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New Life on Yonge Street

August 7, 2013 | Neighbourhood

What’s old can become new again. Even with neglected commercial buildings on downtown Yonge Street. What’s transformed the corner of Yonge & Temperance Streets (between Richmond & Adelaide) at 140 Yonge Street looks to be nothing short of a miracle. From a grungy corner to a retro-feeling New York style cafe and eatery  with gorgeous yellow bricks and spiffed up historic details, it’s almost impossible to imagine this building could be so great when you look back at it from the perspective of a few years ago. Have a look for yourself:

Image courtesy of Google Maps

Photo credit: Androiduk from UrbanToronto.ca, Dineen Projects & Construction Thread.

 

How can you not fall in love with a building like that! Now that decades of grime and filth have been cleaned away and the updates to the building have been properly highlighted, this structure brings life and interest to a stretch of Yonge Street that so clearly deserves it.

And what’s most impressive is that it’s not now just filled with a typical chain coffee shop, but rather something that fits in with the style and flavour of the building’s period: Dineen Coffee Co., named after the original title, The Dineen Building. In walking by yesterday, I could see how well embraced the new building is with the neighbourhood with a hopping patio area and a packed interior.

Urban Toronto has documented a lot of the updates on the building with sneak peaks into the interior restorations and the cool hidden details that were exposed during the transformation. Features like the building’s original directory, the period columns, ornate ceiling details and old money safes (of which one has still not been opened yet!). To read back through the two-year long restoration, check out The Dineen Building link on UrbanToronto.ca.

Good job Toronto with the ongoing historic restoration projects – let’s keep it up – there are lots more to restore to make this city stunning!

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