Toronto Eaton Centre

The Eaton Centre is a four-story shopping mall in the downtown area of ​​the Canadian city of Toronto. It is named after the former Eaton's department store chain and after the Irish immigrant Timothy Eaton, who at this point opened a general store in 1869. The Eaton Centre is equipped with 230 shops, restaurants and service providers, the largest mall in the province of Ontario and the third largest in Canada. The opening of the first phase of construction took place in 1977, architect Eberhard Zeidler was.

The boundaries of the shopping center on the east by Yonge Street on the south by Queen Street West, to the north by Dundas Street West and on the west by building on the east side of Bay Street. The paths inside form a part of PATH, an extensive underground network of pedestrian and shopping arcades. In each case, at the north and south end of the Eaton Centre and Dundas stations are the Queen of the Toronto Subway. The building complex also includes three office towers and the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. In addition, the Eaton Centre with a 17-story Marriott hotel connected as well with Canada's largest department store, the main branch of the Hudson 's Bay Company.

History

Planning

Timothy Eaton took over 1869 Yonge Street, an existing store. From this little shop out the biggest department store chain in Canada evolved within a few decades. The company Eaton's had most of the land between Yonge, Queen, Bay and Dundas, with the exception of the Old City Hall ( Altes Rathaus ) and the Church of the Holy Trinity (Holy Trinity Church ). In this building block, the main branch ( Main Store ), an outbuilding (Eaton Annex) as well as several buildings connected shipping trade and manufacturing companies were located.

As the logistical areas were relocated in the 1960s to the suburbs, wanted to Eaton's use of the valuable land in the city center better. The company planned a new main representative branch, which should replace the Main Store at the intersection of Yonge Street and Queen Street as well as the department store at the nearby College Street. The original plans mid-1960s saw before the demolition of the old Town Hall and the Church of the Trinity, and the closure of smaller streets within the above- mentioned building block. After fierce resistance from community groups and preservationists Eaton's withdrew its 1967 plans. 1971 were available new plans which, while preserving the old town hall awards were planned but continue the demolition of Trinity Church. The parish made ​​fierce resistance against the demolition of the Church and Eaton's was forced to revise his plans again.

Construction work

During the construction of the shopping center Eaton's worked with the construction company Cadillac Fairview and the Toronto - Dominion Bank. A native of Germany Eberhard Zeidler and Bregman Hamann the architectural firm Architects designed a multi-storey, spanned with a domed glass roof gallery, which is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan modeled. At that time it was the design of the Eaton Centre as revolutionary and influenced the architecture of shopping centers throughout North America.

The Eaton Centre was one of the first shopping centers in the center of a major city in North America. The first phase with the nine-story main branch Eaton ( floor area 100,000 m²) opened in 1977. The temporary south wall was completely covered with mirrors to give an impression of how the shopping center could look after its completion. In 1979, after the demolition of the old main branch of the opening of the southern half of the Eaton Centre. In the same year Cineplex was opened, 18-screen multiplex cinema at that time the largest in the world.

Many urban planners and architects have criticized the design of the exterior facade. The building complex was oriented inwards, with a few shops, windows or even entrances to the roads out. The largest part of the facade at the Yonge Street, once the main shopping street of the city was dominated by a faceless car park. The regional government also insisted that the building complex is set back a few meters from Yonge Street to possibly add in the future another lane can.

The shopping center owned office buildings were constructed in three stages:

• One Dundas West ( 29 floors) in 1977, designed by Bregman Hamann Architects and Zeidler Eberhard
• Cadillac Fairview Tower (36 floors) in 1982, designed by Bregman Hamann Architects and Zeidler Eberhard
• 250 Yonge Street (formerly Eaton Tower, 35 floors) in 1992, designed by Eberhard Zeidler and Crang & Boake.

Further development

Despite all the criticism, the shopping center proved from the start a great success. In fact, the profits were so large that the crisis-ridden department store Eaton's held by another two decades before he finally changed hands in 1999. Today, the Eaton Centre is one of the major shopping centers in North America and one million visitors a week one of the most popular tourist attractions of Toronto.

Among the most striking features of the shopping center is one of a group of Canada geese made ​​of glass fibers that hang from the ceiling. This sculpture named Flight Stop designed by Michael Snow. She was also the subject of significant judicial process to the intellectual property rights. In 1981, the management of the Eaton Centre was decorated before Christmas, the sculpture with red ribbons, without asking the artist 's permission. Snow argued that the tapes can be naturalistic work look "ridiculous" and would jeopardize his reputation as an artist. He sued the management and a court ruled that the mall was indeed in possession of the sculpture, but did it hurt with the red ribbons Snow's copyrights. The court ordered the removal of the tapes.

In the 1990s and the early 2000s made ​​some changes, coupled with an increase in the retail space. To the north-east corner was completely rebuilt to make room for the new main branch of H & M. Since the bankruptcy of Eaton 's is now Sears Canada as the new users of the department store at the north end of the mall. Although the two top floors are empty, this Sears store is the largest in the world. The statue of Timothy Eaton was transferred from the input to the Dundas Street to the Royal Ontario Museum.

July 1, 2010 renovations began in Eaton Centre. In addition to painting and new flooring to be laid, renovated and converted the washrooms, new escalators and elevators installed and increases the retail space. The works are designed for two years and cost the operator of Sears Canada about 120 million Canadian dollars.

Incidents

On June 2, 2012, two people were in the restaurant area of the center in a gang shootout killed and six other people were seriously injured.