The Tenor

The Tenor[1] (formerly Metropolis, Toronto Life Square and 10 Dundas East) is a retail, office and entertainment complex development on the north-east corner of the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The project was delayed several times, and sits on a large parcel of prime land in the city's downtown core, on the north side of Yonge–Dundas Square. The complex was owned and developed by PenEquity Management Corp., but is now owned by 10 Dundas St. Ltd.[2]

For the male singing voice, see Tenor.
The Tenor
Coordinates43.656761°N 79.380727°W / 43.656761; -79.380727
Address10 Dundas Street East
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 2G9
Opening date2007 (2007) (phased)
DeveloperPenEquity
ManagementBentall Kennedy (Canada) LP
Owner10 Dundas Street Ltd.
No. of stores and services40
Total retail floor area360,000 sq ft (33,000 m2)
No. of floors13 (10 above ground and 3 concourses)
ParkingN/A
Public transit accessDundas
Websitethetenor.ca

History
The future site of 10 Dundas East, circa 1985, when it was still occupied by a Mr. Submarine restaurant and a video arcade

Before 1998, the site was occupied by several buildings including the O'Keefe's Brewery (formerly Victoria Brewery) and a two-storey structure at the corner. From 1949 to 1974 it was home to the Brown Derby tavern and in the 1980s as a Mr. Submarine location. Many views of that intersection, and the local area as it looked in 1986, can be seen in the movie Short Circuit 2. All the buildings were demolished in the 1980s and 1990s.[3]

The project was approved in 1998 with the opening planned for 2000. The land was expropriated by the City of Toronto immediately afterwards,[4] and while construction boarding soon went up, the project suffered shutdowns and major delays.

While under construction it was known as Metropolis (as late as 2007), but when it opened, the complex was renamed "Toronto Life Square" after the local magazine. After the building was placed in court-ordered receivership in 2009, St. Joseph Communications, the owner of Toronto Life magazine, initiated a court action to have the magazine's name removed from the complex. The building was renamed "10 Dundas East" in September 2009.[5] Entertainment Properties Trust, a Kansas City-based real estate investment trust that had provided construction financing for the project in 2005, acquired the complex in March 2010.[2]

Architecture

The project was built in an L-configuration around a number of existing buildings, including a parking garage belonging to the adjacent Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). In exchange for the air rights to build over its land, Ryerson gained use of the movie theatres as classrooms during daytime hours.[6]

The exterior facing Dundas Square is primarily covered with giant video screens and static billboard advertisements of various sizes. The Yonge Street facade is made up of curtainwall store fronts with a glass and steel canopy overhanging the sidewalk. Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume wrote a lengthy piece in the newspaper entitled "We don't deserve this horrorchitecture", which decried the building as a "nasty dark grey bunker".[4] Daily Hive alluded the facade to Blade Runner 2049 per local artist Lucan Coutts.[7]

Retail
Retail Atrium

10 Dundas Square East is anchored by a Cineplex Cinemas 23-screen movie theatre, Dollarama, an Adidas Sport Store, The Beer Store, the tourist attraction Little Canada, and restaurants including Jack Astor's and Milestones.[8]

  • Exterior shot during construction, June 30, 2006
    Exterior shot during construction, June 30, 2006
  • 10 Dundas East in 2008
    10 Dundas East in 2008
  • 10 Dundas East in 2011
    10 Dundas East in 2011
  • Across Yonge-Dundas Square in 2015
    Across Yonge-Dundas Square in 2015
  • Basement shops
    Basement shops
  • Food Court in Level 2
    Food Court in Level 2

See also

References
  1. Toneguzzi, Mario (9 December 2021). "Iconic 10 Dundas Street East Building in Downtown Toronto Rebrands as 'The Tenor': Interview". Retail Insider. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  2. Roberts, Rob (2010-03-08). "Entertainment Properties Trust closes deal to buy Toronto Dundas Square". Kansas City Business Journal.
  3. "O'Keefe's Brewery | The Black Creek Growler". Blackcreekbrewery.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  4. Christopher Hume, "We don't deserve this horrorchitecture". Toronto Star, January 14, 2008.
  5. Friesen, Joe (September 22, 2009). "Toronto Life's logos are scrubbed from 10 Dundas East". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  6. "Feenstra, Nicole; The Ryersonian: In Depth: Ryerson real estate; November 23, 2006". Archived from the original on 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  7. "This TO photographer makes the city look like scenes out of Blade Runner (PHOTOS) | Etcetera". dailyhive.com. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  8. "Carmen Cheung; The Ryersonian: Toronto Life Square...coming soon; September 18, 2007". Archived from the original on 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
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