Snow and ice on the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal
Snowy crystal: Until earlier this month, I had never seen the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal after a snowfall. Toronto didn’t get much snow last winter or in 2009, so whenever I was in the ROM’s vicinity, the Daniel Libeskind-designed Crystal looked the same as it does in summer. But I finally got to see a very wintry-looking Crystal when I passed the ROM on January 9. Here’s several pics from that afternoon.
One of the sculptures in Toronto artist Eldon Garnet’s latest work, Inversion, at the new James Cooper Mansion condo complex on Sherbourne Street below Bloor.
Wild in the city: A moose was the last thing I expected to see while walking past the new James Cooper Mansion condo building on Sherbourne the other day.
I was on the opposite side of the street, approaching from more than a hundred feet away, when a tall stainless steel platform standing beside the south wall of the historic mansion caught my eye. I could see that a sculpture was mounted on it, but I couldn’t tell what it was — a moose walking down the shiny vertical surface — until I got closer. That’s when I noticed that the antlered acrobat wasn’t alone: nearby were sculptures of other wild animals, including a deer and some fierce-faced gravity-defying wolves and foxes.
Entitled “Inversion,” the captivating sculptures are the work of Eldon Garnet, a Toronto-based artist, photographer, sculptor and writer. A heritage plaque explains that Inversion “is a commentary and a reflection on our urban interaction with nature. Not long ago, the wilderness was considered somewhat threatening and something we should fortify ourselves against. Today, our relationship with nature has turned into a nostalgic yearning to embrace something that no longer exists.”
So very true, though I think that, nowadays, some of the sketchy people wandering our downtown streets look far more menacing than the snarling, ferocious wolf hanging upside down on the Sherbourne Street side of the mansion!
Garnet’s sculptures were stealing glances from a few curious and amused passersby on Thursday, but most pedestrians rushed past without appearing to notice the art. But the creatures will be hard to miss once the chainlink fence surrounding the condo property is removed (which should be soon, since building occupancy begins next month).
Below are photos of the mansion and Garnet’s work; at bottom is an adjustable slideshow of James Cooper Mansion condos construction from start to finish.
Look closely to see a moose, two wolves and a doe outside the mansion at the new James Cooper Mansion condos on Sherbourne Street.
Lumiere Condos streetscape presence on Bay Street January 14 2011
Finishing touches: When I profiled Lumiere Condominiums on Bay in a post on January 9, I mentioned that the nearly-completed tower required some finishing touches. Well, when I passed by several days later, crews were busy working on some of those final details. Here’s several pics from January 14:
Rêve King West condo construction progress on January 14 2011
Rêve it up: It’s just 14 stories tall, but because of its dark greyish-black glass facade and red accent trim, not to mention its imposing physical size, the Rêve King West condo wields a commanding presence near the northeast corner of Front Street West and Bathurst Street.
This place looks huge from most perspectives, including from the CN Tower’s observation deck. It completely dominates the block, looming over low-rise office buildings and dwarfing adjacent townhouses as it stretches from Front Street in the front (of course) to Niagara Street in the back.
Thankfully, Rêve now draws attention away from the ugly 9-storey beige condo building right next door at 550 Front that up until now had been the most noticeable structure on the street (unfortunately).
I recall going to a party in a two-storey upper-level suite at 550 around five or six years ago. The only thing I liked about 550 was that this particular unit had a spacious private rooftop terrace with a panoramic view from west to east. Less than half of the complex’s townhouses had been built at that point, so there was an empty lot down below. I can’t recall whether there was a building, parking lot or just an empty space next door, where Rêve is rising. But I do remember the host saying the site was slated for development. When someone asked if a bigger, taller building might go up next door, spoiling his terrace view and privacy, he wasn’t worried. “It’ll never happen,” he insisted.
It almost didn’t. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide had acquired the site with plans to build its first Toronto hotels bearing the aloft and element brand names. The two hotels would have shared the one building; element is a chain geared to the extended-stay travel market, while aloft is a trendy brand aimed at short-stay visitors. Excavation and foundation building work commenced before the global financial crisis, but in January 2009 construction came to a halt when the hotel project was put on hold.
Midway through the year, Tridel Corporation acquired the site and resumed construction, this time building Rêve, rather than a hotel. Aiming for completion later this year, Rêve will have 305 units, including 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom suites.
I’ll be curious to see what happens with the vacant property next door, the former Harley-Davidson motorcycles downtown location. Will Rêve get a new condo neighbour to its west? Stay tuned.
Below is a Tridel rendering of Rêve, plus some of my photos of the building during various stages of construction.
Tridel artistic rendering of Rêve King West condo building
Rêve King West condos excavation on September 26 2008
Rêve King West condo site viewed March 11 2010 before cranes were installed and construction resumed on the foundation built before Tridel acquired the property
Rêve King West condo site viewed from Bathurst St bridge March 11 2010: Tridel hoarding surrounds the property but the construction crane isn’t yet in place.
