The Toronto Design Offsite Festival is coming to #YongeStClair for the first time THIS month from January 15-21st, 2018.

There will be a week’s worth of art and festival programming anchored by three immersive installations designed by leading architecture and design firms Gensler, IBI Group and Superkül.

We had the chance to catch up with Matt Belaen who is an architect from the firm IBI Group here at Yonge + St. Clair.  Read below to learn more about the installation Matt and his team have put together titled ‘The Space Between’, and more about his views on city building.

Can you give us some background on IBI and its approach to city building?

IBI focuses on a fully integrated approach to city building, from the human experience on a day to day basis, to systems/technology, transportation and infrastructure. With each project, regardless of complexity and scale, we try to engage expertise of all our design professionals.

What are IBI’s guiding principles?

IBI’s Smart City strategy aims to use technology to raise its urban IQ, directly improving quality of life, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability. At its core, these are the guiding principles:

1. Focus on the quality of city life
2. Make life in cities healthier
3. Consider all aspects of modern city building today
4. Quality experience for people regarding public and open space, the interface of buildings with the public realm
5. Technology Integration and Systems
6. Transportation and mobility

This is the first year the TO DO festival is at Yonge + St. Clair. What was the thinking behind “The Space Between”, it’s concept of the “Nest”, and it’s relevance to the community and public space?

We wanted to tie in all of our expertise that we have available, while also making the process completely open and democratic. Everyone should have the opportunity to provide feedback and speak about public space. At the initial meetings, we took in feedback from approximately 35 team members from all design groups; Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape Design, Interior Design, Healthcare, Systems and Intelligence, Transportation engineering, and Design and visualization staff.

Team members identified pertinent issues regarding the public space in general, within the City of Toronto and specifically the mid-town area, through a series of workshops. The “nest” works as a metaphor that allows us to speak to the circulation networks and gathering spaces that form and define public space and the transitional spaces between the fully public realm and the private. It also allows us to gather the ideas and points of view of our staff and public regarding their interpretation of public space.

How important was gathering mapping data of the area to inform the design of “The Nest”? Can you share some of your findings with us?

Over the course of several weeks, participating IBI staff members volunteered their GPS travel data while in the mid-town area. Our systems and intelligence staff collected and overlaid the data mapping staff circulation patterns in the area. Through a series of transformation to make the data graphically and artistically suitable for the installation, points of contact, common points or interaction, frequency and location of contact points etc. will be represented.

“The Space Between” is one of three installations that will be up during the Toronto Design Offsite Festival here at Yonge + St. Clair from January 12-21. You can view the installation by visiting 55 St. Clair W
Hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm

To find out what else is going on during the festival, be sure to visit our main page HERE.

The Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) is back and it’s bigger than ever! Taking place January 15-21, 2018, #TODO18 is Canada’s largest cultural celebration of design with over 100 events, exhibitions, and installations forming Toronto’s design week.

Going into its 8th year, TO DO transforms Toronto into a hub for creativity, taking design and art out of the studio and into the urban sphere, and bringing people together to celebrate contemporary culture. They provide opportunities for emerging talent, and engage the community with exceptional and accessible public programming.

Yonge + St. Clair will be participating for the first time with exhibitions, talks and tours all throughout the neighbourhood. A week’s worth of art and festival programming will be anchored by three immersive installations designed by leading, architecture and design firms Gensler, IBI Group and superkül. There will also be an exhibition by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind exploring the latest assistive technology for those who are visually impaired.

Rounding out the programming will be two interactive sessions. The first is a talk called “Undo Toronto” where speakers from each of the participating design firms are bestowed the power to go back in time and undo one thing about Toronto, while proposing an alternative vision. The second is a TO DO Tour: Creating Communities Through Art which is a tour of the area led by three of the city’s leading public art experts, Ilana Altman, the Director of Programming at The Bentway, Patricio Davila, Associate Dean at OCAD University and Anjuli Solanki, Director of Community Programs, STEPS Initiative.

