Toronto to Lose Another Music Venue: RIP The Silver Dollar

February 1, 2017February 1, 2017 Alan Cross 0 Comments Silver Dollar, Toronto

Toronto fancies itself as a music city, but it’s getting tougher and tougher for musicians to find a place to play. So far this year, we’ve lost the Hoxton and Soybomb HQ and we almost lost Hugh’s Room for good (It’ll re-open next month thanks to the generosity of some local music fans.) Now we hear that the Silver Dollar at College and Spadina will close on or about May 1.

This isn’t entirely a surprise. Both the Silver Dollar and the Hotel Waverly next door have been targeted for demolition since 2013 when it was announced that the corner was going to be redeveloped. There are plans for a 20-storey tower with student-friendly rentals. In 2014, the venue was granted official heritage designation–that means it has “cultural value or interest”–but the developer came back with new plans that respected the historic nature of the place.

If there’s any good news in all this, there is apparently some kind of plan to include venue in the base of the new building, but no one really knows what form it will take. It certainly won’t be the Silver Dollar, though.

More detail at Exclaim! and The Toronto Star.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 30+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Being your Authentic Self – Richard Crouse in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 035 July 2, 2021
You would be given a free pass if you forgot that before the rise of the social media influencer there were already pundits and personalities on TV, radio and print. There’s just been that much exponential change in the media business over the last 15 years. Yet today, those who were formerly the audience are […]
Mark Silver
The Business of Radio – Elliott Hurst in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 034 June 21, 2021
The commercialization of streaming audio is not a new phenomenon. Going back 100 years, it was simply known by another name, broadcasting. With the launch, rise and now transition to digital and apps, the business models of audio-preneurs have generally been the same, mostly because of the challenge of measurement, a problem audio’s cousin television […]
Mark Silver
The Custodian of Toronto Sports – Richard Peddie in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 033 May 27, 2021
Over a 20+ year span, as the Toronto pro sports scene evolved from older venues and stands filled with blue and white (Leafs, Blue Jays, Argonauts) to a more intense red (Raptors, TFC), and grand coliseums that define the city’s skyline, there is one sports executive in particular who ownership looked to. We’re of course […]
Mark Silver