Tag Archives: St Nicholas Street

3 big digs on Yonge Street (Part 2: FIVE Condos)

FIVE Condos site Toronto

May 1 2012: A view of the FIVE Condos development site at the southwest corner of Yonge and St Joseph Streets, one block north of Wellesley Street

 

FIVE Condos Toronto

May 1 2012: Excavation is well underway for a condo tower that will rise at least 45 storeys behind the facade of the former Rawlinson Cartage warehouse building, seen here being held in place by a giant frame on St Joseph Street

 

FIVE Condos at 5 St Joseph

 

Much like the Nicholas Residences site a short walk up the street, the 5 St Joseph Street location for FIVE Condos poses some interesting challenges for excavation crews. They, too, have been digging directly behind a row of heritage buildings that front along Yonge Street. What makes their task even more complicated, however, is that they must work beneath the 4-storey brick facade of the historic Rawlinson Cartage building that formerly occupied the site — a huge structure currently held in place by a giant steel frame on St Joseph Street. The facade eventually will be incorporated into the condo tower podium, while the west wall of another brick building that once stood next door to it on St Nicholas Street also will be reconstructed as part of the FIVE Condos development.

 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

In photos: A block of heritage buildings begins its transformation into FIVE Condos at 5 St Joseph

FIVE Condos site

April 9 2011: The FIVE Condos site viewed from Yonge Street, looking west along St Joseph Street. A 50-storey tower will ultimately dominate this scene

 

FIVE Condos site on Yonge Street

April 9 2011: Vacant retail premises in some of the heritage buildings at 606, 608, 610 and 612 Yonge Street that will become part of FIVE Condos

 

FIVE Condos Toronto site

April 9 2011: Vacant retail premises at 614, 616 and 618 Yonge Street that also will be restored and incorporated into the condo complex

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

April 22 2011: The Henry Turner building at 618 Yonge Street, left, and its tacky rear addition that once housed a sports bar on the second floor, plus coffee and fast food outlets with a small patio on the street level.

 

5 St Joseph Street

April 22 2011: The Rawlinson Cartage warehouse at 5 St Joseph Street once housed nightclubs on its street level, and fitness clubs on its upper floors

 

St Nicholas Street facade of the Rawlinson Cartage heritage buildings

April 22 2011: Looking south along St Nicholas Street at the west walls of the former Rawlinson Cartage buildings

 

St Nicholas Street Toronto

April 22 2011: Looking north along St Nicholas Street at the west walls of the former Rawlinson Cartage buildings

 

St Nicholas Street outside the FIVE Condos site

April 23 2011: St Nicholas Street is closed so crews can locate gas, hydro and water utility lines servicing the old buildings on the FIVE Condos site

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

May 11 2011: Demolition equipment arrives at 5 St Joseph Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

May 13 2011: Crews begin destroying trees outside 5 St Joseph Street

 

St Nicholas Street Toronto

May 13 2011: St Nicholas Street is closed to traffic between St Joseph Street and Phipps Street, and won’t reopen until the condo construction is complete

 

Hoarding outside 606 to 618 Yonge Street Toronto

May 31 2011: Hoarding outside the former retail shops at 606 to 618 Yonge Street

 

FIVE Condos site demolition

May 31 2011: The rear addition to the Henry Turner building at 618 Yonge has been torn down, and demolition continues on the rear of 616 Yonge Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

May 31 2011: Drilling and shoring equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

June 18 2011: Demolition at the rear of 616 and 618 Yonge Street is complete

 

The west sides of 606 to 618 Yonge Street

June 21 2011: The west side of the heritage buildings at 606 to 618 Yonge Street, after their rear additions have been demolished

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

June 21 2011: Drilling and shoring equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

June 30 2011: An excavator digs on the property between the Yonge Street heritage buildings and 5 St Joseph Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

June 30 2011: Drilling and shoring equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street

 

Phipps Street view of the FIVE Condos site

July 2 2011: Demolition of 15 St Nicholas Street viewed from Phipps Street


Demolition of 15 St Nicholas Street

July 2 2011: A demolition machine at work on a heap of debris

 

19 St Nicholas Street demolition

July 2 2011: Rubble is all that remains of the former Shred Central indoor skateboard park at 19 St Nicholas Street

 

Demolition of 15-25 St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 2 2011: Demolition viewed from St Nicholas Street, looking north

 

Demolition of 19 St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 2 2011: Shred Central had occupied 19 St Nicholas for over 13 years

 

Demolition of 15 St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 2 2011: Demolition at the southwest corner of 15 St Nicholas Street

 

Demolition of 15 St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 2 2011: The south wall of 15 St Nicholas Street is pulled down

 

19 St Nicholas Street Toronto demolition

July 9 2011: Demolition continues at 19 St Nicholas Street

 

Demolition of 19 and 25 St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 15 2011: Ongoing demolition of 19 and 25 St Nicholas Street

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Demolition of 25 St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 18 2011: A demolition machine pulls apart 25 St Nicholas Street 

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St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 21 2011: Looking north from the corner of Phipps & St Nicholas Streets

 

