waterloowarrior
Senior Member
Yonge-Dundas Square comes of age
Posted: August 08, 2009, 1:13 PM by Rob Roberts
Filed under: Kuitenbrouwer
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...9/08/08/yonge-dundas-square-comes-of-age.aspx
Yonge-Dundas Square has taken a long time to be born.
Former mayor Mel Lastman opened the square in 2003. It took several years more for PenEquity to complete its 24-screen movie palace on the north side. That monstrosity, awkwardly named “Toronto Life Square,†was hardly worth the wait; the company that developed it ran into to some financial problems and has since put the cement behemoth on the market.
But never mind: exciting things are happening in the square these days. Specifically, Citytv next month moves into a triangular building at the east edge of the square, and Omni television moves in a month later; in all, 360 television staff will inhabit the reimagined five-storey space.
Citytv can take credit for bringing cool to Queen Street West, in its building at John Street, and it seems a fair bet they will add some sparkle to this spot.
Yesterday I got tired of waiting for a spokesman for Rogers, the new parent of City, to return my calls, so I hoofed over to Citytv’s new HQ in the square, walked in like I owned the place, signed in, accepted a white Urbacon hard hat from a security guard, and took my own self-guided tour of the new studios.
Everywhere, workers bustle; the place crackles with expectation. On the third floor hundreds of stainless steel desks and grey plastic Mirra chairs stand on new green carpet below track lighting. Hundreds of mechanical arms stand expectantly outstretched to receive computer monitors. From here, plate glass windows look out over the square.
Behind a glass wall nearby are stacked boxes containing dozens of Samsung LCD 19†television sets.
As I wandered, my phone rang. Jan Innes, a spokeswoman for Rogers, summed up the company’s excitement about its new home.
“When City was on Queen Street it made that area come alive,†she said. “We’ll make this area come alive too. It will be young, it will be urban. We think that section of the city has really come to life. We think it will be a perfect fit for City.â€
All this is quite probably true. So isn’t it time that our square, “the heart of the city,’’ as its posters proclaim it, has a name?
At present, it sags under the names of two long-dead British secretaries of war, neither of whom ever set foot in Canada.
Sir George Yonge, the British Secretary of War 1782-84, had a passion for Roman roads, which is why the governor, John Graves Simcoe, named his new Yonge Street for the guy; but Mr. Yonge never had the decency to come see the road firsthand.
Henry Dundas, a Scottish lawyer and politician, was worse: he served as war secretary 1794-1801, but was impeached in 1806 after suspicions arose as to the financial management of the admiralty.
Surely we can do better than this. Years ago Councillor Kyle Rae (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) told me the city would sell the naming rights for $5-million. Mr. Rae is traveling and unavailable; city spokespeople yesterday had no idea whether those rights are still available.
Ms. Innes said Rogers has not discussed naming rights with the city.
Crossing the square yesterday morning I bumped into John Di Costanzo, a friend from the Withrow Park ball hockey league, whose office is nearby. He was walking to Canadian Tire to buy a jock strap. He loves the square.
“I come here for lunch and veg out, worship the sun,†he said, as we stood by the fountains which spray up from the black granite.
“On Tuesdays they have free movies. I came here with a friend and the place was packed. The nice thing is they have quiet time too. I love the calming affect of the water.â€
He agrees the name sucks; he suggests Peace Square.
Kevin Mohebi, a jeweller who lives around the corner, came yesterday to read the Iranian weeklies. He loves the square. “Every weekend is different. Last weekend was the Turkish festival, the weekend before was the Bengali festival.†He suggests Multicultural Square.
I think we can do better than this. In a perfect world we would tear out the God-awful video screen that hovers just above eye-level on the square’s north-west corner, and replace it with a statue to some deserving person, whose name would then grace the square. Someone, I’m thinking, from here.
Please email your ideas to thecity@nationalpost.com, or in the comments below.
