Category Archives: Odette House

New development application proposes 28-storey tower for controversial site at 81 Wellesley East

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

November 22 2013: A rainy morning view of the vacant property at 81 Wellesley Street East in the Church-Wellesley Village …

 

 

81 Wellesley East Toronto

… where the City has posted this sign advising the public that a developer has applied to build a 28-storey residential tower on the site

 

New plan for Village site: A 28-storey residential tower with street-level retail space has been proposed for the Church-Wellesley Village site where a developer last year proposed building a 29-storey condo highrise in place of a Victorian-era mansion and coach house it had hastily demolished — much to the dismay and ire of neighbourhood residents.

The 182-suite, 95.7-meter-tall tower is proposed for 81 Wellesley Street East, former location of the Odette House mansion and coach house that for years had been occupied by Wellspring, a cancer support organization. Wellspring listed the property for sale when it decided to relocate to larger premises, and a small company called Icarus Developments acquired the site.

 

Odette House 81 Wellesley Street East

I shot this photo of the Odette House mansion at 81 Wellesley Street East on September 27 2011. The building, and a coach house behind it, were destroyed by the property’s new owner a little more than three months later.

 

 

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Plans for 29-storey condo tower founder as Odette mansion site at 81 Wellesley East is listed for sale

81 Wellesley Street East

April 29 2013: A “for sale” sign has been posted in front of the vacant property at 81 Wellesley Street East …

 

 

Odette House 81 Wellesley Street East

… where a century-old mansion and coach house stood until January 2012 when the buildings were hastily demolished after new owners took possession …

 

 

81 Wellesley Street East proposed condo

… with plans to construct a 29-storey condo tower in their place. The proposed highrise is depicted in this artistic illustration by Toronto’s Core Architects

 

 

Back on the market: A controversial condo tower development planned for the heart of the Church-Wellesley Village appears to be dead now that the property has been listed for sale.

As I reported in an October 17 2012 post, a small Toronto firm called Icarus Developments held an informational meeting last fall to publicly reveal its plans to build a 29-storey, 200-unit condo tower at 81 Wellesley Street East. Designed by Toronto’s Core Architects, the highrise would occupy a vacant piece of land that had been occupied for many decades by two by heritage-character buildings — the Odette House mansion and a coach house behind it — that were hurriedly demolished in January 2012.

The surprise demolition — and the brazen manner in which the buildings were razed — outraged local residents as well as Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who only a few weeks earlier had initiated procedures under which city staff would consider whether Odette House could be designated as a heritage property (see my January 19 2012 post for photos and a report about the demolition incident).

 

 

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29-storey condo proposed for 81 Wellesley East

81 Wellesley Street East

This artistic rendering, by Toronto’s Core Architects, depicts the 29-storey condo tower that a developer would like to build at 81 Wellesley Street East…

 

Odette House 81 Wellesley Street East

… the site on which this elegant 3-storey Odette House mansion once stood for decades …

 

81 Wellesley Street East coach house

… along with this 2-storey coach house at the rear of the property, until both buildings were hastily demolished in January by their new owners

 

Tall tower, slim site: A small Toronto development firm has revealed its plans for a 29-storey, 200-unit condo tower for 81 Wellesley Street East — the controversial site of the Odette House mansion and coach house that were demolished last winter.

Although the two buildings were not included on the City’s inventory of heritage properties, their destruction — and the way in which it was carried out — sparked considerable outrage in the Church-Wellesley Village neighbourhood. (For further details and photos, see my January 19 2012 report as well as my June 16 2012 follow-up post.)

The condo tower being proposed to take their place may prove to be almost as controversial.

 

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Development plan in works for 81 Wellesley East?

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

June 14 2012: A drilling machine sits in the vacant lot at 81 Wellesley Street East …

 

Odette House at 81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

… site of the former Odette House mansion, seen here on September 27 2011. Residents in the Church-Wellesley Village neighbourhood were outraged when the building and its charming coach house were demolished without warning in January of this year.

