chronicle - fall 2006

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Liberty Village • King West • King West Central • Entertainment District • St. Lawrence Market Area • Queen Richmond East • College St.

3Liberty NightsNew Maro loungehangs its velvet ropesin Liberty Village

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Plus: Sobeys on College, SecondCup on King West, Totum’s BoxingWorkout, WHAT’S ON East & West,and Ye Olde King Street Pics

Critical Mass takes up on Adelaide West

Red Bull makes asplash in Vancouver

RichmondStreet EastRenos

allied_Fall_06 10/10/06 11:01 AM Page 2

Critical Mass understands the role of a company Web site as being more than just an

electronic brochure. It is this under-standing that has helped it grow steadilyfrom its roots as a Calgary-based pro-motional CD-ROM developer in 1995,to one of the Web design industry'sleading agencies. And success appears to have also grown its Toronto presenceas it opens its new office in the pent-house at 425 Adelaide Street West.

With digital marketing moving well into the Web 2.0 paradigm (thereinterpretation of the Web’s role following the dot-com bubble), “platforms” rather than applications rule the information highway (thinkNetscape vs. Google).

Critical Mass has long adhered to the notion of a Web site as a platformrather than just another avenue of contact, and as such has successfullynavigated the dot-com bust retainingblue-chip clients like Mercedes-BenzUSA and Hyatt Hotels by creating sitesthat “deepen customer relationships” for these clients.

CEO Dianne Wilkins, in a 2005Marketing Magazine article explainedthat the business “has only a very small element of e-commerce. We seeourselves as a marketing company that specializes in e-communication,relationship building and branding.”

Big bold sites withcatchy graphics weren’twhat most marketers wereafter, the company found.

Viewing the Web site as a platform where users canhave an experience is anotion that can be tieddirectly to a client’s bottomline performance. And it’san approach that, forCritical Mass, has resulteda number of longstandingrelationships with blue chip companies.

With a proven back-ground in the areas of customer experience management and customerrelationship development,it has helped high profileorganizations like Dell,Pampers and NASA forge deep relationships with their customers.

Profitable and stable, Critical Masshas been recognized with numerousprestigious awards including theForrester Wave in 2005; ForresterResearch Web Design Agency Shootoutin 2004; eHealthcare LeadershipAwards in 2005; Webby Awards, 2005(Best Automotive site - Mercedes-BenzUSA), and; Internet Retailer, 2005 (Bestof the Web, Dell.com).

www.criticalmass.com

Digital Marketing Firm Critical Mass Takes Adelaide Offices

Community Chronicle • Fall 2006

What They Do:Critical Mass is a Calgary-based digitalmarketing firm that develops web sites and web-based products for some of theworld’s leading companies.

Employees: 400+

Offices in: Calgary, Chicago, Toronto, New York,Austin, Atlanta, Las Vegas

Ownership: 52% owned by Omnicom Group Inc(NYSE: OMC), 48% employee-owned

Featured Clients:• Albertsons, Inc.• Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC• Dell Inc.• The Procter & Gamble Company• AT&T Wireless Services, Inc.• National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA)• Hyatt Corporation

425 Adelaide Street West

Critical Mass clientsuse Web sites as viablemarketing channels.

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COMPANY SNAPSHOT


Liberty NightsWarehouse space turns Euro-Asian-Inspired lounge at 135 Liberty

Like any spot worth investigating,Maro’s inauspicious exterior

is a bit misleading. But the velvet ropes at the tall glass doors tell you you’re at the right place ifyou’re looking for the Brant Group’slatest project, a Pan-Asia-meets-contemporary-Europe warehousespace on the ground floor and lowerlevel of 135 Liberty Street.

“We envisioned a very slick interior, but not cold,” says co-designer Marc Kyriacou who has worked on the original Brant House and West as well as the redesign of West.

The main level houses a 16,000square-foot dining area with an open concept kitchen at the far end of the room (you can see much of

the culinary activity fromthe main space). There’salso a step-up lounge areaon the north side – with a large projection screenthat can be put into actionat corporate events – and a couple of sectionalcouch clusters stagedstrategically on oppositesides of the room near the entrances.

The black “lacquer”bar fronts, black bambooflooring and dark redcolumns of the main space give it a strongAsian influence that is tempered by the use ofcontemporary European-

style furnishings like the grey setteesthat make up most of the seating in the lounge area.

Three Indian-granite-topped barsare equipped to handle the space’s900-capacity, and bar backs areframed in dark Blackwood withChinese lanterns flanking each end.

For revelers seeking privacy,Kyriacou and co-founder JohnTsoumaris have put a lot of thoughtand design into a lower level VIProom that isn’t available to the public. Rather, it’s slated for private,celeb-heavy functions.

