Yorkville Village
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| Coordinates | 43°40′16″N 79°23′40″W / 43.670976°N 79.394583°W |
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| Address | 55 Avenue Road Toronto, Ontario M5R 3L2 |
| Opening date | October 1976 |
| Owner | First Capital Realty |
| No. of stores and services | 23 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 210,000 square feet (20,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | yorkvillevillage |
Yorkville Village is a shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Yorkville neighbourhood, along Avenue Road, north of Bloor Street. Prior to its redevelopment which concluded on January 25, 2016, it was known as Hazelton Lanes.[1]
History
Hazelton Lanes
Designed by architect Boris Zerafa (1933-2002) of the Webb Zerafa Menkès Housden Partnership architectural firm, Hazelton Lanes opened in October 1976 with 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of retail space.[2] It was positioned as a luxury shopping centre and attracted some prestigious retailers such as Hermès, Les Must de Cartier, Donald Davies Fashions, Guy Laroche, Bart Leather, Teuscher, and Vuokko.[3] In retrospect, some analysts saw the ability of Hazelton Lanes to attract the upscale retailers that it did as having direct correlation to opening one year before the first phase of Cadillac Fairview's marquee Toronto Eaton Centre urban mall,[4] reasoning that had it opened after the more centrally located Eaton Centre, it likely wouldn't have been able secure them.[1]
As a result of an expansion that took place during 1988 and 1989, Hazelton Lanes shopping complex tripled in size by adding address 87 Avenue Road to its north portion.[1] It thus began hosting even more luxury retailers such as Versace, Valentino, Fogal of Switzerland, Emanuel Ungaro, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, and others.[1] In 1991, a six-storey condominium containing 71 units was built by the same developer, situated behind the mall with the address 77 Avenue Road. Despite different entrances, the mall and condo shared utilities, the parking garage and some core services. The mall and condo were set up as separate legal corporations, with contracts governing how they interact.[5]
Hazelton Lanes began to experience difficult times in the early 1990s with the recession that gripped Toronto and much of Canada. Many of the upscale stores in Hazelton Lanes closed their doors, with some moving to the nearby Mink Mile along Bloor Street. With brick-work on parts of the complex's exterior falling into disrepair, as well as continual complaints over the interior's unusual configuration by contemporary mall standards featuring low ceilings and inconveniently-located entrances, Hazelton Lanes—though still considered upscale—became more of a neighbourhood shopping centre.[1]
Ownership change, redevelopment and name change
The shopping complex was bought by First Capital Realty in September 2011 for CA$110 million, which was reportedly paid out as a combination of cash and the assumption of a CA$58-million debt.[6] The corporation spent CA$100 million to redevelop Yorkville Village. The redevelopment added 5,000 square feet (460 m2) to the existing 210,000 square feet (20,000 m2) of space and replaced all mechanical systems. The rebuild has added an Equinox Fitness as its second anchor, which opened its doors on February 3, 2016. The mall continues to be anchored by Whole Foods Market, which has remained throughout the renovation project. Along the Avenue Road frontage, a new double-height glass facade was added. The mall also added an entrance from Yorkville Avenue.[7]
Controversy
First Capital's renovation of Hazelton Lanes led to conflict and lawsuits with the condominium corporation that runs the residential units. In one instance when First Capital needed to shut down electricity for renovations, several residents started a sit-in protest at the construction office which forced First Capital to back down, which was known in the community as the “Yom Kippur Rebellion”.[5][8]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Hazelton Lanes is Officially Rebranded". Retail Insider. January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ Bradburn, Jamie (26 August 2013). "Making and Remaking Hazelton Lanes". Torontoist.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ Bradburn, Jamie (21 February 2020). "Making and Remaking Hazelton Lanes". Jamie Bradburn blog. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ Immen, Wallace (9 February 2015). "Vintage Hazelton Lanes getting more than a facelift". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 20 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Mall war: How redevelopment of the former Hazelton Lanes sparked a poisonous feud in wealthy Yorkville | National Post". July 4, 2015.
- ^ "Yorkville's $110M Hazelton Lanes mall sold". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
- ^ "Sneak Peek: First Capital's Yorkville Village Revamp". Bisnow. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
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