February 17, 2012

GREG MECKBACH

AMC Entertainment Inc. operates these movie theatres, at Yonge and Dundas Streets in Toronto, and Ryerson University uses them for lecture halls in the morning. Ryerson negotiated air rights above a garage with AMC, and is expanding the school by partnering with the private sector.

Toronto intensifies development near Ryerson University

GREG MECKBACH

digital media editor

The Yonge and Dundas area of downtown Toronto is experiencing a spike in development and part of that involves the expansion of Ryerson University.

Sheldon Levy, Ryerson University’s president and vice-chancellor, spoke Feb. 9 to about 50 professionals at an educational event called “Building your firm through strategic alliances.”

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Referring to photos and architects’ renderings in his slide show, Levy explained Ryerson’s partnerships with Eaton Centre mall owner Cadillac Fairview (where a management school shares space with Best Buy and Canadian Tire) and AMC Entertainment (whose theatres Ryerson uses for lecture halls during the day).

GREG MECKBACH

Sheldon Levy, Ryerson University’s president, recently spoke about how important partnerships with the private sector have helped expand the school in downtown Toronto.

Levy said he has been told there is more condominium development near Ryerson University than in any other area of the world.

“A lot of attention is being paid by the private sector to our area,” he said.

“I ask myself, is this the time when Toronto is moving to be of a population like Chicago and New York? Will we be able to have the infrastructure, especially public transportation, to handle it? These are the challenges we see in a growing city.”

He envisions Ryerson attracting tourists to the School of Image Arts, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and built by PCL Constructors, in a renovation job on a former brewery. Located at the southwest corner of Gould and Bond Streets, the School of Image Arts now owns the Black Star collection of some 300,000 photos.

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“All of a sudden, from a brewery, you have created a new cultural centre for the city,” he said.

“We could put on the largest collection of Marilyn Monroe photos. Could you imagine how many tourists will come?”

GREG MECKBACH

According to its president, Ryerson University could attract tourists to the School of Image Arts, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and built by PCL Constructors, in a renovation job on a former brewery. Located at the southwest corner of Gould and Bond Streets, the School of Image Arts now owns the Black Star collection of some 300,000 photos.

But he emphasized it wasn’t easy.

“You can imagine we did a reno of an image arts building that was a reno of a brewery to create something like that this,” he said. “I have to tell you it was painful. PCL and Diamond Schmitt would for sure say it was painful. It was late and over budget. It was because we tried to do a retrofit.”

The event was held at the Verity by Shimmerman Penn, an accounting, audit and consulting firm.

For a closer look at the various Ryerson University construction initiatives in downtown Toronto, please see How Ryerson University engages the private sector to build in Toronto in the Daily Commercial News.

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