Yonge Street Revitalisation
Yonge Street at Dundas Street looking north.
"City officials hate Yonge Street so much they're tearing its heart down. But what bureaucrat could plan this much fun." Eye Weekly, 1999
The City of Toronto is pushing ahead with its copycat Toronto version of New York Mayor Juliani's Corporatising of Time Square. The Downtown Yonge Street Regeneration Programme has allocated $53 million dollars to 'clean-up' Yonge and Dundas. Dubbed, Times Square (we think Simcoe Square more approproriate), it involves expropriating small businesses, demolishing them, and re-selling the land to Big-Box store operators. The city had to deal with opposition from small local businesses that had beenon the Street for generations. Expropriation was the city's answer to the opposition. HMV Records located on same block as the family-owned businesses was not expropriated.
Yonge Street circa 1960 looking south (at Gerrard)
Yonge Street circa 1960 looking south (at College)
Re-development Plans of Yonge Street
"I'm sick and tired of that flea market right down at the corner with pants hanging outside," Mayor Lastman told the gathering, referring to one of the "eyesore" buildings that has been expropriated for demolition." National Post, 1998
Suburbia comes to the City. The "coup-de-grace" is a pubic square designed by Brown and Storey Architects to be located at the south-east corner of Yonge and Dundas. The other major development is 30-screen theatre called Metropolis.
The cleaning up of Yonge Street has already resulted in the demolition of the Salvation Army Headquarters near the Eaton Centre and the Silver Rail bar, a Yonge Street tradition for more then 50 years.
We will continue to follow the progress of the Yonge Street Revitalisation development:
Written with Files from Paul Rutulis
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