chronicle - winter 2006

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

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New EditionKid’s Publisher ScholasticMakes a Home on King Street West

Metivier GalleryGathers Momentum

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Make CONTACT:Photo Fest is Coming

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Plus:11 Things to doBefore Spring

Picture the Past: King &Spadina Then and Now

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allied_winter06 2/8/06 5:37 PM Page 2

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Bronskill designs all manner of experiences in the realm of marketing

Community Chronicle • Winter 2006

Merging interactiveexperiences withmarketing, The

Bronskill Group at 662 KingStreet West is in the marketingcommunications business, butin a neighbourhood crowdedwith advertising companies, it’s entirely inaccurate to referto this 20-year-old firm as an agency.

The “Group” consists ofthree operating companies,namely Bronskill & Co.,B.a.A.M. Productions andInViVo Communications Inc.

“We are a design communicationscompany with three major areas ofexpertise,” explains Reg Bronskill, the Group’s president.

Working in event development, experiential design, partnership marketing, entertainment productionand multi-media development, the threecompanies employ more than 40 staffers.

Creating Custom Experiences:Bronskill & Co

An internationally recognized experience design firm specializing increating custom sport, culture and heritage facilities and partnership marketing programs throughout NorthAmerica, Bronskill & Co. is creditedwith the design and development of the first interactive fan event in 1991when the Major League Baseball

All-Star Game graced Toronto. Sincethen, the company has evolved to be a leader in designing, developing andproducing unique event and destinationconcepts, engaging audiences and activating partnerships.

Unparallelled Production Expertise:B.a.A.M. Productions

The Group’s B.a.A.M. Productions is an entertainment and design industry resource that provides designdevelopment and project managementexpertise not only to Bronskill & Co,but to producers and designers who arelooking for a team who can get it done.

“B.a.A.M. is all about the “How” [of producing an experience],” saysBronskill. “Its role will vary dependingupon the project size and the designteam resources” he says, explaining that

this may include design develop-ment, CAD services, base buildingor media integration as well asproject management or productionand construction services (localvenue coordination, installationmanagement, and turnkey construction management).

B.a.A.M. is currently workingwith a Philadelphia landscapingfirm as part of a project teamredesigning attractions at theMetro Toronto Zoo.

Animating Science: InViVo Communications

The biotech and medical device market is often challenged by its inability to express complex ideas simply in order to attract investors or inform institutional buyers.

InViVo is a leader in the scientificvisual communications market combining high quality medical animation with new media tools todevelop premium communications forpharmaceutical, medical device, biotechfirms as well as advertising agencies.

This 15-person firm employs highly skilled medical illustrators andmultimedia designers with scientificbackgrounds to create customized animation sequences and media-richprograms. The team’s expertise enablesit to accurately represent complicatedbiological and scientific processes withclarity and brand consistency.

Olympic Spirit Toronto’s cycling exhibit.

When: Thursday, February 23rd, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Where: Calphalon Culinary Center,425 King St. West at Spadina Ave.

What: A delicious hot pasta dish,served with salad and fresh bread.

Why: To support Second Harvest, acharity whose mission is to help feedhungry people by picking up excessfresh food and delivering it daily tosocial service agencies in Toronto.

How: R.S.V.P. to 416-847-2212

A minimum suggested donation of $5 is requested for the lunch.

100% of our recipients are under-nourished; 40% are under 18.

Charitable registration number 13386 5477 RR 0001

Join us at the Calphalon Culinary Centerfor lunch... and support:


Despite the whirr of cordless drills and a cluster of workersfinishing the installation of the

lobby’s massive bookshelves, the spaceon the second floor of 604 King StreetWest is becoming easy to recognize as a book publisher’s office. And while signage isn’t up yet, the giant bright redstuffed dog in the lobby, a.k.a. Clifford,can mean only one thing... this isScholastic Canada’s territory.

One of the country’s leading publishersand distributors of children’s books and educational materials, ScholasticCanada’s editorial, marketing and sales office at 602 King Street West isbeing built to accommodate as manybookshelves and work surfaces as is possible.

“We have to be able to lay proofs out and we need easy access to tons ofbooks,” explains Scholastic Canada’s co-president Iole Lucchese.

80 Canadian Titles a YearIncorporated in 1957, Scholastic

Canada Ltd. evolved from the original Scholastic companyfounded in 1920 by

M.R. Robinson in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, into a firm that now publishes more than 750 new hardcover,paperback and novelty books each year.