Posted: August 08, 2009, 1:13 PM by Rob Roberts
Filed under: Kuitenbrouwer
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...9/08/08/yonge-dundas-square-comes-of-age.aspx
Yonge-Dundas Square has taken a long time to be born.
Former mayor Mel Lastman opened the square in 2003. It took several years more for PenEquity to complete its 24-screen movie palace on the north side. That monstrosity, awkwardly named “Toronto Life Square,†was hardly worth the wait; the company that developed it ran into to some financial problems and has since put the cement behemoth on the market.
But never mind: exciting things are happening in the square these days. Specifically, Citytv next month moves into a triangular building at the east edge of the square, and Omni television moves in a month later; in all, 360 television staff will inhabit the reimagined five-storey space.
Citytv can take credit for bringing cool to Queen Street West, in its building at John Street, and it seems a fair bet they will add some sparkle to this spot.
Yesterday I got tired of waiting for a spokesman for Rogers, the new parent of City, to return my calls, so I hoofed over to Citytv’s new HQ in the square, walked in like I owned the place, signed in, accepted a white Urbacon hard hat from a security guard, and took my own self-guided tour of the new studios.
Everywhere, workers bustle; the place crackles with expectation. On the third floor hundreds of stainless steel desks and grey plastic Mirra chairs stand on new green carpet below track lighting. Hundreds of mechanical arms stand expectantly outstretched to receive computer monitors. From here, plate glass windows look out over the square.
Behind a glass wall nearby are stacked boxes containing dozens of Samsung LCD 19†television sets.
As I wandered, my phone rang. Jan Innes, a spokeswoman for Rogers, summed up the company’s excitement about its new home.
“When City was on Queen Street it made that area come alive,†she said. “We’ll make this area come alive too. It will be young, it will be urban. We think that section of the city has really come to life. We think it will be a perfect fit for City.â€
All this is quite probably true. So isn’t it time that our square, “the heart of the city,’’ as its posters proclaim it, has a name?
At present, it sags under the names of two long-dead British secretaries of war, neither of whom ever set foot in Canada.
Sir George Yonge, the British Secretary of War 1782-84, had a passion for Roman roads, which is why the governor, John Graves Simcoe, named his new Yonge Street for the guy; but Mr. Yonge never had the decency to come see the road firsthand.
Henry Dundas, a Scottish lawyer and politician, was worse: he served as war secretary 1794-1801, but was impeached in 1806 after suspicions arose as to the financial management of the admiralty.
Surely we can do better than this. Years ago Councillor Kyle Rae (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) told me the city would sell the naming rights for $5-million. Mr. Rae is traveling and unavailable; city spokespeople yesterday had no idea whether those rights are still available.
Ms. Innes said Rogers has not discussed naming rights with the city.
Crossing the square yesterday morning I bumped into John Di Costanzo, a friend from the Withrow Park ball hockey league, whose office is nearby. He was walking to Canadian Tire to buy a jock strap. He loves the square.
“I come here for lunch and veg out, worship the sun,†he said, as we stood by the fountains which spray up from the black granite.
“On Tuesdays they have free movies. I came here with a friend and the place was packed. The nice thing is they have quiet time too. I love the calming affect of the water.â€
He agrees the name sucks; he suggests Peace Square.
Kevin Mohebi, a jeweller who lives around the corner, came yesterday to read the Iranian weeklies. He loves the square. “Every weekend is different. Last weekend was the Turkish festival, the weekend before was the Bengali festival.†He suggests Multicultural Square.
I think we can do better than this. In a perfect world we would tear out the God-awful video screen that hovers just above eye-level on the square’s north-west corner, and replace it with a statue to some deserving person, whose name would then grace the square. Someone, I’m thinking, from here.
Please email your ideas to thecity@nationalpost.com, or in the comments below.
City Square for Citytv. And just like you i hope they don't name it Rogers Square. He has his names on alot of things already.
