Art Near the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Toronto Canada

Stop of an era for Bay and Dundas jitney terminal building

Jun 10, 2021 • June 10, 2021 • 2 minute read • 17 Comments

Toronto'southward downtown bus terminal at 610 Bay St. will stop housing Greyhound buses side by side month. PNimg

Greyhound Omnibus Lines folded their tents last month and shut downwards most Canadian operations.

Bus travel has been failing in recent years and a whole pandemic yr of zero business was the final decease knell.

In July, the charter is upwardly between Greyhound and Toronto, and the autobus station at 610 Bay Street, which has operated since 1931, will exist facing a new time to come.

The once beautiful art deco building was created 90 years agone past architect Charles B. Dolphin and has been listed every bit a heritage building since the 1980s.

You won't see a lot of people weeping into their hankies at the closure of the grubby bus station. Information technology'southward been a downwards-at-heel spot for a long time.

In that location'due south a stigma fastened to bus travel — inexpensive and efficient though it may be — which started with the rise of car buying afterwards the Second World State of war.

The jitney last building is endemic by theToronto Motorcoach Last Inc. (TCTI), a subsidiary of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

The TTC will neither use nor develop the holding.

According to a report from the TTC Chief Capital Officer to the Toronto Coach Concluding Inc. board of directors, authorization will be sought to transfer management of the properties to the City of Toronto once the Greyhound lease expires on July seven.

And what so?

The report to the TCTI board states:

"In October 2019, the City of Toronto identified the properties as underutilized and, every bit such, provides an opportunity for the City of Toronto to accost specific needs and building objectives, such every bit affordable housing, employment uses, and community infrastructure."

Respected local architect John Potter, a life-long Torontonian, says the Bay and Elizabeth St. bus concluding property is a rare opportunity and it will exist interesting to see what the city does with it.

The metropolis could simply sell the whole parcel to developers, of course.

"But it's a perfect location for affordable housing," said Potter. "And the metropolis already owns the state. It depends upon whether Toronto is willing to forgo auction gain and develop the land instead."

That area offers a skillful mix of housing, continued Potter, with rental buildings and condos in the neighbourhood also as the YWCA Elm Centre, which offers affordable, market rental, and special housing to women.

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"It would exist great to see the belongings put to the best possible use for Toronto, given the issues facing our urban center," said Potter.

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The board of the TCTI will vote later on this month on the recommendation that the belongings is transferred to the City of Toronto.

Greyhound, meanwhile, will employ the new bus depot well-nigh Matrimony Station when their service to Buffalo and New York Metropolis resumes post-pandemic.