Location: Yorkdale Mall
Date photo taken: 9 December 2018
Yorkdale Shopping Centre, located at Highway 401 and Allen Road, opened in 1964. At the time, it was billed as the largest enclosed shopping mall in the world and it was definitely something new for Toronto. According to the Toronto Star, approximately 100,000 people visited on opening day. Since opening, the mall has consistently reinvented itself, having gone through four major renovations to date. On a visit not that long ago, I was delighted to discover that one of the interior hallways leading to the washroom facilities had been given over to a display of vintage photographs of the mall. A space that in many such facilities is overlooked and often bleak had been transformed into a gorgeous gallery celebrating the development of this cultural space. It was really interesting to study the archival images and then re-emerge into the modern mall and note the differences and similarities. Definitely worth a look on your next visit, even if you don't need the facilities.. And for those interested in urban development and the future of shopping malls, you might want to check out the ambitious redevelopment plans currently being put forth for Yorkdale and its surroundings.