Demolition of 19-25 St Nicholas Street Toronto

July 24 2011: Demolition of 19-25 St Nicholas Street nears completion

 

Demolition of 15-25 St Joseph Street Toronto

August 6 2011: There is little left of the buildings at 15-25 St Joseph Street

 

FIVE Condos site demolition

August 6 2011: A demolition machine stirs up dust on the future tower site

 

5 St Joseph STreet Toronto

August 14 2011: Drilling work continues outside 5 St Joseph Street

 

St Nicholas Street Toronto

August 14 2011: Looking south along St Nicholas Street

 

FIVE Condos site

August 14 2011: St Nicholas Street view of the FIVE Condos site

 

FIVE Condos site

August 14 2011: Looking east across the site where the warehouse buildings at 15-25 St Joseph Street once stood

 

606-614 Yonge Street Toronto

August 19 2011: Marketing billboards for FIVE Condos on hoarding outside the Yonge Street heritage buildings

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

August 19 2011: Excavating equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

August 19 2011: The red targets and holes in the brockwork mark the spots where steel supports will be installed to hold up the 5 St Joseph Street facade during construction of the condo tower

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

September 3 2011: Foundation building equipment on the empty lot where the buildings at 15-25 St Nicholas Street once stood

 

FIVE Condos site

September 12 2011: Crews will soon begin erecting the giant steel frame that will support the facade of 5 St Joseph Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

September 24 2011: The massive steel support starts taking shape

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

September 24 2011: The support structure will eventually extend the length of the building’s St Joseph Street facade

 

5 St Joseph STreet Toronto

September 24 2011: The huge frame extends halfway across St Joseph Street

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5 St Joseph Street Toronto

October 8 2011: The supports will hold the 4-storey brick wall in place while the condo tower is being built

 5 St Joseph Street Toronto

October 14 2011: The full support structure is now in position

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

November 20 2011: This wall along St Nicholas Street will be demolished soon

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

November 20 2011: A view of the east side of 5 St Joseph Street before the remaining rear section of the building is demolished

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

November 20 2011: The section of building with the windows will be demolished next, leaving only the front facade intact

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

November 25 2011: Demolition begins on the upper floor of 5 St Joseph Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

November 25 2011: The top three floors of the building were once home to gyms, including Epic Fitness, L3 Fitness, and Level Fitness

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

November 25 2011: Demolition viewed from the northwest along St Joseph Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 8 2011: All that’s left of 5 St Joseph is the 4-storey brick facade

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 11 2011: Sunlight streams through windows and the former main entrance doorway to 5 St Joseph Street

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 11 2011: Shoring work continues along the east side of St Nicholas Street behind the wrapped warehouse building facade

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 11 2011: The south-facing side of the 5 St Joseph Street brick facade is being kept under wraps

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

December 22 2011: Excavation has begun for the 50-storey tower that will rise in the center of this site

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

December 22 2011: A construction crew works at the edge of the excavation behind the Yonge Street heritage buildings

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 22 2011: Passersby often ask construction workers if the steel support is permanent. It eventually will be removed, of course.

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 22 2011: Shoring activity at the northwest corner of the site

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 22 2011: The wrapped facade looms above excavation and shoring machines on the condo site

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 22 2011: This site will be excavated for five underground levels

 

Welders at FIVE Condos site

December 22 2011: Welders work on one of the I-beams that will be sunk into the ground to shore up the excavation site

 

5 St Joseph Street Toronto

December 22 2011: If only the facade could have been wrapped in festive colours for the holiday season!

Going …

FIVE Condos site on St Joseph Street

May 31 2011: Demolition is underway at the FIVE Condos site on St Joseph Street…

 

FIVE Condos site on St Joseph Street

… where this unsightly rear addition to a late 1880s-era Yonge Street heritage building is being destroyed…

 

Hariri Pontarini architectural rendering of FIVE Condos tower

… as part of the extensive FIVE Condos block redevelopment and condo tower building project at Yonge & St Joseph Streets, depicted in this illustration provided courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects in Toronto

 

Falling for FIVE: Wrecking crews have been busy on St Joseph Street, where this week they began knocking down parts of buildings that presently occupy a site where the 45-storey FIVE condo tower will ultimately rise. The structures being demolished sit to the rear of several 1880s-era historical buildings at the southwest corner of Yonge and St Joseph Streets, which will be preserved and restored as part of the FIVE Condos at 5 St Joseph redevelopment project.

First to go was a tacky two-storey rear addition to the charming building right at the corner of Yonge & St Joseph; a sports bar once occupied the upper level, while the ground floor was part of a Timothy’s coffee shop during the late 1990s and early 2000s and, most recently, a shawarma shop. Just to the immediate south, a boxy three-storey brick structure is also being pulled down. The good news is that six old brick buildings with storefronts along Yonge Street will be restored and incorporated into the FIVE Condos development, as will be the case with the facade of the former Rawlinson Cartage warehouse building on the corner of St Joseph and St Nicholas Streets. A senior city planner, Michael Hynes, has publicly described the FIVE Condos development as “the largest heritage building protection project in the country.”