Its list includes the phenomenally successful publishing properties CaptainUnderpants®, the beloved series CliffordThe Big Red Dog®, I Spy™ and TheMagic School Bus®, as well as licensedproperties such as Barney®, Star Wars®

and Scooby Doo™. The Canadian publishing division publishes 80 titles a year, including books by RobertMunsch, Michael Martchenko, and

Barbara Reid as well as the successfulDear Canada series.

With close to half a century in theCanadian market, the firm’s marketing,sales and editorial departments havecome to outgrow their space in the 905.

Close to the ActionLucchese says the firm had alwayshoped to move its editorial and sales

staff to a downtown location, given that most were Toronto

residents doing a reverse commute to Markham.What’s more, this locationputs them within blocks of one of their largest tradecustomers, Indigo Books

(an Allied Properties tenant), as well asclose to suppliers and other publishers.

The 604 King Street West locale,some 35,000 square feet of space overtwo floors, has more enclosed officesand slightly less space per person thanthe previous location, but its glass wallsand Italian furniture let the natural light pour into the brick and beam environs from three sides of this formerwarehouse (located on a corner, it haslots of access to light).

“It’s such spectacular space and it hasa lot of character,” she says pointing to a

lightly damaged brick accent wall sheasked a work crew not to repair. “I reallysee this as a cleaned up version of an old brick and beam building,” she says,adding that the sleek lines of the ultra-modern furniture act as a counterpointto the rough edge of the warehouse aesthetic.

Plans are in the works to paint larger-than-life portraits of some of thecompany’s most popular characters onthe white partition walls. It’s a cast ofpersonalities that stands to grow asScholastic Inc. recently published allnovelizations, coloring and activitybooks, picture and storybooks based onDreamWorks’ Shrek 2™ and SharkTale™. Some of its other bestsellersinclude: How Do Dinosaurs SayGoodnight?, No, David!, Inkheart,Chasing Vermeer, and The Day MyButt Went Psycho.

Bricks, Beams and BookshelvesPublisher Scholastic’s move to King Street West gives staffers more collaborative space

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ScholasticCanada’s co-presidentIole Lucchese.


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THE ART OF CONVERGENCEAn active art market and a burgeoning community helps King West gallery owner bring people together

Last September Nicholas Metiver invited a few clients, friends,

artists and acquaintances to celebrate the 3,500-square-foot gallery’sone-year anniversary. When 500 peopleshowed up for the evening, Metivierknew his King Street West operationhad generated some real excitement inan art market more alive than it hasbeen in decades.

“We just thought we’d have a goodtime,” he says of the event, “we didn’tknow it would be like that. It was wonderful.”

But the British-born Metivier’s enthusiasm is rooted in more than just a good party. A jovial and robustfigure, Metivier seems genuinely fond of connecting people, a trait that is perhaps the essential ingredient to running a good gallery.

A Growing Talent RosterHis program this year consists of

about 30 percent photography and 70 percent painting, sculpture anddrawing. Representing 30 artists,Metivier’s talent roster includes photographers Edward Burtynsky,Michael Awad and Robert Polidori, as well as painters James Lahey andJohn Scott, and sculptor Gord Peteran.

“In the year since he came to King St.,Nicholas has made a significant ripplein the art world and is now probablyone of the most desirable galleries –both from an artist’s and an art buyer’spoint of view,” says photographerBurtynsky who has worked with thegallery owner for 13 years.

Art a Part of LifeMetivier came to Toronto from

England with his parents at the age of17. His father, a veterinarian, dabbled a little in sculpture, but art was neitherrevered nor ignored in his household.“It was simply a part of life,” Metivierexplains.

The experience that held perhaps thegreatest impact for him came when hetook a year away from studying historyand English literature to live in Paris.

“I spent a lot of time in museums,saw a lot of exhibits like Modigliani,and Henri Cartier-Bresson – I must havegone to that show five times,” he recalls.

After his studies, he worked as ateacher for a short time before taking a job at the Mira Godard Gallery building crates and making coffee. After 22 years there, much of it as director, he set out on his own andlanded on King Street West.

A Gallery DistrictWhile there are no other galleries

on the block other than Metivier’s, there are still a number in the neighbourhood, at 80 Spadina Avenue,401 Richmond Street West as well as on Tecumseh and on Niagara, not to mention Queen Street West.

