Don Mills Centre

Don Mills Centre was a shopping mall and community retail complex at the southwest corner of Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto, Ontario. It occupied a roughly 44-acre commercial site at the centre of the Don Mills planned community and served residents of the surrounding neighbourhood for more than five decades. At its height, the complex contained at least 98 stores and combined a conventional enclosed-mall format with supermarkets, department stores, drugstores, specialty retailers and local services. The site originated with E. P. Taylor of Argus Corporation, who initially acquired the land for a proposed brewing plant. That plan was abandoned when the property was selected as the commercial focal point of the planned Don Mills community, a large postwar development designed around neighbourhood facilities, housing and transportation infrastructure. Construction began in 1954, and a strip-plaza format opened in 1955. The first tenants included a Dominion supermarket, Koffler's Drug Store—later associated with the first Shoppers Drug Mart—Brewers Retail and approximately a dozen other businesses. The centre was designed primarily for nearby residents rather than for a metropolitan regional-shopping audience. Its central location made it accessible on foot from surrounding rental housing, including housing for many seniors and people with disabilities. The retail complex expanded during the 1960s. Dominion moved into a larger store at the south end of the property, Zellers became an important tenant, and the outdoor centre grew to approximately 65 stores by 1965. A major renovation in 1978 enclosed much of the mall and increased its area from approximately 400,000 to 462,000 square feet. For many years, Don Mills Centre's principal anchors included Eaton's, Zellers, Dominion and Home Hardware. The subsequent closure of Eaton's weakened the mall's attraction and left its former space in repeated transition. The lower level was used successively by a Sears Canada clearance operation, National Sports, a patio-furniture retailer and a used-car dealership. Competition from other Toronto shopping centres, changing retail patterns and the departure of fashion tenants contributed to a long decline. Some established local retailers continued to report satisfactory business, but the owner increasingly offered shorter lease terms, which residents and observers interpreted as part of a strategy to facilitate redevelopment. Cadillac Fairview proposed changes in 2004, initially presenting redevelopment as a renovation and expansion of the existing mall. In 2006, however, the company argued before the Ontario Municipal Board that the property was in poor condition and sought approval to demolish most of the centre and replace it with an urban lifestyle village. The proposal generated significant local opposition. Residents viewed the mall as an important community gathering place and argued that the redevelopment would not adequately preserve its neighbourhood-serving role. Most of Don Mills Centre closed and was demolished in summer 2006. Cadillac Fairview provided a shuttle to Fairview Mall for several years while the replacement project was being built. The Shops at Don Mills opened its first phase on April 22, 2009, with approximately 100 retailers and services. Although the original mall ceased to exist, some components of the former commercial site remained or were replaced by new facilities. Dominion's successor, Metro, and the Royal Bank building were identified as surviving elements of the old complex, while Shoppers Drug Mart and CIBC later opened new buildings in the area.

Don Mills Centre developed from the postwar planning of Don Mills, an extensive planned community in Toronto. E. P. Taylor, associated with Argus Corporation, acquired the site with the intention of constructing a brewing plant. The land was instead selected as the commercial heart of the new community, positioned at the southwest corner of Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East. Its location placed retail services near substantial residential development and within walking distance of many nearby homes and rental buildings. Construction began in 1954. The first retail phase opened in 1955 as an outdoor strip plaza. It included a Dominion supermarket, Koffler's Drug Store, Brewers Retail and roughly a dozen other retailers. Koffler's was historically significant because it was the first Shoppers Drug Mart location. The centre's initial purpose was strongly local: it supplied groceries, medicines, household goods and other everyday necessities to the surrounding community rather than functioning solely as a destination for regional shoppers. Its accessibility was particularly relevant to older residents and people with disabilities living in the area. Expansion followed as the Don Mills population and retail demand grew. By 1965, Dominion had moved into a larger supermarket at the southern end of the site, Zellers had become a tenant, and the outdoor complex had reached approximately 65 stores. The centre later added or hosted major retail anchors including Eaton's and Home Hardware. In 1978, a substantial renovation enclosed the mall and expanded its floor area from approximately 400,000 to 462,000 square feet. This transformation brought the property closer to the enclosed-shopping-centre model that dominated Canadian retail during the period. The mall's fortunes declined in later decades. Competition from other shopping centres reduced its regional importance, while the closure of Eaton's removed a major anchor and contributed to the departure of many fashion retailers. Space formerly occupied by Eaton's passed through several uses: a Sears Canada clearance outlet, National Sports, a patio-furniture store and a used-car dealership. These changes reflected the difficulty of maintaining a large traditional mall in a changing retail environment. Long-established businesses could still be profitable, but the property increasingly lacked the combination of anchors and tenant mix needed to sustain the previous model. Cadillac Fairview, the mall's owner, presented redevelopment proposals in 2004. The initial concept involved renovating the existing centre and adding new space. By 2006, the company argued at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing that the property was in poor physical condition and should be demolished and rebuilt as an urban lifestyle village. The proposal became contentious because many residents considered Don Mills Centre more than a collection of stores: it was a familiar meeting place and an accessible community facility. Local opponents argued that the proposed redevelopment did not sufficiently reflect the needs of the surrounding population. Most of the centre closed and was demolished in summer 2006. During the interim, Cadillac Fairview arranged shuttle transportation to Fairview Mall. Replacement construction eventually produced Shops at Don Mills, whose first phase opened on April 22, 2009, with about 100 retailers and services in an open-air, mixed-use village format. Some retail and financial functions returned in new or relocated premises, including a Shoppers Drug Mart and a CIBC branch. Home Hardware moved to 49 The Donway West, a separate group of buildings on the south side of the former mall property; those buildings were later demolished in 2013, with new Shoppers Drug Mart and CIBC locations developed nearby. Metro, the successor to Dominion, and the Royal Bank building were identified as remaining elements associated with the former mall site.