FIVE is a team project by MOD Developments Inc., Graywood Developments Ltd., Tricon and Diamondcorp, along with Hariri Pontarini Architects, Cecconi Simone Inc. interior design, and Janet Rosenberg & Associates landscape architects. FIVE was a bigger winner at the 2011 BILD Awards, presented in late April by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). It won four major awards, including High-Rise Project of the Year, Best High-Rise Building Design, Best High-Rise Sales Office, and Best Model Suite.

Below are several photos showing demolition activity at the FIVE Condos project site this week. Additional information, photos and architectural renderings of the project are provided in my April  28 2011 post, while there are a few more pics of demolition equipment at the site in my May 12 2011 post.

 

FIVE Condos site at Yonge & St Joseph Streets

May 31 2011: Hoarding extends along Yonge Street outside the old buildings that will be incorporated into the FIVE Condos development

 

Construction and demolition equipment on St Joseph Street

May 31 2011: Construction and demolition equipment outside the former Rawlinson Cartage warehouse building on St Joseph Street

 

Demolition activity at the FIVE Condos site

May 31 2011: Demolition activity at the FIVE Condos site on St Joseph Street

 

Demolition activity on St Joseph Street

May 31 2011: The structures being demolished sit at the rear of the historic buildings being preserved on the Yonge Street flank of the FIVE Condos site

 

Demolition activity on St Joseph Street

May 31 2011: This former warehouse is quickly being reduced to rubble

 

… also going …

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 31 2011: A small section of brick wall is all that remains…

 

67 St Nicholas Street

… as demolition of a building that once stood at 67 St Nicholas Street continues …

 

Nicholas Residences condo building rendering

… to make way for construction of the Nicholas Residences condo tower, depicted in these artistic illustrations from the condo project website

 

Nearly gone: Demolition of the former Regis College buildings at the southeast corner of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets was nearly finished when I walked past the site Tuesday afternoon. All that remained of the buildings was a section of brick wall running along the south perimeter of the property, where construction is expected to start soon for the 35-storey Nicholas Residences condo tower. Full details of the Nicholas Residences project are outlined in my March 31 2011 post, while photos of Regis College demolition activity during early May can be viewed in my May 11 2011 post. Below are more photos I snapped Tuesday of demolition activity at the condo project site.

 

67 St Nicholas Street demolition

May 31 2011: Demolition activity at 67 St Nicholas Street

 

67 St Nicholas Street demolition

May 31 2011: A demolition machine gradually knocks down the last remaining section of the south wall of the former Regis College building

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 31 2011: Looking southeast from St Mary Street toward the site where a Regis College building once stood at 15 St Mary Street

 

15 St Mary Street

May 31 2011: 15 St Mary Street is now a parking lot for demolition crews

 

15 St Mary Street demolition site

May 31 2011:  Three buildings once occupied this site at the southeast corner of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets, next to the Church of Scientology of Toronto (left)

 

15 St Mary Street demolition

May 31 2011: Part of the south wall of a former Regis College building at 67 St Nicholas Street is all that remained to be demolished Tuesday


St Nicholas Street demolition derby revving up as wrecking machines arrive at FIVE Condos site

Link-Belt 290 excavating machine

May 11 2011: A Link-Belt 290 excavating machine parked outside what will soon be a massive construction site for  FIVE Condos

 

Ready to rumble: St Nicholas has long been one of my favourite downtown streets because it’s been a peaceful alternative to the hustle and bustle of Yonge Street whenever I have wanted to take a quiet walk north or south between Charles and Wellesley Streets. But that all changed last week. As I reported in a post yesterday, demolition crews have begun tearing down a building on the southeast corner of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets to make way for construction of  the Nicholas Residences condo tower. Yesterday evening, I noticed two demolition machines two blocks south, parked outside a heritage building at the corner of St Nicholas and St Joseph Streets where the 45-storey tower for FIVE Condos will be built. With security fencing erected to cordon off the south side of St Joseph, demolition on the FIVE site appears imminent. Looks like I’ll have to start walking the linear city parks on the east side of Yonge for the next three years if I want to escape noise and traffic on my north-south walks! Below are several more pics of the heavy machinery set to start smashing down walls at the FIVE site. My April 28 2011 post has more photos and information about FIVE Condos.

FIVE Condos site at 5 St Joseph Street

May 11 2011: A security fence has been erected and demolition machines parked outside 5 St Joseph Street at the corner of St Nicholas Street, where the 45-storey FIVE Condos complex will be built

Demolition equipment at 5 St Joseph Street

May 11 2011: Construction of the FIVE Condos complex, which will occupy one-third of the block between Yonge, St Joseph and St Nicholas Streets, is expected to take about three years

Demolition equipment at 5 St Joseph Street

May 11 2011: A Link-Belt 80 excavating machine outside the FIVE Condos location at the corner of St Joseph and St Nicholas Streets

Crews razing former Jesuit college to prepare site for Nicholas Residences condo construction

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 6 2011: Hoarding is up and a demolition machine has been positioned to prepare for demolition of the former Regis College buildings.

