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The Imperial Pub, a mainstay at 54 Dundas St. E. near Sankofa Sq. (recently renamed from Yonge-Dundas Sq.) in downtown Toronto, will close its doors on Nov. 15 following the property’s sale to building developers.
According to the City of Toronto website, planning documents confirm that development is planned for the property. City Council has approved an application for a 23-storey multi-use tower with 336 residential dwelling units to replace The Imperial property. The sale and closure of the 81-year-old pub is the latest round of redevelopment reshaping the area surrounding Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
“It was a family decision, and my preference would have been to allow the pub to remain open, which is not being allowed by the purchasers,” said Fred Newman, the current owner of the Imperial Pub, and a member of the family who founded the pub. The property has been in the family since 1944, and still retains many of its original fixtures.
Newman said what made the pub stand out over the decades was its role as a gathering place for generations of students.
“One of the things that made it so special…is that as I walked by tables at night, I would hear students solving all the problems of the world every single night,” Newman said. “And the problems changed over the last 60 years, but nevertheless, university students know exactly how to fix everything and are very happy to pontificate….They had the answers, and that made it really, really fun for a period of time.”
Christian Carlos and Kalon Young, both third-year TMU students, said they are saddened by the closure.
“I feel robbed in a sense…in my fourth year, I imagined ending it at The Imperial, and now, my fourth year is going to happen, and the Imperial is not going to be there.
In an interview, Carlos and Young talked about how they frequently visit the pub and how it has become a place get work done in between classes, for show after-party’s, and year-end team dinners.
“When we pull up to The Imp, it’s always like warm and comfortable, like you go on the couches, and they always have jazz music playing,” said Carlos.
Newman’s father, the original owner and founder of the pub, intentionally created that kind of environment at the pub.
“Our atmosphere is not raucous,” Newman said. “Unraucous atmosphere to sit and talk and have a beer and very good pub food.”
The Imperial Pub is not only home to pub-goers but, over the years, has become a space for book launches, reading groups and open mic nights.
Alex Southey has been organizing open mic nights at the pub for more than five years.
“The reason I kept it going was because of the friendships and relationships and [it’s a] decent place for walk-in traffic, and it had the vibe I wanted,” he said.
He was sad to hear of the pub’s closure and says he does not plan on taking his open mic nights elsewhere.
Newman said he is grateful for the time he was able to spend running the Imperial Pub.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’m really sorry that we’re not carrying on, but mostly it’s been a great honour to serve everybody,” he said.
She is currently in the undergraduate journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson University), where she enjoys creating multimedia content, writing for news and sports, and recording for Frugal Radio whether that be for social media content or full episodes. She is passionate about learning about individual backgrounds, and people’s personal stories whilst learning about new perspectives.
Over the last six to seven years, leadership has been a big part of her journey. Ria actively finds new ways to stay informed and involved in society. She is a passionate leader and team player: analytical and creative in her approach. Throughout high school and now in university, her love for being in student groups, being a part of a team at large, and being a part of a bigger cause has motivated her in all aspects of life. She was formerly the Co-President of the Journalism Course Union and is currently the President of The Society of The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Throughout her life, working with cameras, taking pictures, and recording mini-vlogs as a little girl were always some of her favorite things to do. Now, she enjoys working as a Content Creator under the Student Communications department at TMU (@StudentLifeTMU & @ChooseTMU), planning videos, filming and working in post-production, whether that be creating news packages, podcast episodes or social media and marketing content.
This article was created with the use of Otter AI for transcription.
