Imperial Pub, which has been a staple in Toronto’s downtown core for the last eight decades, is closing its doors for good next month due to a major redevelopment project in the area.
“We’ve enjoyed serving the public,” said Fred Newman, the owner and president of the Imperial Pub, located just steps from Sankofa Square.
“There’s a certain pride in how we did it, how we ran the place and how it means so much to so many people.”
Newman’s father bought the property and opened the pub in 1944 after the Second World War, when liquor laws were more restrictive and men and women had to be segregated in bars.
It has changed a lot since then but has kept many of its original fixtures and decor, allowing patrons to step back in time.
The business has remained in the Newman family for the last 81 years.
However, on Nov. 15, the Imperial Pub will do its official last call.
“I’m 80 years old and all my life, I was here. All of my children’s lives, they were here. They were here as little children and they’re here as adults running it. So that part, well, it’s sad,” Newman said.
The owners have sold the property to pave the way for a city-approved redevelopment project by Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and builder Bazis, which will see the site on the corner of Dundas and Bond streets transformed into a 23-storey mixed-use complex, with 336 affordable residential rental units for students.
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“If (we) have to make way for something, I’m glad that’s what it is,” Newman said.
Known for its second-floor library bar, live music, open mic nights and laid-back atmosphere, the pub has been a go-to for nearby workers, residents and TMU students.
“I’ve been coming here for about three years, almost every day after class. This is the place we always gather. It’s a great community space,” said Livia Whynott, a TMU student who frequents the pub.
“Just how close it is to campus, you find a lot of friends and other people around here so I’m going to be pretty sad when it’s gone.”
Sam Narayan, another TMU student, says the Imperial Pub was the first bar he ever went to.
“For a lot of TMU students, we don’t have a lot of our own spaces to hang out, in a non-academic sense. So, finding a replacement is going to be really tough,” he said.
The Imperial Pub isn’t the only business in the area to face this reality.
Over the last several years, multiple new residential buildings have gone up along Dundas Street East, with more still under construction.
The councillor for the ward says the city is in a housing crisis, so these developments are critical.
“We need to make sure we create housing for students that want to come here,” said Coun. Chris Moise for Toronto Centre.
“We make every effort to make sure that we build affordable housing for people, but there’s also more rental stock as well. Not everyone who wants to move here wants to buy a condo.”
Moise calls the Imperial Pub’s closure bittersweet and says he is working with the Downtown Yonge BIA to preserve the bar’s iconic neon sign, so it can be displayed either outside the new building or somewhere nearby.
“I have a lot of great memories of the pub itself, so it’s sad to see it go,” he said.
Newman says his family doesn’t plan to move Imperial Pub to a different location.
“We don’t think we can recreate it. Part of the Imperial Pub is where the Imperial Pub is. It’s iconic here and anywhere else, it would not be the same,” he said.
As for its remaining weeks in business, Newman says the pub will not be hosting a big goodbye bash, but instead, hopes to continue doing what it does best.
“We will be as warm and friendly as we always have been … We’re going to close the way we lived,” he said.
“Thank you, Toronto and thank you visitors to Toronto and thank you people over the years who have come and appreciated our product.”
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