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 9 2011: Crews have pulled down roughly one-third of the building

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: Almost half of the structure has now been reduced to rubble

 

Tumbling down: The brick building that once housed Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto, is almost gone.  During the past two days, demolition crews have knocked down nearly half of the building at the southeast corner of St Nicholas and St Mary Streets. They’re expected to finish smashing down the rest of the brick walls by the weekend. Once the structure is cleared from the site, construction can commence on the 35-storey Nicholas Residences condo tower. Below are photos of this week’s demolition activity; to view pictures of the former Regis College buildings before the wrecking crews arrived, check out my May 7 2011 Neighbourhood Watch post, as well as my more detailed March 31 2011 post about the Nicholas Residences project.

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 9 2011: Demolition crew smashes down the building’s north facade on St Mary Street, next to the Church of Scientology Toronto building

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 9 2011: The ground floor was reinforced so the demolition machine can drive into the middle of the building and knock out the east, south and west walls.

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: Most of the northeast corner section of the building had been destroyed by the time the demolition crews went to lunch today.

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: Most of the third floor has been removed from the former college building at 67 St Nicholas Street, which was built as a planing mill in the 1880s. The facade is supposed to be rebuilt as part of the condo complex.

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011 Hoarding protects the sidewalk outside 67 St Nicholas Street where the third floor has already been demolished

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: The northeast third of the building has been razed

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: Almost all of the St Nicholas Street facade has been knocked down

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: The inside of the building was gutted during March and April

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: This structure should be rubble by the weekend

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 11 2011: The Liebherr R 944 C Litronic is a multipurpose excavating machine. Here, its purpose is to destroy the old Regis College building.

 

Neighbourhood Watch: Photos of Bloor-Yorkville area condos and construction activity (Part 2)

Casa condominium tower on Charles Street West

May 5 2011: The 46-storey Casa condo on Charles Street West, viewed from a driveway between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo (left) and the St Charles Court apartment building (right)

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

May 5 2011: looking up at the L-shaped Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

 

Bloor Street Neighbourhood condos

May 5 2011: Balconies on the west side of Bloor Street Neighbourhood

 

driveway betwen Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower and Charles Court apartments

May 5 2011: South view toward the Casa condo tower from a driveway linking Hayden Street and Charles Street between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower and Charles Court apartments

 

walkway between Charles Court apartments and Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

May 5 2011: Pedestrians take a short-cut north to Hayden Street along the driveway between the Charles Court apartments (left) and the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower

 

Uptown Residences and Crystal Blu condo towers

May 6 2011: A driveway just two vehicles wide is all that separates The Uptown Residences (left) and Crystal Blu Condos, new condo towers on Balmuto Street

 

Uptown Residences condo tower

May 6 2011: Construction on the exterior of The Uptown Residences is complete — except for the condo tower’s main entrance on Balmuto Street

 

Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences

May 6 2011: Construction of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences, viewed from outside The Uptown Residences

 

Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences

May 6 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences viewed from Balmuto Street

 

Four Seasons Toronto hotel + residences

April 30 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences tower viewed from the northwest corner of Bloor and St Thomas Streets

 

Four Seasons Hotel + Residences Toronto

May 5 2011: Four Seasons Hotel + Residences Toronto construction viewed from Church Street near Park Road

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: Looking south at the excavation progress for the Milan condo tower under construction at Yonge & Church

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: View toward the southeast corner of the Milan condo tower excavation site, from the Canadian Tire store parking lot next door

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: Deep excavation in the site’s southeast corner on Church Street

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: Excavation activity near the Yonge subway line at the north side of the Milan condo tower construction site

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

April 23 2011: The Milan condo tower excavation entrance ramp off Church Street

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: A view of the Milan excavation from the site’s southeast corner on Church Street, as a subway train passes the east side of the construction area.

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: Church Street view through security fencing toward the northeast corner of the Milan condo tower construction site

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: Looking north from Church Street toward the Canadian Tire store next to the Milan condo construction zone

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: view toward the east side of the Milan site from the Church Street construction entrance ramp

 

Milan condo tower at Yonge & Church

May 5 2011: Church Street view of the Milan site, looking northeast

 

Seventy Seven Charles West condos

April 30 2011: Construction progress at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from Charles Street

 

Seventy Seven Charles West condos

April 30 2011: Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from the corner of St Thomas and Charles Streets

 

Seventy Seven Charles West condos

April 30 2011:  Looking south on St Thomas Street at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011: A window washer descends the south side of the 29-storey One St Thomas condo tower, which sits directly across Charles Street from the Seventy Seven Charles west condo construction site

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011:  The cleaner works his way down the limestone-clad wall

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011: His job perk is a view inside some of the city’s most exclusive luxury condos

 

One St Thomas condo tower

April 22 2011: The tower, which evokes highrise buildings from 1920s and 1930s-era New York City, was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction site

May 6 2011: Hoarding is installed along St Nicholas Street and heavy machinery positioned on St Mary Street as crews prepare to demolish buildings where the Nicholas Residences condo tower will be constructed

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 6 2011: This building was formerly home to Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto. The interior has been gutted, and demolition of the brick exterior is imminent

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower construction site

May 6 2011: Nicholas will rise 35 storeys next to the Church of Scientology Toronto building, left, at the corner of Yonge & St Mary Streets

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: Bay Street view of excavation progress at the U Condos construction site, looking northwest toward hoarding along St Mary Street. The construction crane for the Seventy Seven Charles West condo building rises behind Loretto College, the 6-storey brick building toward the upper left of the photo.