Don’t miss out on these incredible events, read below for more details.

Installations:

#ohdeer by Gensler

The Space Between by IBI Group

Second Life by superkül

Events:

Talk: Undo Toronto w Opening Reception Event to follow

Tour: Creating Communities Through Art

CNIB: Smashing Barriers, Creating Vision

Love a good contest? Want to win great prizes from some of our local Yonge + St. Clair businesses? Then head over to our Instagram page TODAY to enter our thrice weekly “Yonge + St. Clair Holiday Contest”. We’re giving you the chance to win BIG each Monday, Wednesday and Friday up until December 22nd where we will be giving away a GRAND PRIZE!

So far we’ve given away prizes from Book City, Moksha Yoga, Roots Canada, Mary Be Kitchen AND Blowdry Lounge!

Follow us today @yongestclair

Holidays are Better at Yonge + St. Clair

This year we are partnering with CHUM FM for their annual CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish program which has become one of the largest distributors of toys to children in need in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2016 the CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish in conjunction with Toronto Social Services assisted approximately 300,000 people in need through toy and financial support.

From December 4th-15th you can bring any toy donations in the form of new, unwrapped toys for newborns to kids 18 years of age to the main lobby of either 30, 40, 55, 1 and 2 St. Clair W, as well as 1, 2 and 21 St. Clair E. And with your help, we hope to bring the magic of the holidays to those in need of assistance this holiday season.

GIFT IDEAS

Children in the age groups below are sometimes difficult to shop for and often overlooked by donors. Please use these helpful tips to help give a kid a Christmas.

Infants & Babies:

– Age appropriate by the manufacturer’s age rating (0 – 6 months) and (3 months+) are in highest demand
– No ‘button’ eyes or noses – features must be soft and sewn on securely
– Package should say ‘Infant Friendly’ or ‘Baby’s First’, ‘Infantino’, etc.
– Developmental toys (Fisher Price, Baby Einstein, Playskool, Leap Frog Baby)
– No small parts

Children Ages 10 to 18 Years Old:

– Gift cards in the $25-$30 value range would be best (Hudson’s Bay, Wal-Mart, HMV, Cineplex, Gap, Stitches, Chapters, Coles, Old Navy, Garage, Blue Notes, La Senza, etc.)
– Electronic games, age-appropriate board games
– Sports equipment (soccer, basketball, football, hockey, skateboards, scooters, etc.)
– Roller blades, ice skates, snow boards
– Bicycle helmets
– Cosmetics (age appropriate: 16 – 18 years old)
– Personal care and grooming gift packs
– Hair products and accessories (curling irons, blow dryers, shavers, beard groomers, etc.)
– Diaries, journals
– Creative and craft supplies
– Purses, knapsacks/backpacks

Thank You For Giving A Kid A Christmas

Check out the vendors below!

More to be announced soon!

Corktown Soap         A Word in the Woods        Spirit of Vera        Blue Oliphant

Scotch/Rye        Whiff Collection        Sarah Campbell Art

Stephen Brule Photography        Patrick Hunter Art & Design        Dark Side Jewellery        Mumbleweeds        A Little Leafy

Double Space Studio        Christine Miller Art

Backing to the Future        Maria Lopez Jewelery Design        Raw Redemption

Whole food for the soul is the philosophy behind Mary Be Kitchen, Yonge + St. Clair’s newest restaurant. With a strong emphasis on health, wellness, and community, we think they make a perfect addition to the neighbourhood.

We asked co-founder Sarah Huggins to tell us more about this philosophy, how the restaurant came to be, and why they chose Yonge + St. Clair. Find out more below.

What is your professional background?

I am a lawyer by training and spent 10 years practicing law at a large law firm downtown before going to work in-house at the Toronto International Film Festival. In my free time I developed recipes, photographed food and kept a food blog that chronicled my (mis) adventures in feeding my family.

