Empress Walk
Encyclopedia
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
and Empress Avenue in the North York Centre
North York Centre
North York Centre is a town centre in North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to the Amalgamation of Toronto in 1998, it was considered the central business district of the former city of North York...
area of the city of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Developed by Menkes Development, Phase 1 was completed in 1997 and Phase 2 by 2000. The lower portion is a three-storey retail mall (lower level with access to the North York Centre subway station
North York Centre (TTC)
North York Centre is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at 5152 Yonge Street, where Yonge is intersected by Park Home Avenue and Empress Avenue. This is within North York Centre, a high density area of the Willowdale neighbourhood...
) covering 240000 square feet (22,296.7 m²) topped with a 95 feet (29 m) dome, the highlight being the longest unsupported escalator in North America to give access to the movie theatre from the ground floor. There is a 3035-seat movie multi-plex owned by Empire Theatres
Empire Theatres
Empire Theatres Limited is the second-largest movie theatre chain in Canada, and the only major circuit operating in Atlantic Canada. A subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd., the family-owned parent of the Sobeys supermarket chain presently owns and operates 51 locations in 8 of 10 provinces, from...
. Above are two 34-storey residential towers with a total of 745 units between them. These skyscrapers remain among the tallest in North York.
Overview
Behind the Empress Walk complex on its east side is Princess Park, commemorating the original sites of the first municipal building and fire hall of North York. The clock tower from the fire hall has been reconstructed and serves as the centrepiece for the park. Across the street are Mel Lastman SquareMel Lastman Square
Mel Lastman Square is a public square at North York Civic Centre in the North York, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named for former North York mayor Mel Lastman....
, the North York Civic Centre
North York Civic Centre
The North York Civic Centre is a building that once served as the city hall for the former City of North York, Ontario, Canada.Designed by Adamson Associates Architects, the building is located on Yonge Street north of Sheppard Avenue, and features Mel Lastman Square along the Yonge Street frontage...
, the North York City Centre
City Centre (Toronto)
City Centre in North York is an 18 storey commercial and civic office complex. Completed in 1989, it is home to North York Central Library. The City of Toronto also has offices at this site to serve residents of North York....
office tower and Novotel
Novotel
Novotel is a mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group. Novotel has close to 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries, situated in the business districts and tourist destinations of major international cities.-History:...
.
It was built as part of Mel Lastman
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
's bid to create a downtown in North York to rival the old city of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. It remains a hub of activity with condominium projects being built north and south of it today.
In 2000, the property was acquired by RioCan REIT, a Canadian real estate investment trust.
Major retailers
- Empire TheatresEmpire TheatresEmpire Theatres Limited is the second-largest movie theatre chain in Canada, and the only major circuit operating in Atlantic Canada. A subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd., the family-owned parent of the Sobeys supermarket chain presently owns and operates 51 locations in 8 of 10 provinces, from...
(originally Famous Players) (63,644 sq ft.) - Staples Business DepotStaples Business DepotStaples is a Canadian office supply retail chain, part of the United States-based office supply company Staples Inc...
(originally Indigo Books and MusicIndigo Books and MusicIndigo Books & Music Inc. is a Canadian retail bookstore chain. The company was founded in 1996 by CEO Heather Reisman, wife of Gerry Schwartz, majority owner and CEO of Onex Corporation....
) (20,202 sq ft.) - LCBO (3,238 sq ft.)
- Loblaws Empress MarketLoblawsLoblaws is a supermarket chain with over 70 stores in Canada, headquartered in Brampton, with stores across Ontario and Quebec. Loblaws is a division of Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest food distributor...
(60,100 sq ft.) - Future ShopFuture ShopFuture Shop is Canada's largest consumer electronics retailer. Future Shop currently operates a total of 146 stores across all of Canada's provinces as of December 2008....
(originally SportChek ) (28,970 sq ft.) - Wendy'sWendy'sWendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
and Fabricland (originally Tower RecordsTower RecordsTower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
) (3.934 sq ft. and 10100 sq ft (938.3 m²). respectively) - Toronto Dance Salsa (originally Thrifty) (1,608 sq ft.)
Re-zoning
Prior to the building of Empress Walk, the east side of Yonge StreetYonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
did not have the zoning capacity to build condominiums but only office space and retail stores. A deal was made with City Council to re-zone the area on the condition that the developers had done the following without municipal funding:
- rebuild Earl Haig Secondary SchoolEarl Haig Secondary SchoolEarl Haig Secondary School is a public high school with a student body of about 2,300 students in Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school's principal is Renata Gonsalves.-History:...
- rebuild McKee Public School
- rebuild Mitchell Field Community Centre
- re-align Doris Avenue to prevent thru-way traffic in a residential area connecting Bayview AvenueBayview AvenueBayview Avenue is a major north-south route in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario. North of Toronto, in York Region, Bayview is also designated as York Regional Road 34.-History:...
and Yonge Street.
This decision proved to be a very popular one in the community because Empress Walk would contribute opportunities for entrepreneurs and also revitalize the aging community. The building structures of Earl Haig Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School is a public high school with a student body of about 2,300 students in Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school's principal is Renata Gonsalves.-History:...
, McKee Elementary School and Mitchell Field Community Centre drastically required rebuilding or advanced renovations; however, funding was not available. The entire rebuilding of this community was completed without the use of tax revenue. In return, the buyers of the condo units were allowed to send their children to the aforementioned schools, making this one of their selling points (new condo residents now have to be bused to schools in other areas due to overcrowding).