“It’s not that broad an area for peopleto walk it, and it’s becoming a veryestablished gallery district,” saysMetivier, who as a board member forthe annual CONTACT photo festival,helped to establish King Street West asthe event’s official headquarters.

“CONTACT is a democratic celebra-tion of photography in Toronto,” he

says. “It gives anybody the opportunityto put their stuff up in a garage, a laundromat or in a restaurant – but lastyear it was decided to give the festival afocus and really engage the communitywith CONTACT.”

Art for Heart ProgramBeyond his efforts with CONTACT,

Metivier has also undertaken to help raise funds for an art school inRegent Park. The school, Art for Heart,operates out of a church basement and provides a place for neighbourhoodkids to create art. It benefits from someassociation with the AGO, but coulduse more funding, that’s why Metivier is organizing a charity golf tournamentat the Glencairn golf club in Caledonon May 8th.

“If I wasn’t running a gallery, I’d beplaying golf,” he confides with a laugh,adding that there has never been a golftournament in the Toronto art world.“For my industry, it’s a first.”

While there are plenty of reasons to enjoy a day out on the links for agood cause, Metivier also recognizes its importance as a place where philanthropists, artists, dealers and collectors can converge. “Really, it’sabout getting folks together,” he says.



Neighbourhood Watch

Now in its tenth year, the month-long photography festival beginning May 1st will once again house many of its feature

exhibits in the King and Spadina area where banners,billboards and other public displays (plans are in theworks to run nightly projections in the courtyardbetween Brassaii and Crush showing some of the festival’s highlights). But as is tradition, the festival is a citywide celebration of photographic arts andworks will be exhibited throughout the downtown ingalleries, restaurants and stores as well as in QueenStreet bus shelters and in some subway stations.

This year the fest sets its lens on globalization.“I think the still image has a role in defining

what’s happening to society and the world at largethrough globalism as this force takes a greater footing in the world,” says Edward Burtynsky, a photographer and CONTACT board member discussing this year’s theme, Imaging a GlobalCulture.

Through exhibitions, public installations, lectures, films and events, the festival will exploreworks from around the world that address environmental change, urbanization, social and cultural communications as well as technology and economic exchange. www.contactphoto.com.

Banners on King West to Chronicle LivesWorking Women

Exploring the lives and roles of working womenfrom 1908 to 1979, each banner of Condé +Beveridge’s Work in Progress (1980) will representvarious decades using a different woman posed in akitchen in which the props change with each period.Each image has a window into which a documentaryphoto indicates the politics of the period, a calendarthat indicates the predominant type of work inwhich women were employed and a family photothat indicates the family structure of the time (from extended family to a single mom).

1928 (Winnipeg General Strike) from the series ‘Work InProgress’, Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge, 1980.

CONTACT 2006 Sets Sights on Globalization

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1919 (Soviet Farm Collective)from the same series.


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11 Things to do Before SpringPoised to rival any other of the city’s “top ten thing to do” lists… this one goes up to 11.

1. Get Wrapped. Exfoliate, detoxifyand get deeply clean with a SerenityBody Wrap at Verity on Queen East.Then hop in the club’s energizing poolthat uses ozone instead of chlorine togive you a “fountain of youth” typeexperience. Verity.ca

2. Have a Margarita.Hernando’s Hideawayon Wellington Eastoffers a host ofMexi-Cali treats –but it’s bestknown as THEspot for the city’sbest Margaritas.

3. Get Book Smart. Nicholas HoareBooks on Front Street East runs a Books& Brunch series Sundays at the KingEdward Hotel. The February line-upincludes a talk from Margaret Atwoodas well as an event featuring all theCharles Taylor Prize nominees (forCanada’s best non-fiction) on the eve ofannouncing the winner. (James Chatto

(The Greek For Love), J.B.MacKinnon (Dead Man in

Paradise), Laura MacDonald(Curse of the Narrows), andJohn Terpstra (The Boys)will all be there)www.nicholashoare.com

4. Go Dancing. Swing jazz and jumpblues are the bands’ specialties at theReservoir Lounge at 52 Wellington St.East. Live music every night but Sunday.

Verity on Queen East

In case you haven’t noticed, we are in the dead of winter. Granted, spring conditions prevail, but as we’re still short on daylight, extracurricular activities tend towards the great indoors. So, if you’re biding you timebefore the budding season begins, here are a few suggested activities.