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: Looking from Bay Street toward excavation machinery at the northwest corner of the U Condos construction site

 

A shoring machine on the U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: A shoring machine on the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos foundation construction

April 30 2011 A steel I-beam sunk into the ground to help shore up the huge U Condos site for excavation and foundation construction

 

U Condos construction site excavation

April 30 2011: Southward view from St Mary Street of excavation progress on the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site excavation

April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southeast corner of the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site

 

U Condos construction site

April 30 2011: A shoring machine in the SW corner of the U Condos site

 

Work gets underway preparing Yonge-St Joseph site for construction of 45-storey FIVE condo tower

Hariri Pontarini Architects rendering of FIVE Condos tower

FIVE Condos, depicted at dusk in this illustration provided courtesy of Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects, will become a landmark for the Yonge-Wellesley area.

 

5 St Joseph Street site of the FIVE Condo development

April 22 2011: A  St Joseph Street view of the FIVE Condos development site

 

Soil testing on St Nicholas Street

April 27 2011: Soil testing and utility service locating activity on St Nicholas Street, the western flank of the FIVE Condos construction site

 

High FIVE: The block to the northwest of Yonge and Wellesley Streets is set to become downtown’s newest condo construction zone, as crews begin preparing the site for FIVE Condos at 5 St Joseph. For the past two weeks, contractors have been conducting soil tests on the project site perimeter, while on Tuesday workers began locating and marking utility service entry points to the property, including gas, sewer and power lines. Yesterday and again today, St Nicholas Street was closed to traffic between St Joseph Street and Phipps Street as crews conducted more preliminary work along the northwest flank of the FIVE Condos location and continued demolishing the interior of some of the buildings on site. That section of St Nicholas Street could remain closed to vehicles and foot traffic for up to four years — the time it’s expected to take to construct FIVE’s 45-storey tower, heritage lofts and street-level retail spaces.

I wish construction wasn’t going to take so long, because I’m anxious to see not just how the FIVE tower will appear on the city skyline, but also to see if I’m right in predicting that this significant mixed-use development project could kick-start a much-needed renewal of the worn and weary Yonge Street strip between Wellesley and Bloor Streets.

FIVE is an intriguing project that will transform a large L-shaped piece of property fronting on St Nicholas Street to the west, St Joseph Street to the north, and Yonge Street to the east. There are three heritage buildings on the site — the Rawlinson Cartage buildings at 610 and 612 Yonge Street, and the William Doherty building at 614 Yonge street — along with other historically noteworthy structures including Rawlinson warehouse buildings at 5 St Joseph and along the east side of St Nicholas Street.

I must admit I felt dismayed when the FIVE project was publicly proposed three years ago, and not just because it meant my favourite gym would eventually be closed (I used to work out at a fitness club that occupied three floors of the Rawlinson building on St Joseph; it was a wonderful, incomparable space for a gym, and I was sorry to learn it was going to become loft condos). Word on the street at the time suggested that most of the heritage buildings between Yonge and St Nicholas would have to be razed to make way for a modern glass and steel tower. I dreaded the thought that the wonderful brick buildings might be demolished, since that would totally destroy the neighbourhood’s charm, ruin the look and feel of the narrow brick-paved St Nicholas laneway, and sadly eliminate some charming old buildings from the streetscape along Yonge. But I was hugely relieved once I saw that Hariri Pontarini Architects had sensitively designed the condo development around the heritage buildings, and wasn’t going to take away the things I love most about this particular area. Now I’m actually looking forward to the construction. I think that FIVE will not only breathe new life into a big block of historic buildings, but could also reinvigorate the surrounding neighbourhood, and perhaps even exert a positive influence on further thoughtful development along the Yonge Street strip.

With distinctive curving glass balconies, the 45-storey FIVE condo tower will establish a visual landmark and focal point for the Yonge & Wellesley area. The refurbished facades for the re-purposed historic buildings will become landmarks in their own right, preserving and enhancing the neighbourhood’s charm and character while demonstrating that development doesn’t always require the destruction of old buildings. FIVE could be a trailblazing project, showing the city and developers how to blend new residential highrises into older, low-rise buildings along a major commercial thoroughfare without spoiling the unique look and feel of the streetscape.  My key hope is that the city will ultimately pedestrianize St Nicholas to complement the cafés and boutiques envisioned for FIVE’s street level; a European-style promenade with outdoor café seating would be a perfect enhancement to the neighbourhood. (5ive, a gay dance bar that formerly occupied the ground floor of 9 St Joseph,operated a café and bar on the tree-shaded boulevard in front of the building for a few summers in the early 2000s. It would be great to see the northwest streetcorner at the FIVE complex come alive with something like that once again.)