 

Condo proposal coming? Almost six months after the contemptible demolition of an historic mansion on Wellesley Street East infuriated a city councillor and residents in the downtown Church & Wellesley neighbourhood, activity on the site suggests a development proposal for the property may finally be in the works.

For at least three days this past week, a crew and drilling machine could be seen working on different parts of the now-vacant lot at 81 Wellesley Street East. An area resident said he was told that the crew was taking soil core samples — a procedure which is often a precursor to property redevelopment.

Neighbourhood residents suspect that a developer will soon file an application with the city to erect either a condo or apartment building on the site — an application they have been expecting ever since the two buildings that once occupied the property were suddenly destroyed during the winter. Now, they’re nervously awaiting word about just how big and tall any proposed new building might be. (A city planner told me last winter that the site is suitable only for a low-rise or mid-rise building, and is not large enough to support a highrise condo tower. However, many area residents fear that a tower is exactly what’s in the pipeline.)

 

 

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Church-Wellesley village loses some of its heritage with demolition of Odette mansion & coach house

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

January 19 2012: Demolition commenced yesterday on Odette House, a 3-storey Victorian-era mansion at 81 Wellesley Street East …

 

Odette House 81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

… seen here on  September 27 2010 after the property was sold for a reported $4.5 million by its former occupant Wellspring, the cancer support organization

 

81 Wellesley Street East coach house

Demolition has also started on the coach house at the rear of the property …

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

… the building in which Wellspring initially launched its programs in 1992. The north side of the 2-storey coach house is seen here on September 27 2010

 

Ignominious end: Residents of the Church-Wellesley Village area are dismayed that a stately Victorian-era mansion that has stood for approximately 100 years near the corner of Church and Wellesley Streets is being destroyed just 12 weeks after their city councillor requested that the “architecturally significant structure” be considered for heritage designation.

Yesterday afternoon, a wrecking crew began tearing apart the 3-storey Odette House and the 2-storey coach house behind it at 81 Wellesley Street East. As I reported in a September 27 2011 post, the two buildings had been owned by Wellspring, a non-profit organization that describes itself as “offering psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and informational support to individuals and families living with cancer.” Wellspring had decided to sell the property and relocate not only since it had outgrown the site, but also because maintenance and repair of the two old houses had become too expensive.

Wednesday’s demolition activity took neighbours by surprise, since no safety fencing or scaffolding had been installed around the property before the wrecking commenced, nor had any signs been posted to warn that demolition was imminent. Debris from the top floor fell to a heap in front of the mansion’s former main entrance, landing mere steps from the public sidewalk on the south side of Wellesley Street. The gate in the wrought iron fence next to the sidewalk had not even been closed.

 

Heritage review requested in November 2010

The demolition had not been completely unexpected. Area residents were aware that, on December 1 2011, the City had accepted an application to demolish the two buildings. However, many were holding out hope that City Hall might be able to designate Odette House as a heritage property before its new owner could take any steps to redevelop the site.  Just one month earlier, on November 2 2011, Toronto and East York Community Council had adopted a motion in which Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam requested that city staff consider designating 81 Wellesley East under Ontario’s Heritage Act.  In a letter to the council, Councillor Wong-Tam explained that Odette House “is an architecturally significant structure but is not currently protected by heritage designation. The building is clearly a surviving part of the early neighbourhood development of this area. In order to preserve the building as an important heritage resource, I am requesting City staff undertake a process to review it for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.” However, the heritage designation process typically takes months, if not years, largely since the City’s understaffed and overworked Heritage Preservation Services team is swamped with an extensive caseload.

