Rodrigo Huerta Aguirre –
Thank you for the good times! The Imperial Pub and neighbouring businesses are saying farewell to Toronto’s Garden District in mid-November to make way for a new development.
Just east of Sankofa Square, a 23-storey mixed-use tower with 336 residential units and street-level retail space is set to take over 54-74 Dundas Street East and 98-100 Bond Street. Bazis, a Vaughan-based developer, initially submitted the project in 2021 as a 30-storey tower with fewer suites. A resubmitted version received City Council’s green light in 2024.
A few storefronts and four rental units remain on the site. While some have already removed their signs and covered their windows, others are clinging on to the last day.
In September, the announcement of Nov. 15 as the 81-year-old Imperial Pub’s final day took locals by surprise. “We loved saying no to developers, but we always knew it couldn’t go on forever,” the Imperial Pub’s manager, Richard Newman, told the bridge.
The pub opened when men and unaccompanied women were not allowed to drink on the same side of the bar. In more recent years it became especially popular with Ryerson/Toronto Metropolitan University students and staff.
Sitting in by the famous second-floor library, Newman, a fourth-generation family member to run the Imperial, explained that his family loves the pub, but the pandemic and increasing taxes on the sale of the property hurt the Imperial’s finances.
“Our time is now. There’s no large windfall for our family. Every year we fought here to stay in business,” he said.
In June 2021, the Newman family sold ownership over the land where the Imperial Pub stands, which was transferred to 98 Bond Street Inc., application documents show. The building is advertised on the Bazis website as a “jewel location for students,” as it is within a short walk from the TMU campus.
Newman said Toronto Centre Councillor Chris Moise assured him the new building would provide affordable housing for TMU students. “My understanding is that they’re not going to be condos.”
A TMU spokesperson told the bridge the university is “aware of reports circulating about upcoming student housing initiatives” but is “not in a position to confirm details at this time.”
In a letter two years ago, the university asked the city to defer deciding whether to rezone the land until concerns regarding noise and proximity to TMU buildings — 104 Bond Street and 38 Dundas Street East — were resolved.
Another party interested in the deferral was the St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church on Bond Street, which expressed concerns about parking availability and design choices. In March last year, St. George’s board president wrote City Council that the developer seemed “unwilling to engage despite multiple efforts from the Church,” and at that time “it [was] not in the public interest to approve this application.”
Bazis declined to comment to the bridge.
As the pub nears its end, Newman says he is overwhelmed by kind words and goodbyes from long-time patrons and community members. An online petition asking for the pub to remain open has gathered more than 1,300 signatures. “It’s all a grand finale,” Newman said.
The Imperial’s iconic library books, pool tables and jukeboxes will be auctioned for a worthy local cause, the Newman family decided. “We believe Toronto made us special,” the manager said.
On the same block as the Imperial Pub since 1995 is Paramusic Records, which is downsizing inventory before relocating to the Atrium Mall on Bay Street in late November. Owner Igor Pozinov is offering some used CDs for a dollar and records for $2.
Next door to the pub, Mayday Burger is facing a different fate. Although the smash burger joint is closing its doors after just two years since opening, owner Ozzy says he feels grateful for the time spent in the neighbourhood.
