Arcadian Court
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Arcadian Court is an Art Deco restaurant and banquet hall on the eighth floor of the downtown Toronto location of the Canadian department store The Bay, whose wrought iron railings, arched windows and huge chandeliers made it one of Toronto's most exclusive dining spots for many years. Three skylights allow light to enter the white wash hall interior.
The facility first opened in 1929, when the store was part of the Simpson's chain. The Arcadian Court was intended to compete with the Royal York Hotel's Imperial Room, the Georgian Room at the main Eaton's store, and the Eaton's Seventh Floor on College Street (now called The Carlu) for downtown lunch business. The restaurant had both a main floor and a mezzanine (called the "The Men's Grill" from 1968-1969), which was men-only for many years.
The restaurant hosted many of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's first radio broadcasts, and in 1967, it hosted the first auction ever held outside Britain by Sotheby's.
In 1978, the store was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company, and subsequently became downtown Toronto's flagship Bay store in 1991. From 1988 to 1989, some of the mezzanine space was converted to gallery space, which displayed the Canadian art collection of Kenneth Thomson. Much of the second floor of the Arcadian Court is closed off or used for storage of chairs. A small pictorial display and a cast iron fountain is located outside the hall. This gallery space was closed in 2004, and the Thomson collection was transferred to the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The Arcadian Court also figures prominently in Margaret Atwood's novel The Blind Assassin, as the centre of Toronto's high society to which Iris Chase Griffen is introduced.
The "Arcadian Court" name has been carried on as a brand name for other restaurants operated in Bay stores, though none are as opulent or exclusive as the Toronto original.
