Yes... on Three Conditions
Sometimes a simple phone call can change everything. Leo Kolber of Fairview Corporation (now Cadillac Fairview) received such a call in 1968. It was from Brian Magee of A.E. LePage acting on behalf of Eatons department store. What he proposed would, over the next 10 years, result in one of the largest, most transformative and controversial projects ever undertaken in the heart of a North American city.
He simply asked… would Fairview like to partner in the building of a shopping centre on lands Eatons has assembled running north of its flagship store at Queen and Yonge Streets? We don’t know exactly what was said during that brief call, but what we do know is that Leo Kolber said yes, but on three conditions.
You see, Eatons already had a plan in place which included buying and tearing down Toronto’s Old City Hall and incorporating the lands into the master plan for the new shopping centre. The first condition Mr. Kolber insisted upon was that Eatons drop the idea of razing what had become a cherished and important historical landmark. He knew that a project of this size and daring would involve significant negotiations with City Hall and would require widespread public support if it was ever to be approved. The last thing he wanted was to start a losing battle over an iconic property. The second condition Kolber put on the table was that Fairview would retain controlling interest in the project, giving them day-to-day authority to make decisions. These two conditions were agreed to by Eatons and TD Bank, the third key partner added to the project.
The third condition presented is the one that created the first major hurdle. Fairview insisted that Eatons demolish their landmark store at the corner of Yonge and Queen Streets and move it to the north end of the new shopping centre. Eatons' management wasn’t buying it. They were happy with the location of the existing store, directly across the street from Simpsons and exactly where their loyal shoppers wanted it! Leo Kolber’s logic was that by moving the store north, all the shopping centre space built between Queen and Dundas would be deemed more valuable by retailers and that loyal Eatons' customers would follow them to their new location, just two blocks north. This became a near deal breaker. Eventually the Eaton family and company management voted yes, but it took months of emotional negotiations to convince them.
With all three conditions agreed to, it was time to begin the hard work of assembling the remaining lands, hiring the right architect and arriving at a design that all participants, including the City, could embrace. That responsibility fell to Neil Wood, President of Fairview Corporation.
After months of meetings and proposals, two hold-outs remained in the final land assembly. Holy Trinity Church and a small office building at the corner of Queen and Yonge Streets. Neil Wood and his team made the decision after months of challenging and frustrating negotiations that the project would have to proceed without them. Master planning would just have to go ahead with a slightly irregularly shaped site.
With a workable site plan, it was now time to get serious about an architect. Initial concepts called for a typical suburban style shopping centre design to be built on the site. One strong voice opposed to this path was Phyllis Lambert of the Bronfman Family and an influential voice behind the scenes at Fairview. She innately knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something special, not just for Fairview and its partners, but for the City of Toronto. She also knew that it would require a different talent and perspective to accomplish it.
She recommended an architect who was just beginning to make a name for himself, Eberhard Zeidler. His vision was dramatically different that the others. He saw this new shopping centre not as an enclosed, separate building but as a vital new district within a city. Complete with a main boulevard lined with trees, shops and restaurants. He submitted a concept design patterned after the soaring Milan Galleria in Milan, Italy. With a 130 ft. glass canopy ceiling and multi-levels of retail allowing for up to 300 retailers and restaurants, as well as two major office towers anchoring the south and north ends, his design was dramatic and transformative. It was also enthusiastically embraced by the partnership and the City.
The first phase of Eaton Centre opened in 1977 which included the new Eatons store at the north end of the shopping centre. With the opening of the new store, the old Eatons store at Queen and Yonge Streets was soon demolished and construction began on the southern end of the project. Phase two was completed in 1979.
Toronto Eaton Centre was a hit with the public from the first day it opened. Not without its early critics, the Centre has since become an international attraction with over 50 million shoppers and visitors each year. Since its opening, Toronto Eaton Centre has undergone a number of makeovers and modernizations. In 1999, the Yonge Street side of the project stretching from Queen to Dundas Streets, underwent a major retail renovation, bringing the Centre to the sidewalk with a host of new shops, restaurants and entrances. A new office tower was built mid-block at 250 Yonge Street in 1991, with the original towers at 20 Queen and 1 Dundas having recently completed major transformations to their ground floor lobbies as well as their mechanical, electrical and elevator systems. In 2010 a $120 million reviatalization of the retail mall began, with a completion date scheduled for mid-2012.
The building of Toronto Eaton Centre would not have happened without the determination, brilliance and hard work of the few. From the moment construction began, it injected needed energy and investment into a long neglected but important part of downtown Toronto. It’s hard to imagine Toronto’s downtown without Toronto Eaton Centre. Because of a hand full of visionaries who said yes… we'll never have to.