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Bloor Street West’s “The Colonnade” was one of the first mixed-use complexes in the city of Toronto at the time that it was built. This building was revolutionary for its time, however was renovated several decades after it was created in order to accomodate a hotel instead of a residence. Due to the high-end retail scene on Bloor Street West, this building is home to over 30 luxurious retail stores, as well as offices and a theatre on the second and third floor. The Colonnade is an important precedent for mixed use architecture in Toronto.
The Colonnade at 131 Bloor Street West is a mixed use commercial and residential building that includes retail, offices, a theatre, and a residential component. Its main frontage is on the south side of Bloor Street West, located between Sultan Street on the east and 151 Bloor Street West, another commercial building, on the west. South of the building is a greenspace for the Rosedale Day School.
The Colonnade was one of the earliest high-rise buildings incorporating mixed uses in Toronto in the early 1960s. The first two storeys housed high-end retail stores, offices, health services, and a theatre, while the upper levels housed thousands of people in affordable apartments.
This building has several defining characteristics including the courtyard created by the front entrance and curving second floor element. The open stairs as well as the glazed openings in the concrete were features that were uncommon at the time, and worked in well with the use of retail to bring in vast amounts of light. The intricate language of the curved element passing through the columns on the north elevation also create an interesting dialogue to passersby on the street.