 

Outraged neighbours vent on Facebook group site

After crews started smashing apart the two buildings at 81 Wellesley yesterday, outraged area residents posted photos of the wrecking work on the members-only Facebook page for the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association (CWNA), decried what one man called “another major heritage preservation failure in Ward 27,” and speculated about the motive for what appears to some people to be a suspiciously hasty demolition.  One CWNA Facebook group member, who reproduced details of the demolition application from the City’s website, said: “It looks like the developer wants to demolish these buildings pronto before any action can be taken to save them.” “Without doubt,” said another, “it was [Councillor Wong-Tam’s] motion to have the property designated which provoked the demolition on this site.” A third man, observing that the demolition had begun from the rear of Odette House, wondered if this was a tactic “to hide work till last possible moment?” Whatever the real reason, another huge disapppointment is likely in store for Church-Wellesley Village residents. As one of the CWNA Facebook group commentators pointed out, “Aside from the terrible loss here, now we’ll be staring at a gravel lot come Friday for the next few years” and quite possibly “a whole lot longer”  if there is a “correction” in the Toronto real estate market. Just one block along Wellesley Street, he noted, an empty gravel lot occupies the property where a former St John Ambulance building was demolished several years ago to make way for a condo highrise project that hasn’t materialized. The lot is an eyesore that irks many neighbours, who would like to see the City acquire the property to establish a public park — something they realize is highly unlikely to happen.

 

Condo development proposal expected

So far, there has been no public word on what 81 Wellesley’s new owner plans to do with the property, though it’s widely expected that a condominium tower will be proposed for the site. A Colliers International real estate listing had described Odette House as a “rare boutique building” with “development potential,” while a September 26 2011 Twitter post by real estate research firm Urbanation announced that 81 Wellesley had been sold for $4.5 million with a “future high-rise condo site planned.” In a quick Google search this afternoon, I found one real estate website touting “luxury condominiums” for 81 Wellesley. The website for Milborne Real Estate Inc. Brokerage sales representative Nadine Robbins includes several photos of the property and says it “is sure to be developed into a modern, luxurious and extremely convenient residential condominium.” Since the website provides an email address and phone number so people can “find out more about this exclusive pre-construction condominium,” I emailed to ask if Ms. Robbins could provide any details about the development plans for 81 Wellesley. She replied promptly, saying: “Unfortunately, I have no new information on the project.” Similarly, the development application status page on the City of Toronto website does not yet list any proposals for the site.

However, two things do seem certain at this point. One is that the former Wellspring buildings will soon disappear forever from the Church-Wellesley Village landscape. The other is that neighbours are mad as hell about it — and worried about what will take their place.

Below are photos I snapped this afternoon of demolition progress on Odette House and the coach house. Wrecking crews were not working either of the two times I passed by 81 Wellesley, so snow from today’s light flurries was beginning to accumulate on the rubble.

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

Odette House front window and porch demolition

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

A huge heap of rubble lies outside the main entrance to Odette House, just inside the front gate. Demolition started without any scaffolding being put in place.

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

Debris and a destroyed tree at the northeast corner of Odette House

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

Looking up the brick wall on the east side of Odette House. The building’s roof, and much of the third floor, have been knocked down

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

A pile of demolition debris at the southeast corner of Odette House

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

The wrecking machines were idle, and no demolition workers in sight, when I took these photos of 81 Wellesley this afternoon

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

An idle wrecking machine behind partially-demolished Odette House

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

Demolition site viewed from the apartment building parking lot next door

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

Half of the coach house’s second floor has been knocked down

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

A closer view of the coach house roof demolition

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

A view of the coach house from a service laneway leading south from the property to Maitland Street. Area residents are dismayed that a condo tower might ultimately rise on the site.

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

The south-facing side of the coach house is still intact — but for how long?

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

Graffiti tags on the rear brick wall of the coach house

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

Maintenance and repair of the coach house and Odette House had become too expensive for the former owner, Wellspring

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

Another view of the coach house, from a laneway to its southeast

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

The 46-storey Casa condominium tower on Charles Street is slightly visible in the background. Area residents worry that a similar tall glass condo tower might be built at 81 Wellesley.

 

 

Condo highrise expected for Church-Wellesley site sold by cancer patient support centre for $4.5M

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011: The Wellspring property at 81 Wellesley Street East, which includes the 3-storey Odette House, has reportedly been sold for $4.5 million.

 

Tower proposal coming?: A condo highrise could be in the cards for the Church-Wellesley Village — the heart of Toronto’s lesbian and gay community — if news circulating in the downtown neighbourhood proves to be correct.

