College Park (Toronto) - Today

Today

By the 1990s, it was clear that the boutique-concept shopping mall in College Park was not successful, in part due to the physical design of the ground floor of the building, which was intended for one retailer (Eaton's), not a series of boutiques. The elevator and pedestrian arcade running north-south along the interior east side of the building (along the Yonge Street frontage), while a notable aspect of the original design, prevented smaller retailers from having a significant street-front presence (or, for the most part, having direct access from Yonge Street). In 2001, City Council approved the construction of demising walls throughout the arcade, allowing for the use of the ground floor by four or five larger retailers, all with direct access onto Yonge Street. The mall now counts Winners, Metro, Pharma Plus, and Sobey's as anchor tenants. It has an entrance to the College subway station. A provincial court house occupies one of the upper floors. With the departure of Maclean-Hunter, the floors of 777 Bay are mainly used as office of various ministries of the Government of Ontario.

The heritage character of the building, which was perceived by previous owners as a liability and an obstacle in the late 1970s, was increasingly seen by subsequent owners as an important attribute. In the mid-1990s, the architect Joseph Bogdan was retained to design special lighting to highlight the crown and sides of the building at night, reinforcing its landmark status. More importantly, the Seventh Floor was eventually restored, after years of neglect, and was reopened in 2003 to much acclaim as The Carlu event venue.The Seventh Floor was eventually restored, after years of neglect, and was reopened in 2003 to much acclaim as "The Carlu" event venue. The restoration process began in 2001 with a $2,500,000 budget and no tenant. But later that year, new tenants Roick and Mark Robert came into the picture with an increased budget. Scott Weir of ERA Architects and Hadi Khouzam of WZMH Architects led the restoration of the space.

The raked floors were removed from the auditorium to return the space's original movable seating. Other modifications had to be made to the auditorium so that modern acoustical equipment could be used. Even the original Lalique fountain, which had long been believed lost, was restored to its place at the centre of the Round Room. The large kitchen in the Carlu was replaced with two smaller ones in different areas of the seventh floor. This made room for a new entertainment space to be added, the Sky Room. The venue's new name was chosen to honour the architect that had originally designed the space. Upgrades were also needed in the HVAC system. These updates were done without damaging or removing the original vents from the space. In 2008, The Clipper Rooms were re-envisioned and renovated by HGTV designer Sarah Richardson.

To the west of the College Park complex, lands originally assembled by Eaton's along Bay Street are now being redeveloped with residential buildings named the Residences of College Park. Although the various buildings on the former Eaton's lands are now all under separate ownership, the entire city block, including Barbara Ann Scott Park at its centre, is sometimes known by many as "College Park".