Tell us about the story of Mary Be Kitchen and how the name came to be.

Mary Be Kitchen is an homage to healthful home cooking; it’s the kind of food we would all cook and eat at home if only we had the time to do so. Lots of roasted veggies, leafy greens, whole grain salads, stews, antibiotic and hormone free grilled chicken, organic grilled tofu and comforting stews. So we thought it was fitting to give it a feminine persona, and we named it after my grandmother Mary.

Why did you choose Yonge + St. Clair?

We live in the neighbourhood with our family, and wanted to create the type of place that we felt was missing in the area. The kind of place we would want to go to on a regular basis, not just to eat but to drink great coffee and tea (we pour Pilot brew and espresso and Genuine Teas), have a glass of local wine or craft beer, meet a friend or colleagues, read a newspaper over weekend brunch, or get some work done. I see it as a bit of a community hub for the area, and I love that our guests are already coming in and using it for that purpose. For me it’s more than just another restaurant; it’s a gathering space, a meeting room and a community resource.

The fact that the intersection is undergoing a huge refreshment right now is just the icing on the cake for us. We are so excited to be part of revitalizing this awesome part of the City’s history. Many people would know that this is the site of the original Fran’s restaurant (for 61 years, in fact). We had a fellow in for lunch the other day who told me he worked the grill here back in the 50s. This was the hottest place in town in those days, and we hope it will be again.

Your menu looks incredible. What is the philosophy behind it?

We call it “whole food for the soul.” Good for you, but free of the diets, gimmicks, fads and labels that can be intimidating for people. It’s the kind of food you can eat every day and feel healthy and satisfied, not deprived. It’s a sustainable and joyful way to be and to eat.

Tell us more about the architects who designed the interior (which looks fabulous by the way!)

We worked with Reflect Architecture — Trevor Wallace and his colleague Sonja Tijanic. They designed a couple of great downtown restaurant spaces (Wilbur and Quantum Coffee among them). As midtowners, we were constantly lamenting that we had to travel downtown to find cool spaces to eat and hang out, so we wanted to bring a little of that downtown experience uptown. I hope we succeeded.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Sarah!

MARY BE KITCHEN
21B St. Clair Avenue West
hello@marybekitchen.com
416.792.7596
Weekdays 8AM-9PM
Weekends 9AM-3PM

photography: Cameron Bartlett

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Slate Asset Management announces new Buca restaurant concept from King Street Food Company coming to Yonge + St. Clair in 2018

November 1, 2017 (Toronto) – Slate Asset Management reveals that King Street Food Company will be bringing a new Buca concept to the north west corner of Yonge + St. Clair. The announcement is the latest in a series of exciting changes to the neighbourhood as Slate continues to re-establish the intersection as a destination address.

“Food, like design and art, has the ability to elevate neighbourhoods and communities; no one understands this more than the team at King Street Food Company. We are thrilled that they are bringing their expertise to Yonge + St. Clair,” says Lucas Manuel, Partner at Slate Asset Management. “This is going to be a marquee destination for the community, and another compelling reason for Torontonians from outside the area to come and see the changes taking place at Yonge + St. Clair.”

“We are extremely excited to bring a new Buca restaurant and concept to the thriving community at Yonge + St. Clair and couldn’t be more pleased to work with Slate on this project,” said Peter Tsebelis, Partner and Managing Director, King Street Food Company. “We understand that the dining experience is different for everyone and we look forward to learning more about those working and living in the area to provide the best possible experience for guests joining us from within or outside the neighbourhood.”

This latest announcement comes as Slate prepares to completely renovate the podium at 2 St. Clair West in an effort to revitalize the pedestrian level and retail strip. The renovations will be helmed by global architecture and design firm Gensler, who has already completed extensive work in the area including the podium façade at 2. St. Clair East and the recently revealed “Ravine Bench.”

