When people my age think of the Arcadian Court at The Bay’s Queen Street store in Toronto, they think prom. Throughout the 1990s, that was one of THE VENUES to hold high school formals. Its art deco architecture certainly gives it a more formal experience and feel than a banquet hall. This was a few years before old movie houses like The Eglinton or the Capitol closed and revamped themselves into event venues, giving schools more alternatives. Historically, the Arcadian Court was a place for Ladies who Lunch. I recall a high school teacher who told me that when she was a little girl, her mother and grandmother would take her downtown around Christmas to shop, look at the beautifully decorated windows (and The Bay on Queen Street really does have that old fashioned department store a la “Silver Bells” kind of feel) and to have lunch at Simpson’s (what the Bay was then known as) Arcadian Court. It was supposed to be a treat for a suburban girl.
The exterior of The Bay on Queen Street in Toronto. This store, along with 23 others will have their restaurants revamped over the next couple of years.
Yesterday, The Bay announced that it would be partnering with Oliver & Bonacini to revamp the current Arcadian Court as well as other stores which have food services. This kind of worries me a little bit. While yes, the menu at the current Arcadian Court needs updating (the food is very old fashioned – I much prefer GreatCooks on 8 than the Arcadian Court – I really only see seniors dine there), if this means major changes to other food services. According to the Toronto Star, meeting spaces are being planned for the eighth floor, next to the Arcadian Court. This might mean a closure to GreatCooks on 8, a more casual sitdown and fast food restaurant next to the cafeteria. In addition, GreatCooks on 8 has a kitchen studio space, offering seminars as well as a tea shop (GreatCooks Tea Spot) in the lower level (which will be home to a food hall). Of course, that 4,000 square foot restaurant in the lower level could very well be its “replacement.”
Renovations will be starting later this year, and will likely finish in time for the holiday season in 2012. Since The Bay often has wonderful holiday-related displays, both inside and out, maybe future generations of kids will get the same kind of Christmas shopping experience my former teacher did. Besides renovations to the Queen Street store in Toronto, 23 other stores with restaurants will also be revamped.
Image By Ian Muttoo from Mississauga, Canada [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
