multiple entrances along it will also help animate it quite a bit.

Does anyone know if the glass cube is the entrance to the rooftop space?


I completely agree that the smaller square might actually be an improvement over the old bigger one. With Aroma patio there are already people using it.
 
As far as I know, the cube will have the elevators that will take you to the rooftop space. It'll be open the same hours as the subway, IIRC
 
As far as I know, the cube will have the elevators that will take you to the rooftop space. It'll be open the same hours as the subway, IIRC

Perfect. It's almost intuitive in the sense that the cube connects from the ground to the rooftop. Should help with people finding their way up into that space.
 
Any idea as to what is being done to the west tower? Is it just a minor reclad of the lower floors to have it match the new addition? Or is something more going on?
 
The backlit panels around the Pickle Barrel sign benefit from having the light fade from right to left, as it provides some texture to the building's surface. In comparison, it's the flatness of the Pickle Barrel sign that gets me.

42
 
Well the public realm component is better than those pictures of Atlanta that Salsa posted in that other thread, so we got that going for us. :p

How difficult is it to employ one of the many landscape architect firms that does work in downtown Toronto or in Montreal? This seems like a perfect location for a DIALOG project.
 
I've been questioning myself for an eternity on how this mall could be transformed into a modern, urban retail center at the cross-section of two major subway lines and I keep falling short of suggestions. The mall has two anchors I would say, in the Cineplex and the Indigo, both of which are next to each other and facing Yonge St, so there is little reason to walk inside the mall. Now that I think about it, the main trip generator inside the mall for me has always been the Metro and LCBO, which now has to compete with the Loblaws and LCBO opening at The Madison.

The food court is in the basement level and secluded from the rest of the mall. Unlike the PATH, the mall is not a shortcut from one side to the other due to the mall's design, it is a long-cut if anything.

Any ideas? I am interested in seeing how this place reacts once it has heavy pedestrian traffic from the opening of the Crosstown along with the crap-ton of new condos that are coming. I expect the outdoors rooftop patio and Aroma Cafe to be very very busy, but this will be in stark contrast to inside the mall.
 
Last edited:
I've been questioning myself for an eternity on how this mall could be transformed into a modern, rban retail center at the cross-section of two jor subway lines and I keep falling short of suggestions..
Even with the extensive interior renovations, the awkward physical layout of the place prevents it from really working well. There are no real clear paths through the place -- entering from north end of Yonge required going down a level to get out at Eglinton, and in general the space has weird nooks and crannies rather than a clear linear flow. Then there's the architectural embarrassment of how the upper levels on either side of the mall aren't actually on the same level, prompting an almost Lovecraftian sense that the angles are all wrong in the inside of the mall, and requiring the awkward set of suspended walkway/stairs to get from one side to the other. It's a mess at a fundamental level, and while the interior redo is nice, and the major additions will help bring in some more folks, I just don't think it is structured in a way to be a major destination mall.
 

Back
Top