Some of the design elements found downstairs include Thai-typeceiling panels and damask wallpaper.Designer Antonio S. Tadrissi, who designed Hammam Spa, wasbrought in solely to design and execute a state-of-the-art staircase.The VIP lounge also features floor-to-ceiling banquettes along with marble fireplaces.

And for those seeking sustenance,Kyriacou and Tsoumaris have furtherenhanced the dining experience with a menu executed by Chef David Adjey.


Contemporary Euro-style settees in the raised lounge.

An Indian granitecountertop is set to serve a quick

midday meal.

Hammam’s Antonio Tadrissidesigned the state-of-the-artstaircase.

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ANATOMY OF A RENO:

Queen-Richmond Centre’s Little Sister

Asolid structure in need of afacelift, 103 Richmond Street

East has undergone a series of strategic renovations. Since AlliedProperties REIT brought this turn-of-the-last-century dry goods warehouseinto its portfolio, it has worked to link the building aesthetically to neigh-bouring Queen-Richmond Centre.

The exterior brick on the north side was painted red and new windows,identical in both colour and design to the ones across the street, were two

of the outdoor initiatives designed to help these two buildings connect visually, but there are also a number of interior renovations.

“We’re using high-end materials on all the wear surfaces,” says AndrewClarke of Market Block, the firm conducting the work. “That keeps the space looking contemporary andfresh.”

Track lighting will highlight theexposed brick which was formerly an exterior wall (103 was originally

three separate buildings), giving thespace an art gallery feel, while ribbed-glass fixtures that are replicas of factoryfixtures used at the turn-of-the-last century will light the centre of the hallway and complement the building’shistoric character.

Less sexy things like laying a newroof, putting in proper exit signage andtiling the bathrooms have been part of the program to update this address, but the most obvious changes will beseen on the ground floor.

Topping it Off: Much-neededattention has been paid toimportant infrastructurecomponents. For example, the roof was recently replaced aftersome 25 years of neglect.

A View from Here: The operable“six-over-six” double-hungwindows are replicas of thestyle typical 200 years ago.

Elevating Experience: Tenantsmay recall the washroom feel ofthe tiny cab's mosaic tile interior.Crews removed three layers oftiles and replaced these withmirrors and scuff-resistantMayatek fabric.

Walk of Ages: Putting in newcarpet always cleans up aspace, but putting in goodcarpet that will retain its shapeand colour for the next tenyears is what allows a spaceto stay that way. And that’swhat crews did here, layinghigh grade commercial carpet(like that used in the TDCentre) and bordering it withdurable Italian porcelain tiles.

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Red Bull “Flight”Event Splashes Downin Vancouver

Sobeys Soon ‘Ready-to-Serve’on CollegeSpring of 2007 will see a Sobeys openingat 555 College Street. The Nova Scotia-based grocery retailer, which owns or franchises more than 1,300 stores in all 10 provinces under retail banners thatinclude IGA extra, IGA, Foodland andPrice Chopper, builds stores as large as 51,000 square feet and as small as 6,000 square feet.

The College Street location will likelyfall in the middle range and is expected to offer all the services of a large Sobeysincluding ready-to-eat meals from the deli counter, an onsite bakery and market-fresh fruits and vegetables.

www.sobeys.com

Wired Second Cup Coming to King Street West905 King Street West tenants will be able to pick up a Second Cup coffee inNovember as one of Canada’s largest specialty coffee retailer and café franchisor(with more than 360 locations nationally)plans to opens its doors. This site is alsoan Internet hotspot, offering wirelessInternet access so that customers can surf the Web and check e-mail over a hot cup of java.

www.secondcup.com

New food service tenantson King and College

I N C O M I N G

®

Team Back to the Flugtag prepares for impact.

Second place winners, Team Pirates of False Creek, abandon ship.

Ever wonder what you could get for flying a homemademachine off the end of a pier? How does $7,500 or a setof pilot’s lessons sound? That’s what teams were competing

for this August at Vancouver’s False Creek when Red Bull, whose Canadian headquarters are in King West Central, recently brought Flugtag to Canada.

A Flugtag (German for flight day) is an event in which competitors attempt to fly in homemade contraptions. Usuallylaunched from a pier, the machines rarely fly at all. Still, thefirst-place winner in Vancouver, team Big Shooter, bested theexisting North American flight record by soaring 86 feet beforesplash down.

While the idea is to fly as far as you can, most competitorsenter for the entertainment value. In Vancouver, contraptionsincluded a lobster from Moncton, Poutine from Montreal, a Winnipeg jet and a Zamboni from Vancouver. An avid sponsor of extreme sports and varied cultural events, Red Bullbuilds it brand recognition by working with unconventionalentertainment activities.

www.redbull.com


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T O T U M T I P S

Thinking Outside the ‘Box’

Squat with left and right hooks 1. Standing with feet shoulder-widthapart, legs bent at 90˚ and elbows andarms in. 2. & 3. Rise till your knees are slightlybent and throw a left, then right hook.

