The city of Toronto is striking with its large number of buildings, shopping centers, and business establishments. The metropolis is constantly evolving and becoming increasingly attractive to investors and tourists. The Toronto Eaton Centre holds a special place in the central part of Toronto. It is a renowned shopping center and office complex. Today, we decided to learn more about the history of the creation and development of this shopping center. Read more about it on the pages of the toronto1.one website.
How It All Began
In 1854, Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from Ireland, arrived in Canada. For a long time, he was unsure of what to do and decided to focus all his efforts on his own business. Already in 1869, Eaton opened his first store. A few years later, he built a four-storey department store at the intersection of Yonge and Queen Streets. This store gained great popularity and attracted shoppers from all over Toronto.
The 1960s brought significant changes to Toronto. There was a desire to clear the central part of the city of various factory buildings. However, a significant portion of the land in the city center belonged to Eaton. Consequently, the businessman aimed to build a large new flagship store to replace the existing one at the intersection of Yonge and Queen Streets. Yet, the new project sparked considerable controversy due to plans to demolish historical buildings. It is worth noting that structures such as the Old City Hall and the Church of the Holy Trinity were slated for demolition to make way for a large shopping complex. Fortunately, the architect Eberhard Zeidler adapted the plan, preserving these landmarks, and the first phase of the Toronto Eaton Centre opened in 1977. The second phase of the shopping center opened two years later.
It should be mentioned that the complex was initially called “The Eaton Centre,” and it was renamed the Toronto Eaton Centre in the early 1990s. The shopping center was renamed to distinguish it from other Eaton Centres located across Canada.
The Eaton department store chain went bankrupt in 1999, but the shopping center retained the name Eaton Centre. This decision was made to honour the businessman, Timothy Eaton.
Amazing Architecture
One of Toronto’s most famous shopping centers impressed locals with its incredible design. The architecture of the Toronto Eaton Centre combines functionality and aesthetics.
The first thing that strikes visitors is the 274-meter-long glass galleria, which spans several levels of shops and restaurants. The transparent glass roof gives the feeling that shopping is taking place in an open space. Incidentally, this design was inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.
The shopping center itself features multi-storey atriums. Installing such atriums at the time was an ingenious solution, as few shopping centers practiced this type of design.
The “Flight Stop” installation by Michael Snow also impresses visitors. It consists of 60 metal Canadian geese in flight, suspended beneath the glass ceiling of the galleria. This was intended to show a connection with nature and add an aesthetic look to the shopping center.
The Toronto Eaton Centre is considered the most visited shopping center in Canada. It attracts about 50 million people every year, including a large number of tourists. The shopping center features 330 stores and restaurants. Here you can buy everything you desire: clothing, home goods, electronics, and so on. Furthermore, for the convenience of shoppers, two underground passages lead to the Dundas and Queen subway stations, providing easy access for residents and visitors alike.
That concludes our informative material. We hope you learned more today about your home city and this famous shopping center.