Bayer
Senior Member
Indeed that's exactly what I remember.
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TossYourJacket
Senior Member
Grabbed a couple quick pictures where you can see a bit of how much they've stripped back the Nordstrom box
nightstreak
Active Member
Thank you for the pictures. Hopefully they preserve the doors to add to sidewalk activity on Yonge. The Eaton Centre added entrances to the stores some time in the early 2000s but the store owners ended up locking them perhaps due to theft. If I recall correctly, Nordstrom did the same even though Sears had previously kept those doors open.
An Eataly entrance on Yonge will animate the street given the volume of in and out traffic it typically generates. Simons perhaps less so.
Edit: Perhaps I was too optimistic. The rendering shows the corner doors are sealed windows and the little door further down looks like an emergency exit.
Looks like this needs to be dealt with at the City Planning department. Malls should be manated to have street facing store fronts with working doors during business hours.
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emphurent
Active Member
Thank you for the pictures. Hopefully they preserve the doors to add to sidewalk activity on Yonge. The Eaton Centre added entrances to the stores some time in the early 2000s but the store owners ended up locking them perhaps due to theft. If I recall correctly, Nordstrom did the same even though Sears had previously kept those doors open.
An Eataly entrance on Yonge will animate the street given the volume of in and out traffic it typically generates. Simons perhaps less so.
Edit: Perhaps I was too optimistic. The rendering shows the corner doors are sealed windows and the little door further down looks like an emergency exit.
Looks like this needs to be dealt with at the City Planning department. Malls should be manated to have street facing store fronts with working doors during business hours.
make what you will of the leasing documents, as they are kind of only a half picture, but there will be doors. (the red is another wall that exists)
also parts delivery for cladding is already starting up.
nightstreak
Active Member
Is this current? Either Urban Toronto or Retail Insider (or both?) has described there being a new hallway between the main mall and the Dundas atrium. From this floor plan, it looks like Simons will act as Sears and Nordstrom did before: you’ll have to go through Simons to get to the Dundas atrium and vice versa.
Pretty disappointing outcome if this is what’s happening. I was looking forward to a continuous mall from Queen to Dundas.
emphurent
Active Member
That is the most up the date (it updates regularly) and has changed the details over time. You'll note the Nike space is missing (likely where I added a wall).
The second floor makes even less sense with the omitted details.
As I said, this likely isn't showing the whole picture, its not accurate in multiple ways, but only made me more curious as to how it's supposed to work without feeling cramped.
nightstreak
Active Member
The Nike store sort of makes sense in the second floor layout. They have most of their inventory in a stockroom which can be seen on the right throug that narrow hallways which will only be used by staff. It also seems to give them access to a showcase window overlooking Yonge.
Nike was added last so the rendering is not current, and apparently neither is the earlier description of a continuous mall to Dundas.
Thanks for sharing the layouts.
nightstreak
Active Member
Thanks @emphurent for directing me to the CF leasing maps. Sharing the full three story picture here.
*I've added logos and made an adjustment to the Nike store outline.
Ground Floor:
Simons is accessible from the Dundas atrium and from the main mall, adjacent to the new Nike two level store across from Zara and the Trinity Square entrance.
Eataly occupies the corner unit across from Roots with its main entrance outside, also accessible through the mall. Escalators lead up to Eataly's main space.
Second Floor:
Third Floor:
Simons occupies this entire floor, what was once the third floor of Sears, Eatons and Nordstrom for size perspective.
Simons' third floor Ève Café will have what looks like a half moon "outdoor" patio overlooking the Eaton Centre atrium, perfectly centred on the atrium skylight.
*I've added logos and made an adjustment to the Nike store outline.
Ground Floor:
Simons is accessible from the Dundas atrium and from the main mall, adjacent to the new Nike two level store across from Zara and the Trinity Square entrance.
Eataly occupies the corner unit across from Roots with its main entrance outside, also accessible through the mall. Escalators lead up to Eataly's main space.
Second Floor:
Third Floor:
Simons occupies this entire floor, what was once the third floor of Sears, Eatons and Nordstrom for size perspective.
Simons' third floor Ève Café will have what looks like a half moon "outdoor" patio overlooking the Eaton Centre atrium, perfectly centred on the atrium skylight.
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TossYourJacket
Senior Member
Guessing that based on the similar "small ground floor, big second floor" layout that's reminiscent of the Manulife Centre Eataly, we're probably looking at a cafe/take-out space on the ground floor with the restaurants/grocery space above.
nightstreak
Active Member
Sounds right. It's curious that Eataly will have very little presence in the mall. Odd for a tenant co-occupying the flagship space. Eataly will not face into the mall as all others have in this space. It'll face out to a hallway as you walk into Simons.
It makes up for that with a big presence with a corner unit outside a main entrance to the mall. I hope you're right about the hospitality angle for the main floor. Yonge Street could use some animation. I wonder if part of this plaza/nook can be turned into a patio, maybe to the right of those lamp posts. Roots on the left has eaten into the space with a railing that serves no purpose.
TossYourJacket
Senior Member
The lack of an internal entrance on the ground floor is odd given they have one in the Manulife Centre. So it's not like there isn't precedent for a mall entrance in addition to the external one.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
This entrance plaza felt like an armpit of a space - thoroughly unpleasant all year around - all through the various renos Eaton Centre had gone through.
AoD
nightstreak
Active Member
There is a mall entrance, it's just in an awkward position. Perhaps not odd for Eataly but unprecedented for how the Eaton Centre has always treated this space. The anchors have always faced into the mall.
Simons' and Eataly's entrances will be obscured behind Roots though Simons will at least have some visibility on the third floor windows. Ironically, Nike the smallest of the co-anchors will have the best visibility of all three, facing straight into the galleria with 2 floors.
Agreed. I've hated how this little nook has turned into a windswept abandoned space right on Yonge. Nordstrom's renovation sealed the doors which made it worse. The new floor plan shows that Eataly will restore those doors. It makes sense for food service and that will do much to animate that space. The plaza itself could use a refreshing or a serious rethink.
zang
Senior Member
That small side main floor entrance at the Manulife Centre is arbitrarily locked/blocked off from time to time for no apparent reason, and the door is almost always closed. It feels like it’s there out of obligation more than anything, and certainly isn’t as inviting as the Birroteca entrance on the concourse.
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nightstreak
Active Member
Following up on the floor plans, I was able to assemble a mockup of the store façade distribution on the north end of the Eaton Centre atrium, based on the pillar positions on the leasing layout.
As I suspected, Nike is going to have a disproportionate presence on this wall, effectively looking like the mall's anchor tenant despite having the least space. Eataly will be barely noticeable inside the mall.
Simons will have what looks like a half moon Juliette balcony for its cafe in the blue space at the top. The blue hallway on the right is the entrance to both Eataly and Simons with Eataly's escalator up to its second floor accessible from the side on this small hallway. I added the Simons logo above this hallway for visibility because I'd expect Cadillac Fairview to add some sort of signage, otherwise Simons' entrance won't be visible from inside the mall.
As I suspected, Nike is going to have a disproportionate presence on this wall, effectively looking like the mall's anchor tenant despite having the least space. Eataly will be barely noticeable inside the mall.
Simons will have what looks like a half moon Juliette balcony for its cafe in the blue space at the top. The blue hallway on the right is the entrance to both Eataly and Simons with Eataly's escalator up to its second floor accessible from the side on this small hallway. I added the Simons logo above this hallway for visibility because I'd expect Cadillac Fairview to add some sort of signage, otherwise Simons' entrance won't be visible from inside the mall.