For the next several years, though, I’ll have to wait and watch while FIVE goes up. That should be equally interesting to follow. While crews dig a 19-meter-deep excavation on the construction site, the five-story facade of the Rawlinson building on St Joseph Street will have to be preserved and maintained. That means a steel support structure must be erected on the street to hold the wall in place. Although the five-storey west wall of the historical building on St Nicholas Street will be dismantled to allow for construction of the FIVE tower, it will be rebuilt. Since the developer needs construction staging areas, on-street parking spaces must be removed from the south side of  St Joseph; meanwhile, the narrow (5.5-meter wide) stretch of St Nicholas between St Joseph and Phipps Street must be closed altogether for the duration of construction. The street closures and parking space removals could cost the developer $216,000 in fees payable to the city, full details of which are outlined in a March 30 2011 city report.

Below are recent photos I’ve taken of buildings on and around the FIVE development site, along with renderings provided courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects that suggest how the Yonge, St Joseph and St Nicholas streetscapes will appear once the heritage buildings and facades have been restored and rebuilt into the condo complex. Additional renderings, including images of the FIVE tower from four different perspectives, can be viewed on the St Joseph + Yonge project description page of the Hariri Pontarini website.

 

Street closure diagram for FIVE Condos construction site

From a background file on the City of Toronto website, a Transportation Services diagram shows street closures required for the construction of FIVE Condos

 

Development proposal sign for FIVE Condos

The development proposal sign that was posted outside 5 St Joseph Street, seen here in December 2008. The original plan proposed a 49-storey tower, but a 45-floor tower will be built instead.

 

The Five Condos site at 5 St Joseph Street

December 19 2008: The former Rawlinson Cartage building at 5 St Joseph Street

 

The corner of Yonge and St Joseph Streets on December 19 2008

The FIVE Condos site at the southwest corner of Yonge and St Joseph Streets seen during a snowstorm on December 19 2008

 

Neighbourhood poster protesting the FIVE Condos project

March 1 2009: Neighbourhood opposition failed to stop the development

 

The southwest corner of Yonge and St Joseph Streets on April 19 2010

April 19 2010: A view of the southwest corner of Yonge and St Joseph Streets.  A long advertising banner indicates the Yonge Street properties that are part of the FIVE Condos development site

 

The south side of St Joseph Street west of Yonge Street

April 19 2010: The FIVE Condos site on the south side of St Joseph Street just west of Yonge Street

 

The Rawlinson Cartage building at 9 St Joseph Street

April 19 2010: Banners advertising FIVE Condos on the facade of the former Rawlinson Cartage building at 5 St Joseph Street

 

The Rawlinson Cartage building at 5 St Joseph street

April 19 2010: Street-level view of the former Rawlinson Cartage building

 

Dundonald Street view west towards the FIVE Condos site

April 19 2010: Looking west on Dundonald Street toward the FIVE Condos site

 

South view down St Nicholas Street

December 4 2010: Looking south on St Nicholas Street at the west side of the FIVE Condos site. This brick facade will be dismantled and rebuilt.

 

West side of the FIVE Condos site along St Nicholas Street

December 4 2010: The west side of the FIVE Condos site viewed from the southwest corner of St Nicholas Street and Phipps Street

 

Looking north on St Nicholas Street from Phipps Street

December 4 2010: The west side of the FIVE Condos site viewed from Phipps Street looking north along St Nicholas Street

 

West side of FIVE Condos site viewed from St Nicholas Street

December 4 2010:  The west side of the FIVE Condos site, looking north along St Nicholas Street from the corner of Phipps Street. This part of the project site will be transformed into street-level retail space (see below).

 

Hariri Pontarini Architects rendering of FIVE Condos development along St Nicholas Street

This rendering, provided courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects, suggests how dramatically St Nicholas Street will be transformed with the addition of street-level retail space in the FIVE Condos development

 

A passageway from St Nicholas Street to a laneway behind Yonge Street

December 4 2010: This passageway through one of the buildings on the FIVE Condos site leads from St Nicholas Street to a laneway behind Yonge Street

 

A laneway between St Nicholas Street and Yonge Street

March 12 2011: A view of what’s at the east end of the passageway, looking toward the back of several buildings that front onto Yonge Street.

 

The south side of the FIVE Condos development site

March 12 2011: Looking north from the laneway behind St Nicholas and Yonge Streets. The FIVE Condo tower will rise 45 floors from this location.

 

Looking east on Phipps Street toward the FIVE Condos development site

December 21 2010: Looking east on Phipps Street (behind the Sutton Place Hotel) toward the FIVE Condos development site

 

Phipps Street view of the west side of the FIVE Condos development site

December 21 2010: A view from Phipps Street of one of the St Nicholas Street buildings on the FIVE Condos development site

 

The Shred Central indoor skateboard park

December 21 2010: The Shred Central skate park at 19 St Nicholas Street was the city’s last indoor skateboard facility. It closed in January to make way for the FIVE Condos construction. The park’s closure, after 13 years of operations, made the news in the December 3 2010 issue of the Globe and Mail.

 

South view down St Nicholas Street

December 21 2010: St Nicholas Street view of the three-storey building at the south end of the FIVE Condos development site. The five-storey brick building at far right is not part of the FIVE project.

