Taylor’s Shoes and its magnificent storefront has been an icon in the Junction for over 40 years.
The new owners of 2934 Dundas Street West are undergoing a preliminary project review, Application #10 119908 BLD 00 BA. They wish to extend the front entrance, add a new elevator and roof top garden with patio. The work includes “interior demolition of partitions and finishes to main floor and second floor office & change of use from retail to City community office”.
This project sounds great and I’m glad to see people opening new business and investing in the Junction but is this entrance worthy of preservation? Extending the entrance will add square footage but do we lose another symbol of Junction History?
Personally I would like to see the entrance preserved but without a retail application what does a “City community office” do with the street side displace?
Please comment and let me know your view on preservation and non retail applications for this space.
By Martin
9 Comments
Hi Martin. Thanks for the update. Agreed that this is one of the best, if not THE best entrances on the strip, so it would be a shame for it to be lost. There is a definite pattern and rythm of these recessed entrances along the street which give the street character and visual interest. This style and pattern of storefront was identified as a heritage attribute within the Queen St West HCD study, where it is prevalent and character-defining, so there's a precedent for protectecting it from a policy perspective. But I'm not sure what could be done here, it would take some effort from all parties
Maybe it isn't a good use of space for the new owner. There are a few storefronts like this (I'm thinking the Earl Selkirk one) where people have just stuck random paintings in the display portion. If they plan on building offices I can see why a storefront like this is a waste of space. Granted it does look nice but I'd rather have a full in use building with happy tenants.
What an opportunity to display art if the owners found a means to do so!
We have so few storefronts like this left in the city. It adds a dose of sophistication to the retail strip and is memorable. I would hate to see it compromised.
A.R. just admit you hate seeing anything change, anywhere, ever, and you always seem to have a "valid reason" to back it up.
Small town Ontario is calling you… pick up the call….
If I had the money I'd buy the building and leave it the way it is, I thinks it's worth saving. However I don't have the $ and feel that the new owners have the right to change it in the best way they see fit. Isn't a free society grand.
Quick update, word on the street is the “City community office” is a Community Living Toronto office. They are a charitable group that helps people with intellectual disabilities learn life skills.
Sounds like a good group and a stable addition to the Junction.
I love change, where appropriate. If you were going to put up some towers where Home Depot is, I'd welcome that. The new condo on Keele is great change. I think that we're quite fortunate to have a lot of history and sophisticated design from various eras. It really adds value to our area. Why wreck it? There are many empty lots and unremarkable buildings that can improve and change. But change by itself isn't necessarily good or bad.
We need to change our mindset towards buildings a more sophisticated city which makes improvements, not tolerating and encouraging mindless change, but guided change. We're a lot better at it today than in the 1950s when good and sometimes beautiful buildings were demolished for parking lots. Why not?
Also, I find you telling me to live somewhere else whenever you disagree with me disrespectful.
Hi there. I just talked to someone working on the building, and he claimed it's going to be a location for drug addicts to get treated, but that he's not supposed to tell people that. I don't know if that has any truth to it, but does anyone know how we can find out exactly what sort of community office it's going to be?