Details of Eaton Centre makeover released

Posted by Robyn Urback / June 18, 2010

It'll be greener, cleaner, and a whole lot more swanky.

Cadillac Fairview announced their plans today for the Toronto Eaton Centre's 120 million facelift.

The first phase will involve a revamping of the north food court, which will be redesigned and expanded to include local restaurateurs such as Mercatto. The south food court (the one by Queen Street with the weird red glow) will be turned into one 18,000-square-foot restaurant called Open Kitchens by Richtree. Both food courts will ditch paper and Styrofoam containers for reusable dishes and cutlery, and a food-pulping machine will process scraps for the green bin. Suspended wood ceilings and ambient lighting will give the courts a 'restaurant feel.'

'In addition to having a nicer way to enjoy your food and present it, this will result in a 50-per-cent savings in terms of electricity and water usage,' said Wayne Barwise, Cadillac Fairview senior vice-president of development.

Other upgrades include new floors, renovated and expanded washrooms, new doors at all entrances, and a new retail lobby entrance to the 250 Yonge office tower. Finishes on all elevators and escalators will be upgraded, and existing hand rails will be replaced with glass and stainless steel caps. A 'greening and tree-planting' program is also in the works for the Centre, with details not yet released.

The galleria space will see upgraded lighting and ceiling treatments, and include a new light sculpture by British design firm United Visual Artists.

Renovations are scheduled to begin July 2 and last for 24 months.

Aside from the inevitability of a lot of broken dishes, I think it sounds pretty good. Any objectors?