 

Looking north along St Nicholas Street

December 21 2010: Street-level view of the west wall of the FIVE Condos site on St Nicholas Street, just below St Joseph Street

 

Looking up at the St Nicholas Street facade of the FIVE Condos site

December 21 2010: Looking up at the St Nicholas Street facade

 

Fire stairs on the St Nicholas Street facade of the Rawlinson Cartage building

December 21 2010: Fire stairs on the St Nicholas Street facade of the Rawlinson Cartage building at 5 St Joseph Street

 

Five Condos site at Yonge and St Joseph Streets

April 9 2011:  The southwest corner of Yonge & St Joseph Streets

 

Vacant stores on the Yonge Street properties that are part of the FIVE Condos site

April 9 2011: Three of the Yonge Street properties included in the FIVE project

 

Vacant stores in the Yonge Street properties part of the FIVE Condos development

April 9 2011: More of the Yonge Street properties that are part of the FIVE project

 

Hariri Pontarini Architects rendering of the Yonge Street section of the FIVE Condos development

This rendering, provided courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects, illustrates how the Yonge Street buildings and storefronts will be incorporated into the FIVE Condos project

 

11 St Joseph Street condominium building

April 19 2011: The Eleven Residences condominium building at 11 St Joseph Street was originally another historic Rawlinson Cartage building. When the building was redeveloped into a residential highrise in the early 2000s, its facade was dismantled and reassembled — as will be the case with the facades for the buildings where FIVE Condos will rise.

 

5 St Joseph Street site of FIVE Condos

April 22 2011: A St Joseph Street view of the Five Condos site

 

the Five Condos site at corner of St Joseph and St Nicholas Streets

April 22 2011: Southeasterly view of the 5 St Joseph Street building and the development site along the east side of St Nicholas Street

 

Hariri Pontarini Architects rendering of FIVE Condos development along St Joseph Street

This rendering, provided courtesy of Hariri Pontarini Architects, offers a St Joseph Street view of the FIVE Condos development

The FIVE Condos sales centre at 5 ST Joseph Street

April 22 2011: The entrance to the FIVE Condos presentation and sales centre at 5 St Joseph Street.  The street level premises of this former Rawlinson Cartage building have been home to at least three gay bars: Katrina’s during the 1980s, Colby’s in the 1990s, and 5ive in the early 2000s.

 

Buildings on the north side of St Joseph Street

April 22 2011: Buildings on the north side of St Joseph Street, directly across from the Five Condos site

 

 

Demolition starts at Nicholas condo site

15 St Mary Street site for Nicholas Residences

April 1 2011: 15 St Mary Street site for Nicholas Residences viewed from St Nicholas Street. The interior of the building’s first floor has been completely gutted as site demolition gets underway.

 

Nicholas Residences condo tower

Crews have begun preparing 15 St Mary Street for demolition. The brick building, seen here on Thursday, occupies part of the site on which the 35-storey Nicholas Residences will be built at the corner of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets

 

Nicholas Residences condo site at 15 St Mary Street

A view Thursday afternoon of the north and west sides of 15 St Mary Street, where work crews have begun demolishing the building interior.

 

It’s going: Construction has begun on Nicholas Residences, a controversial highrise condo building that will tower above a quiet tree-shaded side street in the bustling Yonge & Bloor area. Work crews have fenced off the north side of 15 St Mary Street and parked a giant red dumpster outside the building as they begin gutting the interior of what was once Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto.

The two-storey brown brick building sits at the southeast corner of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets, directly behind the Church of Scientology Toronto building on Yonge Street. 15 St Mary is one of three buildings that will be demolished to make way for the condo tower; the other is a three-storey brick building at 65 – 67 St Nicholas Street, while the third structure to be torn down sits behind those two buildings, at the rear of commercial buildings which front onto Yonge Street. The brick facade for 65 – 67 St Nicholas will be reconstructed and incorporated into the podium for the new condo tower.

Although project developers Urban Capital and Alit Developments, along with people who have purchased condos at Nicholas Residences, must be thrilled that construction has finally commenced, numerous neighbourhood residents will be tremendously disappointed to see the work begin. They had staunchly opposed the development, which originally proposed a 44-storey peanut-shaped building for the site, and launched a strident “Save St. Nick” campaign to oppose plans for development on the cobblestone St Nicholas Street, home to a row of Victorian cottages dating from the 1880s. 

In an August 6 2008 preliminary report, city planners identified numerous issues and concerns with the development proposal, including its height, density, its relationship to the streetscape and its impact upon “the overall character of St Nicholas Street.” The developers revised their plans, proposing in part to reduce the tower’s height to 29 storeys and to retain the facade of 65 – 67 St Nicholas Street, a mill building dating to the 1880s, by incorporating it into the condo building.  Details and building renderings, some of which I’ve posted below, are outlined in a 15 St Mary Street Development Application report on the City of Toronto website.