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Community Chronicle • Fall 2005

5. Sweat your Yoga. Diesel Fitness at King and Spadina has its own brand of hot yoga is Hot Box Yoga, practiced in a studio heated to a sweaty 90ºF with three fireplaces.www.dieselfitness.ca

6. “Espress” Yourself. B espresso on Queen East has a truemidday soul warmer with its Espresso Mochacino. Made with world-renowned Illy espresso beans, Italian cocoa powder and topped with thick foamed milk, it’s a quick pick-me-up on a dreary February day.

7. Improve your Golf. Totum’s new golf clinic takes advantage of that time winter represents between your lastand first tee-offs to help you swing better. Services includegolf-specific muscle testing, posture control as well as coreand balance training. www.totum.ca

8. Inspire your Cooking. King West’s Calphalon CulinaryCentre has a Chef ’s Tasting Menu class in March that willshow you how to create the sort of posh meal normallyenjoyed at only the finest restaurants. This stylish tastingmenu includes Poached Oyster with Wilted Spinach and Side Bacon Crisps, Proscuitto-wrapped Monkfish with SwissChard Ragout, Maple-glazed Quail Breast Drizzled withCarrot Jus, and Oven-roasted Pear drenched in Toasted Pecan Sabayon. www.calphlaonculinarycenter.com

9. Test Drive a Mini in the Snow (or rain). Known for its able handling and rally-car heritage, the Mini sounds like it was built for winter driving (or at least for driving in Montreal). Request a test by dropping into the King Street West location, calling, or filling out an online request.www.downtown.mini.ca

10. Take a Turkish Bath. For $30, you can spend as muchtime as you want in a co-ed Turkish Bath at Hammam Spaon King West. Essentially a steam room, the Hammam, i.e.,Turkish bath, pumps in steam infused with essential oils.www.hammamspa.ca

11. Break for Brunch. Whether you like sautéed bananaswith your brioche French toast or you want smoked baconon your BLT with fried egg and fries, Brassaii’s weekendbrunch menu gives midday favourites a twist.

Everyone reaches a fitness plateau at different times, he explains,but it’s a safe bet that if you’ve been doing the same workout fornine months, it’s time to increase the intensity.

“Everybody thinks they’re working out hard, but they’re not. And you can only find this out by working with a trainer because a trainer will push you,” says Rolande Semprie, vice president ofTotum Life Science.

Not only should you perform every exercise using proper form, youshould also use proper breathing technique. He suggests exhalingthrough the entire range of the movement rather than exhaling onlyas you exert force.

Semprie uses the bench press to illustrate the importance of breathing and good technique:

• Good technique involvesadopting structurallysound poses that don’tunnecessarily stress thewrong muscles, heexplains. With the benchpress, if you put yourfeet on the bench, youforce your spine into anatural arch, itsstrongest position.

• Keep the weight above your chest and exhale as you bring theweight down to within one to two inches of your chest or untilyour elbows are at 90-degree angles. “In this position, the struc-tural integrity of your shoulder position is best. If you bring it

down too low, youstart stress yourshoulders,” he says,explaining that youshould really beworking your chestmuscles. Exhale asyou push the weightback up.

Sign up for a free one-on-one sessionTotum is offering a free personal training session to any AlliedProperties tenant who wants to experience one-on-one fitness con-sulting and learn more about intensity, breathing and good technique.

www.totum.ca

T O T U M T I P S

BRING IT BACK DOWN TO THE BASICS

with Intensity, Breathing and Good Technique


Community Chronicle • Winter 2006 www.alliedpropertiesreit.com

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 PresentThe Samuel Buildings at King and Spadina ‘linked’ to U of T and ROM

Corner of King andSpadina January 2006.

Corner of King andSpadina circa 1913.

While the city archives cannot confirm the exactdate this historic photo was taken at the cornerof Spadina and King looking West, we do know

that the Samuel and Benjamin Building, at 468 King Street West, was built in 1913. It’s the second building turn-of-the-century clothing manufacturer SamuelBenjamin and Company commissioned in the area. Thefirst was built in 1908 just across the street at 431 KingStreet West, whose ground floor houses the CalphalonCulinary Centre. A sixth storey was added in 1913.

Both buildings are said to contribute contextually to thecharacter of King West Central as it developed into anindustrial area in the early 20th century. As it stands, thesebuildings have been recommended for inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties.

Also noteworthy, Sigmund Samuel, the co-owner of themanufacturing firm, was a noted philanthropist who fundeda library at the University of Toronto as well as theCanadiana Wing of the ROM.

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chronicle - winter 2006

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