There have been a number of changes taking place across Bloor Street West, with new businesses opening and plenty of vast renovations and new builds coming up, including a massive 10 year project from the TTC at Yonge and Bloor subway station. With so many changes on the horizon, it can be difficult to keep track of what’s coming, what’s going, and what’s evolving, so we’ve mapped out some of the major projects that will be taking place over the next few years.
Bloor Street West Updates, New Openings, Renovations, & More
Bloor-Yonge TTC Station
Recently announced was a 1.5 billion dollar investment in the Yonge & Bloor subway station. This is one of North America’s busiest subway stations, seeing approximately 220,000 riders per day and will see even more users in the coming years. The goal of this project is to not only improve train and platform capacity, but efficiency as well.
The project will be ongoing over the next ten years and will include the construction of a new accessible entrance and exit on Bloor Street East at 71-81, the addresses previously occupied by Sabai Sabai and The Firkin Pub.
The Line 1 platforms will be lengthened to help reduce overcrowding and an entirely new Line 2 platform will be built to enhance capacity for east and westbound trains. You can learn more about the TTC project here.
New Openings on Bloor Street
Bloor Street is truly the epicenter of luxury shopping in Toronto and this won’t be changing any time soon! There are several luxury retailers opening soon along with a new wellness destination and four new dining options.
100 Bloor Street West: Van Cleef & Arpels
Luxury French jeweler, Van Cleef & Arpels will soon be taking over the approximately 2000 square foot space at 100 Bloor St West. The exquisite jewelry brand currently has its own
shop-in-shop at the nearby Birks store at Bay and Bloor, so this will give fans of the brand even more access to their collections.
110 Bloor St West: Saint Laurent, Anne Fontaine, Othership, & Alexander Wang
There are number of exciting openings coming soon to the spaces at 110 Bloor Street, including Saint Laurent‘s new Toronto flagship. This will be one of the largest spaces in the world for the brand, taking up approximately 10,400 square feet of space. Saint Laurent currently occupies a smaller 3000 sq f storefront space attached to Holt Renfrew, so this move demonstrates the brands success in Bloor-Yorkville. There has also been discussion about including a casual restaurant concept, known for its healthy meal options, that would locate behind Saint Laurent next to a Starbucks.
Anne Fontaine will be opening their very first standalone in Canada! The Paris-based womenswear brand focusses on high-quality wardrobe staples, featuring impeccable tailoring and long lasting accessories. This will be a unique offering for women in the Toronto area and as of now, is the only planned Canadian storefront for the brand.
Quickly gaining a cult following is the Toronto-born wellness brand Othership. With one other downtown location, Othership is an “otherwordly bathhouse experience that creates a new form of wellness entertainment through sauna, ice baths, and breathwork.” This will be a completely unique addition to the Bloor-Yorkville area, offering drop-in solo experiences or guided sessions with an instructor.
No stranger to the younger fashion crowd, NYC favourite Alexander Wang will be opening their first Toronto standalone boutique. This opening will add to the contemporary boutiques in the area (CNTRBND and Stone Island, for example) with a focus on high end street wear.
New to our local dining scene will be Paris Baguette, a French-inspired café offering salads, gourmet sandwiches, and of course, baked goods. While there is a Canadian expansion in the works for the brand, this will be their first Canadian location, offering a great on-the-go, yet high quality lunch stop for the neighbourhood.
Also of note, Brooks Brothers recently relocated from 110 Bloor Street West to a new space at 83 Bloor Street West.
131 Bloor Street West: Salvatore Ferragamo
Over at The Colonnade at 131 Bloor Street West, Salvatore Ferragamo will be taking over two spaces, located between Dior and Prada. Few details have been released about the project, but the brand plans to use this new flagship to innovate the brand and attract a new, younger consumer base.
Manulife Centre – 55 Bloor Street West: Swarovski, Earls Kitchen & Bar, & Antonio Park Restaurant
Swarovski will be reopening in the area after vacating their former space at 2 Bloor West (due to the upcoming renovations). This is a welcome reopening, as Swarovski has been a popular brand in the area for accessibly priced jewelry and accessories; a perfect spot to keep on your radar for upcoming gift ideas!
A newcomer to the area is Earls Kitchen & Bar, which will feature a large patio and menu items unique to our neighbourhood! With an entire happy hour food and drink menu, we’re sure Earls will be a must-visit for both locals and those working in the area – plus its a great post Cineplex Varsity option.
Recently opened is Antonio Park Restaurant, which took over the space on the top floor of the Manulife Centre. The restaurant offers “sky high dining” with Japanese and Pan-Asian inspired dishes created by chef Antonio Park and of course, sweeping views of the city skyline.
Construction / Redevelopments
Along with the new openings, comes quite a few construction and redesign projects, which ultimately will lend a fresh esthetic to much of Bloor Street.
2 Bloor West
Part of Cumberland Terrace, 2 Bloor West is a major office tower at the corner of Yonge and Bloor Street. The current renovation is a large scale project to redesign the tower’s podium with an all-glass design to help modernize the structure.
Eventually, (slated for completion in 2024) this will be the new multi-floor flagship location for Lululemon, currently operating at 153 Cumberland Street. With Alo recently opening at Bay and Bloor and several fitness studios, Bloor-Yorkville does not fall short on the wellness front!
101 Bloor Street West – Rolex with newly renovated Royale de Versailles
New facades are being erected on the ground level at 101 Bloor West to give the current Royal de Versailles a refresh, but also to welcome in a brand new Rolex flagship. Rolex will open on the corner of Bloor Street and St. Thomas and will be one of the brand’s largest boutiques in North America.
110 Bloor Street West
With four major retailers moving in (the previously mentioned Saint Laurent, Anne Fontaine, Othership, & Alexander Wang) 110 Bloor West is also undergoing a major refresh with a brand new ground level façade.
2 Bloor East
Across the street at another landmark location, is the former Hudson’s Bay Centre, now referred to as 2 Bloor East. This project will see a massive renovation of the tower’s podium and concourse levels.
The renovation will also include a new façade, moving away from the current Brutalist architecture, lending a fresh look to the area.
Demolition + New Builds
83-95 Bloor Street West
Over at 83-95 Bloor Street West is a (not-yet approved) proposal for another full demolition and rebuild. This project would include the construction of a 79 floor mixed-use condominium at the southeast corner of Bloor Street West and St Thomas Street.
80-82 Bloor Street West
This full demolition has been approved by the city and will see 80-82 Bloor Street West torn down and rebuilt for a multi-use retail and residential building. The new build will be a 72-story building with 1430 condo units. As part of this project, the developers are responsible for providing a park at the current 1240 Bay Street building (which will also be torn down).
The project is currently in the pre-construction phase.