“The existing podium is the result of a series of renovations and modifications over the last 40 years. We want to peel away the layers and strengthen the relationship within the surrounding area,” says Steven Paynter, Associate, Gensler.

The new podium will allow for a two-level space with double-height ceilings at the corner and an outdoor patio at grade. “The goal is to introduce a sense of volume and grandeur, forming a beacon for animation and street life throughout the day and at night,” says Paynter.

Slate is in a unique position to contribute to the ongoing revitalization of Yonge + St. Clair, having acquired 10 properties in the area, including all four corners, over the last four years. Since 2016, Slate has introduced a new 8-storey mural by international street artist Phlegm, and ushered in a series of public space improvements, including the aforementioned Ravine Bench.

These public space improvements have been augmented by a series of community initiatives including the introduction of a farmer’s market and Food Truck Thursdays during the summer months, activations on all four corners of the intersection and the recent Yonge + St. Clair Pop-Up Store in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.

For more information and high res images please contact kg&a

Vakis Boutsalis
Vakis@kga-inc.com
416-578-1741

Katy Creates
katy@kga-inc.com
416-537-0954

Slate Asset Management L.P. is a leading real estate investment platform with over $4 billion in assets under management. Slate is a value-oriented manager and a significant sponsor of all of its private and publicly-traded investment vehicles, which are tailored to the unique goals and objectives of its investors. The firm’s careful and selective investment approach creates long-term value with an emphasis on capital preservation and outsized returns. Slate is supported by exceptional people, flexible capital and a proven ability to originate and execute on a wide range of compelling investment opportunities. Visit slateam.com to learn more.

Yonge + St. Clair recently partnered up with Zebra Public Art Mgmt to bring you the group exhibit titled “You Have to Take the Stairs” which will be on display from Novemeber 1-30th within the lobby of 55 St. Clair W.

We took the time to chat with co-founders Alexandra (Alex) Correia and Yifat (Fay) Ringel to get their take on the upcoming exhibit and their thoughts on public art here in the City of Toronto.

Both of these dynamic women have combined experience in the professional worlds of real estate, communications, architecture, corporate affairs and urban planning. Mix in their strong passion for art and design, and you can begin to understand how Zebra Public Art Mgmt came to be. Read more below for the whole story.

For those who may not be familiar, tell us more about Zebra Public Art Management, and how you came to be.

Prior to establishing Zebra, we worked together at a large publicly held real estate company in Toronto. Seven years ago, we were given the opportunity to develop and manage a Canada-wide Art Program that included collaborations with three renowned art universities. We also implemented and managed public art competitions and festivals for this program. These successful collaborations gave us the opportunity to work with some great emerging Canadian artists such as Meryl McMaster, Nicholas Chrombach and Rajni Perera, in their early stages of their career. For these artists, it was their first public art experience which was a great milestone on their CV.
These projects led to the path of Zebra Public Art Mgmt., where we decided to venture off to follow our real passion – bringing artful experiences to the public in public spaces.
Zebra’s mission is to engage the worlds of creativity and commerce to enhance the experience of place through art, as well as to create various platforms where people come to learn, experience and have fun, artfully.
Zebra offers public art management services. We take charge of all stages of public art installations from conception to implementation. We curate and produce art exhibitions and festivals and we create programs such as team building events with an art flavour, workshops and talk series to expose art to people in an everyday setting.

What does Public Art mean to you? And why do you think it’s important in a city like Toronto?

Public Art means so much for us. We all come across it and see it every day; probably even without knowing it at times. Public Art serves us in so many ways, it adds an esthetic quality. It can stop us in our tracks to simply say “wow, that’s beautiful” or “ugh, I don’t like that” which is also a good thing as it sparks conversation and thought. It can be a landmark in the city, helping with navigation in the urban fabric, or a meeting place where people gather.
Public Art says something about our time, about our culture and life and how artists interpret contexts within the city. It adds value to a city’s tourism economy, and can also add great value to landlords of retail and public spaces.