• 2013

  Former south-side buildings demolished

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The buildings at 49 The Donway West, where Home Hardware had relocated, were demolished.

• 2009

  Shops at Don Mills opens

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The first phase of the replacement development opened with approximately 100 retailers and services.

• 2006

  Mall largely demolished

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Most of Don Mills Centre closed and was demolished to make way for a new urban lifestyle development.

• 2004

  Redevelopment proposals introduced

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Cadillac Fairview put forward proposals to renovate and expand the existing shopping centre.

• 1978

  Major enclosure and expansion

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  A major renovation enclosed the mall and increased its area to approximately 462,000 square feet.

• 1965

  Outdoor centre expands

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Dominion relocated to a larger southern store, Zellers joined the tenant mix, and the centre grew to approximately 65 stores.

• 1955

  Initial strip plaza opens

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The first phase opened with Dominion, Koffler's Drug Store, Brewers Retail and approximately a dozen other retailers.

• 1954

  Construction begins

  [1]Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Construction started on the commercial centre intended to anchor the Don Mills planned community.

A neighbourhood-oriented shopping centre intended to provide everyday retail, services and community access for residents of the Don Mills planned community.

• Grocery retail · 1955

  Dominion supermarket

  Dominion was one of the original and most important tenants. It provided everyday grocery shopping for the surrounding Don Mills community and later moved into a larger store at the south end of the centre. The location ultimately became associated with Metro after Dominion's Canadian supermarket operations changed ownership and branding.

• Pharmacy retail · 1955

  Koffler's Drug Store

  Koffler's Drug Store was part of the original 1955 tenant group and is historically notable as the first Shoppers Drug Mart location. Its presence established pharmacy and health products as part of the centre's neighbourhood-service role.

• Department store

  Eaton's

  Eaton's served as one of the centre's major department-store anchors. Its eventual closure reduced the mall's drawing power and left substantial space that was subsequently used by several different retailers, including Sears Canada, National Sports and nontraditional retail occupants.

• Department store · 1965

  Zellers

  Zellers became a major tenant during the centre's expansion in the 1960s. The department store broadened the mall's merchandise offer beyond groceries and local services, but its location was ultimately closed and demolished before the redevelopment.

• Hardware and home improvement

  Home Hardware

  Home Hardware was a longstanding tenant serving household repair, maintenance and improvement needs. It later relocated to 49 The Donway West on the south side of the property before the associated buildings were demolished in 2013.

• 2006

  Replace the enclosed mall with an urban lifestyle villageStrategy

  Background

  Declining mall revenues, competition from other shopping centres, the loss of Eaton's and the departure of fashion retailers weakened the traditional shopping-centre model. Cadillac Fairview also asserted that the existing property was in poor condition.

  Action taken

  Cadillac Fairview pursued approval to demolish most of Don Mills Centre and redevelop the site as Shops at Don Mills, an open-air urban village with retail and services.

  Aftermath

  The majority of the mall was demolished in summer 2006. The replacement development opened its first phase in 2009, while the redevelopment remained controversial among nearby residents.

  Source

1. 1Don Mills Centreen.wikipedia.org