Shopping in Toronto, Canada

Eaton Centre

Stretching two full city blocks, The Toronto Eaton Centre is a historical landmark, and today one of Canada’s best-known retail shopping destinations, attracting millions of visitors annually. The multi-storey glass-ceiling structure originated from one man’s dream to revolutionize the Canadian retail industry.


Timothy Eaton was born and raised in Northern Ireland, but immigrated to Canada in 1854. He later ended up in Toronto, where he opened his first store in 1869. His four-storey flagship department store, at the corner of Queen and Yonge Streets, would be built in 1883.

In the 1960s, Eaton’s partnered with Fairview and TD Bank, to create what would become known as the Eaton Centre. Eaton’s department store moved to the corner of Yonge and Dundas, right next to their competitor, Simpsons, which was located at the corner of Yonge and Queen. Today, these stores have both been replaced by Sears (Eaton’s) and The Bay (Simpsons). Although the completed centre did not turn out to be a perfect rectangle, as planned, it has undoubtedly become a unique and interesting downtown landscape. Zigzagging around historical sites, such as Old City Hall, and Holy Trinity Church, the Eaton Centre has indeed woven itself into the urban fabric.

The Toronto Eaton Centre opened in two stages. On February 10, 1977 the northern section was built and on August 8, 1979, the southern section was completed. Two more phases would be added and opened in June 1990 and Summer/Fall 1999.

Modeled after Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the centre’s architect, Eb Zeilder, created the retail portion of the complex to feature a four-level shopping centre with a glass-domed ceiling running the length of the centre. Hanging from the ceiling, one finds a mobile of a flock of Canadian geese, Flight Stop, designed by artist Michael Snow.

Connected to the apexes of the centre are three office towers, which loom at an estimated 300 feet each, and accommodate over 60 organizations each. The Toronto Eaton Centre is also home to more than 285 retailers. Although the Eaton’s chain filed for bankruptcy in 1999 and all assets were acquired by Sears Canada Inc, the centre has retained its name. It enjoys the reputation as one of Toronto’s most popular tourist attractions, with about 25% of the Eaton Centre’s visitors being tourists.



In recent years, urban developers have redesigned the mall's Yonge Street façade (1999) and heavy redevelopment, commonly referred to as the “Dundas Expansion,” occurred throughout 2004, attracting new anchors, such as H&M’s Toronto flagship store.

As in the case of decades forth, many fond memories will continue to be associated with the name Eaton. Today, the Toronto Eaton Centre remains the focal point of downtown Toronto. It is a city landmark unlike any other, where people from all walks of life can gather under one roof with no prejudices. Rudolph Adlaf, Cadillac Fairview’s Senior Vice President for Architecture and Design, once said “The Eaton Centre is classic in its simplicity.” And a classic it will remain.