Any examples of public art around the world that speaks to you?

There are so many around the world, temporary and permanent pieces that we think are incredible examples; here are just a few:

“21 Swings” in Montreal by Daily tous les jours. We love this interactive piece because it requires the public’s cooperation. As people swing together certain melodies emerge, but yet only through cooperation between players. It’s built on the notion that we can achieve more together than separately, and it’s playful, surprising and stimulates a sense of community and ownership of space.

Kara Walker’s “A Subtlety” . The enormous, sugar-coated “mammy” sphinx in the Sugar Factory in Brooklyn. This art piece is spectacular; you don’t need to know what its about to enjoy it and be in owe of its size and beauty. But here the artist actually encouraged us to look at visible things that we wish were invisible, such as the history to slavery, immigration and migration. Public art creates a space to engage in these difficult conversations.

JR’s photographic images throughout the world. We love his statement that the street is “the largest art gallery in the world” and that in the street, we reach people who never go to museums.

Cloud Gate or as its commonly known as The Bean in Chicago by Anis Kapoor, which in our opinion, is the number one piece on this side of the hemisphere. The way it captures the city, the sky and the people’s reflection is stunning. Public Art at its best as it serves both the city and the casual viewers on so many levels.

A-maze-ing Laughter in Vancouver, by Beijing-based artist Yue Minjun. A perfect example of a static sculpture that is so engaging and interactive; everyone touches it, climbs it, take selfies.

The Berczy Park’s new dog fountain in Toronto by Claude Cormier. The number of humans, big and small, and little dog paws enjoying this piece, is a crowd pleaser everyday, all day.

Tell us what you’re most excited about with this exhibition

We are excited to showcase great art to people, on their everyday, routine trips to and from their offices. A building’s lobby is such a great public space – it’s a wonderful space to use it in a creative way, that can really bring a community together, spark people’s imagination, and show them that art doesn’t have to be in a museum or gallery.
Another important element for us is offering original artworks that are reasonably priced. It can be a stepping stone for people’s art collection.

“You Have to Take the Stairs” is an interesting concept, can you tell us more about how that came to be?

Our office is on the 18th floor. Obviously, we’re taking the elevators daily. When exiting the elevators we land in front of a blank wall. Does it have to be a blank wall? Or can it potentially be a ‘Blank Canvas’, awaiting some colours, shapes and patterns to shape it and inspire the elevator users? This was the thought which triggered the exhibition.

We wanted to find a theme for the show that can connect to building users, in an urban hub like Yonge + St. Clair. We thought about how we all vigorously use the elevators all the time, and literally never take the stairs. We bet most of us don’t even know where the stairs are, but these elevators can also be a metaphor for climbing the social ladder, the financial ladder, chasing our dreams and aspirations, questioning ‘is there an easy way to get to the top or not.’ We thought about the common phrase “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs”, and it fit our idea to connect with all stakeholders.

What do you hope people take away from this exhibit?

To recognize that this city, province, country is full of great talent, that you can buy and start a little art collection with affordable, original piece of art for your house or office instead of mass productions. And we also hope to inspire people, to make them re-think public places and the role of Art in our everyday life.

“You Have to Take the Stairs” will be up for the month of November within the lobby of 55 St. Clair W.

Hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm

Join us on Wednesday, November 1st for the group exhibition titled “You Have to Take the Stairs” curated by Zebra Public Art Mgmt.

For the entire month of November, you’ll be able to experience the work from artists such as:

Dina Belaia        Dina Torrans        Jane Theodore       

John Kokkinos        Leonora Husveti-Frenette        Maria Drazilov       

Marina Nazarova        Melissa Moffat        Ron Wild

Ronald Regamey        Ryan Van Der Hout        Shelley Wildeman

Don’t forget to also come out to the Opening Day Event on Wednesday, November 1st from 12-2:00pm to mingle with some of the artists, and the organizers themselves.