Great for working your ’love handles’and shoulders, Watson says you shouldstart this exercise with your chest out,back straight. “Like you’re sitting in a chair,” he says, adding you should do two sets of 20.

Lunge with punches 1. Start with your left foot forward, fists and elbows inand drop your right knee down so that your bent leftknee doesn’t go past the tip of your left shoe. Your backleg should form an L. 2. Now come up partway, straightening your back legand twisting your torso slightly to throw a right, then aleft punch. Do two sets of 20, switch legs and repeat.

www.totum.ca

Long after Stallone drank raw eggs and spent his early mornings running up stairs to portray comeback boxing champion Rocky Balboa, the notion of punishing workouts remains tied

to this tough-guy sport. Great aerobic and anaerobic workouts aside, what about the fighting part? “You don’t have to get popped to get the exercise benefits of boxing,” assures Garfield

Watson, Totum Life Science’s certified boxing coach. In fact, the trainees in his Boxing Boot Camp are executives, stay-at-home moms and just about anyone looking for a total body workout, he

explains. Curious about what some of these exercises entail? Here are a couple to consider...

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WHAT’S ONEvents at East and West Downtown Locations

NOVEMBER 2Nicholas Metivier Gallery is hosting an opening reception for an exhibition of new paintings by Ric Evans (from 6 to 8 p.m.). The Gallery will also beexhibiting at the Toronto InternationalArt Fair on November 9th to the 13th atthe Metro Toronto Convention Centre(Booth 446). The Nicholas MetivierGallery is at 451 King Street West.

www.metiviergallery.com

NOVEMBER 9The Calphalon Culinary Center presentsits 2nd Annual Rising Chef Challenge, an evening of exquisite cuisine preparedby three of Toronto’s rising chefs. Eachchef competes to please palates and wowsenses with specific ingredients. Guests are both diner and judge at this event thatis unique to the Centre. The competingSous Chefs, hailing from Tundra, Mildred Pierce and Flow restaurants, will help diners navigate a three-coursemeal with wines paired by VincorInternational. Tickets are $135/person.The Calphalon Culinary Center is at 425 King Street West.

www.calphalonculinarycenter.com

NOVEMBER 30O’Connor Gallery is presenting a show by visual artist Jeff Szuc who spent anindustrious year completing a 5”x7”painting every week. “Seeing the passageof a year through 52 rather fantasticpaintings makes for an incredible show,”says Dennis O’Connor. The show openson November 30th with all 52 paintings on display. The O’Connor Gallery is at 145 Berkeley St. Suite 100.

www.oconnorgallery.com

Nicholas Hoare’s Books andBrunch Series: One Sunday morning a month, this St. Lawrencemarket area bookstore brings fourauthors to the Vanity Fair Ballroomat the King Edward Hotel to discusstheir respective works. Past speakershave included John Keegan, MichaelRedhill and Margaret Atwood. Space is limited and events sell outfast, so call early to find out who’sexpected this Fall. Nicholas HoareBooks is at 45 Front Street East,(416) 777-2665.

Totum Lifescience RunningGroup: Every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Totum takes runners at all levels of experience out for a run. Interested in the running bootcamp? A dedicated few meet atTotum on Tuesdays and Thursdaysat 6 a.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. fortraining that’s a little more intense.Free for club members, $10 for non-members. Totum is at 445 King Street West.

www.totum.ca

To list an event, please send details to [email protected]

O N G O I N G E V E N T S



Published four times a year by:

Allied Properties REIT602 King Street West, Main floorToronto, ON M5V 1M6

Editor: Yvan [email protected]

Design/Layout: Gravity Design [email protected]

Picturing the Past and PresentKing Street Rails Form City’s Third Public Transit Line

King Street West,September 2006

TTC repairs onKing Street

West in 1927.

The rails in the photo above are in the midst of a 1927repair. Six years earlier, the Ontario Parliament passed an Act that formed the Toronto Transit Commission

(making it a corporation separate from the city). In doing so, the TTC assumed responsibility for the various rails around the city that, since 1849, had been operated privately.

The King Street line, which ran from Bathurst to the Don River, was the third line built and operated by the TorontoRailway Company (Yonge Street was the first and Queen Streetthe second). The King service began as horse-operated transit in 1874 and was electrified on September 5th, 1892.

To the right of the photo is the Ontario Cabinet and Furniture Works at 468 King Street West, which was built in1910. And further in the background is 500-522 King StreetWest, the former Gurney Stove Factory building which todayhouses MINI Downtown, Cossette Communications Group and the Acton Leather Co.

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www.alliedpropertiesreit.com


chronicle - fall 2006

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