TORONTO - City of Toronto Council has approved
a development proposal for a new hotel/conference facility at Exhibition
Place.
The 175-room hotel and 50,000-square-foot conference centre are to
be built on the lands south of The National Trade Centre and west
of the 75-year-old Automotive Building. George Friedmann, owner of
the Windsor Arms Hotel, heads the development to be designed by Murray
Beynon of Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects (BBB). Construction is likely
to commence in September 2005 with opening tentatively scheduled for
April 2007.
"This is outstanding news for both Exhibition Place and the City of
Toronto," said Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, Chairman of Exhibition
Place. "This hotel will definitely contribute to incremental year-round
use of Exhibition Place and provide long-term support for The National
Trade Centre."
Besides creating a business synergy with the The National Trade Centre,
the hotel will also support the recently renovated Ricoh Coliseum,
a 10,000-seat professional hockey and entertainment complex.
"There is total clarity in terms of the long-term plan for this great
site," said Dianne Young, CEO, Exhibition Place. "The new hotel complex
is an integral part of the 2004 development plans that call for new
or expanded infrastructure and innovation at Exhibition Place right
through 2010."
The proposed development is just one element of the development plan
recently unveiled for the Exhibition Place site. Upcoming developments
include the renovation of the Horticulture Building as an entertainment
complex and the re-opening of the Bandshell Café. Site-wide, continued
environmental improvements are being undertaken that will make Exhibition
Place totally self-sustainable in terms of energy consumption by 2010.
About George Friedmann
After joining Coopers & Lybrand in 1980, George Friedman established
the Friedmann Group in 1981, a property development business that
focused on condominiums, small retail businesses and medical buildings.
He purchased The Windsor Arms Hotel in 1995 and re-opened it in 1999
as a luxurious Toronto landmark hotel with 24 condominiums on top.
Friedmann is directly involved in operations of the Windsor Arms and
he is responsible for organizing a number of high profile charitable
events in the hotel each year.
About Brisbin Brook Beynon
BBB has offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Istanbul and a satellite office
in Boca Raton and focuses on architecture, urban design, planning,
interior design and project management. Clients range from universities
and government to some of the most prominent financial institutions
and development companies in Canada, the U.S. and overseas. Its staff
contains a nucleus of design and technical expertise which is responsible
for all aspects of the project, from design and planning through to
the coordination of engineering and review of construction.
The partners of BBB have received more than 30 design awards, including
two Massey Medals (Canada s premier design award). Some of the projects
most recently completed by BBB include: The Air Canada Centre in Toronto,
the Neurological Research Institute at the University of Ottawa and
Metropolitan Toronto's new city hall, Metro Hall.
About Murray Beynon
Mr. Beynon is Partner-in-Charge at BBB and a registered architect
in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Kentucky, Georgia, New York
and Illinois. A University of Toronto graduate, Mr. Beynon worked
for several years in Japan, Australia and France where he was involved
in the design of numerous facilities. Mr. Beynon was Managing Architectural
Partner for such recent projects as Vancouver's General Motors (GM)
Place, Toronto's Air Canada Centre and Helsinki's Hartwall Centre.
Mr. Beynon's particular expertise is introducing economic viability
for facilities to enhance their long-term asset value into the design
and planning process. Mr. Beynon led the Canadian bid for Expo 2000
in Toronto. In this capacity, he co-ordinated the physical planning,
design components and presentation materials for the bid, raised over
$8 million in the private sector, secured the support of three levels
of government and co-ordinated the international lobbying for the
decision (where Canada lost by one vote to Germany).
About Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is Toronto's largest entertainment venue, attracting
5.2 million visitors annually. This multi-faceted waterfront destination
contributes all annual profits to the City of Toronto while providing
extensive economic spin-off to private sector enterprises. Comprised
of 192 acres of urban parkland, Exhibition Place hosts more than 300
events annually, ranging from the many trade and consumer shows hosted
at the state-of-the-art National Trade Centre, to the Molson Indy,
the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto Roadrunner AHL hockey
games at the recently renovated Ricoh Coliseum, and the Canadian National
Exhibition. The 2004 CNE takes place August 20 - Sept. 6.
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