According to a Twitter post yesterday by Urbanation, a research and consulting firm that tracks Toronto’s condominium real estate market, 81 Wellesley Street East has been sold for $4.5 million, with a “future high-rise condo site planned.” The property, which includes the 5,000-square-foot, 3-storey Odette house fronting on Wellesley Street, and a 2,200-square-foot, two-storey coach house behind it, was owned by the Wellspring cancer support centre. Wellspring has been providing services to cancer patients, their families and their caregivers in the coach house since 1992, and expanded into Odette House in 2002.  The Urbanation tweet did not identify the purchaser, nor did it provide any further details about possible redevelopment plans for the property, which is situated just a stone’s throw from the southeast corner of Church and Wellesley Streets.

However, the tweet did link to a Colliers International real estate listing for the property, which describes 81 Wellesley as a “rare boutique building” that is “free of any historical designation/listing” and offers  “development potential.”

Neighbourhood residents weren’t completely surprised by news of the sale, since the Wellspring board of directors had announced nearly a year ago that the popular cancer support facility might have to be relocated and, last November, listed the property for sale. Then, in a June 9 relocation update on its website, Wellspring announced that its board was negotiating terms for a possible sale.

Wellspring decided to sell the property not only since it was outgrowing the site as it provided additional services to meet steadily growing demand, but also because it was becoming too expensive to operate from the two houses. “[t]he property at 81 Wellesley Street East requires a number of expensive repairs and renovations in the near-term, just to be maintained for, and accessible to, the growing number of cancer patients and families it serves,” the board explained in an October 2010 letter to Wellspring members and volunteers.

Although many neighbourhood residents had expected the Wellspring site to be snapped up by a condo developer, they’re now nervously wondering just how big a development might be in store for the long, narrow site. The block already boasts several midrise rental apartment buildings, but some people in the area worry that a tall condo tower could be coming — something they believe would have an adverse impact on the look, feel and character of the local community.

One resident who told me nearly two months ago that the sale of 81 Wellesley was imminent also said he has heard that a developer has a large condo tower in the works for the Wellspring site and the adjacent property to its west — a four-storey brick apartment building with street-level retail at the southeast corner of Church and Wellesley Streets. An H-shaped structure constructed in 1926, that building has street addresses of 77 Wellesley Street East and 501 Church Street. I asked a member of the City’s planning department staff last month if a condo tower has been proposed for the corner, and was told no development applications had been filed. However, the planner did say that since Church & Wellesley is among several downtown areas facing significant “development pressure,” it’s quite possible someone will seek to build a highrise there. (As of today, there were no development proposals for either property listed on the City’s planning application website.)

Below are several photos taken today of 81 Wellesley and the apartment/retail building next door.

 

85 81 and 77 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011: The south side of Wellesley east of Church Street includes the 10-storey rental apartment building at number 85, left, Wellspring’s Odette House at 81, and the 4-storey apartment/retail building on the southeast corner of Church & Wellesley Streets (largely obscured by the tree in front of Odette).

 

Odette House 81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011: Wellspring’s Odette House at 81 Wellesley Street East

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011: Odette House front entrance on Wellesley Street

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011:  Odette House and the coach house at the rear of the lot

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011: Wellspring began offering services in the coach house in 1992 and acquired Odette House in 2002

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011:  Odette House has not been listed or designated as a heritage property by the City of Toronto

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011: Odette House viewed from the northeast

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto coach house

September 27 2011: The two-storey coach house at the rear of 81 Wellesley Street East. A parking lot occupies the space between it and Odette House.

 

81 Wellesley Street East Toronto

September 27 2011: Odette House viewed from the northwest

 

77 Wellesley Street East/501 Church Street Toronto

September 27 2011: The apartment/retail complex at the southeast corner of Church and Wellesley Streets, next door to Odette House.

 

77 Wellesley Street East/501 Church Street Toronto

September 27 2011: There is some speculation in the neighbourhood that a condo tower could be in the works for this property and 81 Wellesley to its east.

 

501 Church Street Toronto

September 27 2011: Church Street view of the apartment/retail complex at the southeast corner of Church & Wellesley Streets