In a September 24 2009 report, city planning staff recommended a 29-storey condo be approved on certain conditions, including payment of $685,000 toward capital improvements to nearby Queen’s Park along with streetscape improvements to St Mary and St Nicholas Streets. Toronto and East York Community Council adopted the report at their meeting on October 13 2009; their decision was reported in an October 14 2009 article in the Globe and Mail. The rezoning application subsequently was approved at the October 26 2009 meeting of Toronto City Council. But that didn’t end conflict between the local community and the condo developers.

Although the developers had agreed to lop 15 floors off their initial tower proposal and settle for building a 29-storey condo instead, residents were enraged when they learned that a potential buyer had been offered a unit on the 33rd floor. The developers subsequently asked City Hall to enact a minor variance to the bylaw that had been passed to permit construction of the 29-floor tower — they wanted permission to add another six storeys to Nicholas Residences. When the city’s Committee of Adjustment unanimously refused, the developers appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). 

The Save St Nick group hired lawyers to oppose the developers at the OMB hearing; however, the developers, the City and the residents’ organization negotiated an agreement to resolve the dispute once and for all. In return for approval to build six more storeys, the developer agreed to pay $750,000 toward a community benefit project, the details of which would be worked out by the parties later. 

Below are some of the photos I’ve taken of the Nicholas Residences site, along with renderings by the project designer, Core Architects Inc., of both the original tower proposal and revised 35-storey building that will be constructed. Those illustrations appear in the project application report on the City of Toronto website.

 

Renderings of the Nicholas Residences condo tower

From the City of Toronto website, artistic renderings of the original (left) and the revised Nicholas Residences condo tower. Instead of the curvaceous Figure-8-shaped 44-floor tower initially proposed, a 35-storey condo will be built.

 

Renderings of the Nicholas Residences condo tower

Also from the City website, artistic renderings of the St Nicholas Street-level appearance of the original (left) and the revised Nicholas Residences condo tower.

 

Illustration of Nicholas Residences condo tower and entrance

From the Nicholas Residences website, artistic illustrations of the 29-storey glass-walled condo tower and its main entrance at 76 St Nicholas Street.

 

Nicholas Residences development proposal sign

The original development proposal sign posted at the condo site in 2008.

 

St Regis College at 15 St Mary Street

September 28 2008 view of 15 St Mary Street, which at the time still bore signs for its former occupant, Regis College (long since relocated to 100 Wellesley Street West). The Church of Scientology Toronto building stands to the east, at the corner of Yonge & St Mary Streets.

 

65 St Nicholas Street and the Oak cottage on St Nicholas Street

September 28 2008: 65 St Nicholas (left) and the Victoria-era Oak cottage

 

The 1880s-era planning mill at 67 St Nicholas Street

September 28 2008: Once a planing mill, the building at 67 St Nicholas Street dates from the late 1880s. Its facade will be built into the condo tower podium.

 

Save St Nick protest sign on St Nicholas Street

October 30 2008: A Save St Nick protest sign on a St Nicholas St. telephone pole

 

St Nicholas Street view of the Nicholas Residences site

October 30 2008:  St Nicholas Street view of the Nicholas Residences site

 

65 - 67 St Nicholas Street

October 30 2008: The former mill building at 65 – 67 St Nicholas was occupied by Regis College until the faculty relocated to Wellesley Street West.

 

65 - 67 St Nicholas Street

October 30 2008: Another view of the old mill building at 65 – 67 St Nicholas Street

 

15 St Mary Street Toronto

October 30 2008: West side of 15 St Mary Street

 

A Save St Nick campaign sign on St Nicholas Street

November 14 2008: A Save St Nick campaign sign on St Nicholas Street

 

A Save St Nick campaign sign on St Nicholas Street

November 14 2008: A Save St Nick campaign sign on a  St Nicholas Street lamp post. The mill building at 65 St Nicholas, along with the condo development proposal sign, can be seen across the street.

 

Nicholas Residences Sales Centre at 67 St Nicholas Street

April 19 2010: The Nicholas Residences condo sales centre at 67 St Nicholas Street

 

Nicholas Residences condo sales centre at 67 St Nicholas Street

April 19 2010:  The Nicholas Residences condo sales centre at 67 St Nicholas Street

 

15 St Mary Street site for the Nicholas Residences condo tower

January 9 2011:  Nicholas Residences development site viewed from St Mary Street just west of St Nicholas Street

 

15 St Mary Street

January 9 2011: The north side of 15 St Mary Street, where demolition work on the building interior commenced this week

 

Laneway between 15 St Mary Street and 67 St Nicholas Street

April 1 2011: A laneway between 15 St Mary Street and 67 St Nicholas Street leads to a parking and garbage area behind the buildings.

 

Parking area behind 15 St Mary Street

April 1 2011: The small parking area behind 15 St Mary Street, looking south toward the rear one-storey extension of 67 St Nicholas Street. Part of this area will be included in the Nicholas Residences development.

 

Parking area behind 15 St Mary Street

April 1 2011: The Nicholas Residences highrise will tower above these buildings which front on Yonge Street. The building at left houses a Flight Centre travel agency, while the one at right is Zelda’s restaurant (the tacky structure with the sloped roof shelters an outdoor dining terrace).