Tag Archives: Sultan Street

Brick heritage houses on Sultan Street will be included as part of office/retail project

Sultan Street heritage buildings

Development proposal sign on St Thomas Street February 12 2011


Heritage houses will stay: In a post early last month, I noted that a nine-story office building was being proposed as part of a redevelopment of the south block of Sultan Street near Yorkville, a site on which six charming brick heritage houses are situated.  At the time, there was no word on whether or not the developer planned to demolish the buildings, or work them into the redevelopment. The good news is that the buildings will be staying. Since my last walk through the neighbourhood, a development proposal sign has been posted outside the heritage houses, with an illustration and text explaining that the office structure will be built at the rear of the houses — an area presently used for parking. I’m not thrilled with the office building design, which I think resembles a cloudy chunk of ice. But of course that’s just an artistic illustration; hopefully the finished product will be more appealing and attractive.

 

Sultan Street heritage houses

The heritage houses on Sultan and St Thomas Streets, seen today


Sultan Street heritage houses

The 9-storey office building would  rise on the parking area


Sultan Street heritage houses

Space looks tight, but apparently there’s room to add more than 7,000 square meters of office space behind the heritage houses.


Sultan Street office development

Artistic illustration of the proposed office building redevelopment


Yorkville heritage buildings in jeopardy?

 

Days numbered? A developer has submitted a rezoning application for permission to construct a 9-storey office structure on the site of these elegant brick buildings on Yorkville’s Sultan Street, one block south of Bloor Street.

The mansions, with street addresses of 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 Sultan Street, and 11 St. Thomas Street, currently house offices and a specialty book shop. They sit kitty corner to the tony Windsor Arms Hotel; the tall white building behind them, to the right, is the 29-storey luxury condo tower One St Thomas Residences, which opened in 2008. 

I love this peaceful little enclave tucked behind the busy Bloor-Bay intersection, and hope the city doesn’t give demolition approval. (No word yet on whether that’s what the developer plans, or if it will try to incorporate the brick buildings into their office project instead.) The buildings apparently have heritage designation from the city.

 

Heritage buildings at 1, 3 and 5 Sultan Street

 

Heritage buildings at 7 and 9 Sultan Street and 11 St Thomas Street

 

Rear view of heritage buildings at Sultan and St Thomas Streets