The first chapter of the Cadillac Fairview story was written over 50 years ago in Toronto, when three friends, Eph Diamond, Joseph Berman and Jack Kamin, started their own construction company.
One evening, while meeting over dinner, a minor disagreement occurred among the three over what to name their new venture. The name was decided when Jack Kamin went outside that same evening and got into his car, a Cadillac. They all agreed that would be the perfect name, although it got them into an argument with General Motors (GM), producer of the Cadillac automobile. The illustrious trio believed the name was in the public domain because it belonged to the French explorer who founded the city of Detroit. Subsequently, the partners came to an agreement with GM who registered the trade name, prohibiting the use by anybody else of the Cadillac name.
In 1953 the partners opened the doors to the Cadillac Development Corporation Limited. It was perfect timing, as they found themselves right in the middle of the post-war baby boom. The demand for new housing was tremendous and the company quickly set to work developing high rise apartment buildings in Guelph, Ontario.
Innovation became their trademark, as the company revolutionized the design of apartment buildings. Features that are taken for granted now, such as health club facilities, individually controlled heating and air conditioning, underground parking, and grounds landscaped with trees and fountains, were pioneered by Cadillac Development.
Our development program is consistent with and reinforces Cadillac Fairview’s strategy of being an owner and operator of best-in-class shopping and office environments.
Cadillac Fairview’s development activity is primarily focused on redeveloping existing assets and new development projects in our four core markets in Canada: Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
Our development strategy ensures that we are introducing new clients through expansion and/or renovation. We believe in investing in our existing assets to position them for stronger growth, to build in resilience to adverse economic conditions and to achieve predictable, stable returns for our shareholder, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
SHAPE is the real estate investment, development and management company leading some of the largest and most exciting projects in North America. With more than 370 acres in our growing portfolio, SHAPE currently manages +2.7M sq.ft of commercial space with +3.5M sq.ft. of commercial and residential space under construction.
As one team with a full range of real estate services, our projects benefit from seamless collaboration and communication across departments, locations and areas of expertise. Our group of companies is designed to operate together as a fully integrated platform or independently to add specialized value. With a thoughtful approach and continuous pursuit of innovation, we strive to deliver the best of retail, residential, office and mixed-use real estate world-wide.
The world is changing, and we are changing ahead of it. SHAPE challenges the norm, seeking to elevate the global standard for quality, innovation and future-oriented design. With multidisciplinary expertise, we specialize in complete neighbourhoods with a top-calibre mix of shops, restaurants, residences, entertainment and a complete range of daily services with transit connected.
We study how architecture, landscaping, atmosphere and experience are approached at the world’s best hotels, parks and city centres. We analyze global consumer trends to determine the most effective mix of retail and amenities. And everyone from the building concierge to maintenance staff delivers five star service at every opportunity. This is our standard for excellence and the experience we strive to deliver at every SHAPE Centre.
Contact us for more information about any project!