The top of Toronto
Dublin Core
Title
The top of Toronto
Description
The following is an excerpt from Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto, Coach House Press, 2010
At mid-afternoon, pedestrians are everywhere, crossing all seven lanes of Yonge or Steeles. Some of the pedestrians cross north to Richmond Hill – big sky country. You can't really see Richmond Hill from here, but the signs assure you that it is indeed there and, along with the other GTA municipalities, it sprawls up to Lake Simcoe and beyond.
Any lingering doubts as to this place's importance are cleared up with Centerpoint Mall's self-assured modish logo of four arrows pointing towards each other, found on the southwest corner. Inside, it's the standard Toronto second-tier mall mix of rug emporiums, fly-by-night electronics and leather goods stores and women pushing small dogs in Zellers carts.
Centrepoint was originally going to be called Sayvette City when it was planned in 1961, but changed names before opening in 1964. It, like its popular cousin Yorkdale Mall, is a bit of a modernist gem of a mall, with horizontal windows along the tops of corridors and a huge round room with a sweeping ceiling that feels like a 1960s airport – though it was ruined at some point to make way for an oversized Buck or Two shop.
Back outside, on Yonge at Steels, the quieter streetscape of Richmond Hill gives is a contrast to the remarkable chaos of Toronto strip malls, like at the Centre & Yonge Plaza, an old cedar-shingled building housing Iranian butchers, Chinese florists and the Love Shop adult novelty and video store, a landscape of suburban pleasures and multiculturalism, together at last. Yonge street, from top to bottom, can accommodate such variety, both human and architectural.
At mid-afternoon, pedestrians are everywhere, crossing all seven lanes of Yonge or Steeles. Some of the pedestrians cross north to Richmond Hill – big sky country. You can't really see Richmond Hill from here, but the signs assure you that it is indeed there and, along with the other GTA municipalities, it sprawls up to Lake Simcoe and beyond.
Any lingering doubts as to this place's importance are cleared up with Centerpoint Mall's self-assured modish logo of four arrows pointing towards each other, found on the southwest corner. Inside, it's the standard Toronto second-tier mall mix of rug emporiums, fly-by-night electronics and leather goods stores and women pushing small dogs in Zellers carts.
Centrepoint was originally going to be called Sayvette City when it was planned in 1961, but changed names before opening in 1964. It, like its popular cousin Yorkdale Mall, is a bit of a modernist gem of a mall, with horizontal windows along the tops of corridors and a huge round room with a sweeping ceiling that feels like a 1960s airport – though it was ruined at some point to make way for an oversized Buck or Two shop.
Back outside, on Yonge at Steels, the quieter streetscape of Richmond Hill gives is a contrast to the remarkable chaos of Toronto strip malls, like at the Centre & Yonge Plaza, an old cedar-shingled building housing Iranian butchers, Chinese florists and the Love Shop adult novelty and video store, a landscape of suburban pleasures and multiculturalism, together at last. Yonge street, from top to bottom, can accommodate such variety, both human and architectural.
Creator
Shawn Micallef
Date
Dec 3/13
Files
Collection
Citation
Shawn Micallef, “The top of Toronto,” TPL Virtual Exhibits - Contribution site, accessed May 10, 2024, http://omeka.tplcs.ca/virtual-exhibits-contribute/items/show/100.