CN Tower view of Rêve King West condos location on November 2 2010
CN Tower view of Rêve King West condos on November 2 2010
Rêve King West condos viewed from Victoria Memorial Park on November 23 2010
Window installation on north side of Rêve King West condos November 23 2010
Rêve King West condos viewed from Bathurst St bridge November 23 2010
Rêve King West condos viewed from Bathurst St bridge November 23 2010 Construction progress in just two months: Niagara Street views of Rêve King West condos on November 23 2010 (left) and on January 14 2011
Rêve King West Condos viewed from Niagara Street on January 14 2011
Rêve King West Condos viewed from Bathurst Street on January 14 2011
Rêve King West Condos viewed from Bathurst Street on January 14 2011
Rêve King West Condos viewed from Bathurst Street on January 14 2011
Rêve King West Condo balconies viewed from Bathurst Street on January 14 2011
West side of Rêve King West Condos on January 14 2011
West side of Rêve King West Condos on January 14 2011
Balconies along the west side of Rêve King West Condos on January 14 2011
Six50 King West Condominiums construction on January 14 2011
All wrapped up: Construction had reached the second floor when I walked past the Six50 King West Condominiums last week. But there wasn’t much to see and in turn tell you about because protective plastic sheeting was wrapped around the entire street level of the building.
I’m sure the plastic wrap was a legitimate winter construction procedure, rather than some sneaky scheme to keep my prying eyes and camera from getting a glimpse of how the new building is shaping up. I could be wrong; the people working at some downtown building projects (most notably the Maple Leaf Gardens transformation) really don’t want folks like me tracking construction progress, especially with my camera. But the kind contractors at Six50 didn’t give me any grief.
A project of Freed Developments, Six50 is just one of a dozen new condo buildings — either recently completed or currently under construction — that are radically changing the look of the booming King West neighbourhood. And nine of those just happen to be Freed projects.
Six50 will be two “high style” contemporary buildings “joined at the hip,” according to the condo’s website. There will be a 15-storey building on Bathurst, and its 9-floor companion fronting on King Street. Together, they will boast 220 contemporary condo units. Of those suites, 201 will be typical one-story apartments, while a lucky 13 will each have two floors of living space. Six units will be townhomes.
The project is more than 80% sold, but units still are available at prices starting in the $300,000’s.
Below is a website rendering of the project, along with several photos I’ve taken of the Six50 site, one of which shows a crew at work demolishing the building that formerly occupied the location.
A rendering of Six50 King West, from the condo website
Demolition at Six50 King West Condominiums site on August 20 2008
Excavation work at Six50 King West Condominiums March 11 2010
Excavation work at Six50 King West Condominiums March 11 2010
Crane on site as condo foundation is built Sept 4 2010
CN Tower view of Six50 King West November 2 2010. Nearly all the new buildings in the photo are Freed Developments projects.
Street level view of construction November 23 2010
Street level view November 23 2010
Street level view November 23 2010
Street level view November 23 2010
Street level view on January 14 2011
Street level view on January 14 2011
Street level view on January 14 2011
Contractors repair fire damage at 200 Wellesley East on January 19 2011
Costly cleanup: Repairing damage from the September 24 apartment fire at 200 Wellesley Street East has become a huge — and, quite obviously, hugely expensive — undertaking.
As I reported in a post on January 13, crews recently started repair work on the outside of the highrise tower. On that day, jackhammering could be heard from an elevated work platform positioned outside the 24th floor apartment where the blaze is believed to have started. Today, the result of all the drilling and hammering was apparent: crews have cut a huge two-storey-tall hole in the tower’s west wall.
In December, it appeared that external building damage had largely been fixed — the fire-charred, smoke-stained brickwork and balcony panels looked freshly cleaned and repainted. But now that a significant segment of the building’s outside wall has been removed, it’s clear the fire damage was incredibly extensive. Below are pics of repair work in progress this afternoon.
Balcony repairs one floor above fire location at 200 Wellesley
Hole cut in outside wall for repairs to fire-damaged apartment
Crew repairs fire-damaged 24th floor apartment at 200 Wellesley
Artistic rendering of The Yorkville Condominiums, a 31-storey luxury tower proposed for the corner of Davenport Road and McMurrich Street.
More new digs for Dav: The drab two-block stretch of Davenport Road between Yonge and Bay Streets keeps improving, slowly but surely.
At Yonge, the wedge-shaped parcel of land dividing Davenport from Scollard Street brightened up a bit when the Lotus condominium opened in 2008. Sadly, it took more than two years before work finally finished on a new public square in the awkward triangle at the front of the condo highrise. Paving stones, landscaping, lighting and benches weren’t installed until late summer 2010, but the narrow, long parkette instantly became a huge hit with the local pigeon population.
Meanwhile, The Florian luxury condo has been under construction just a short distance away, where Davenport twists to the northwest at its intersection with Bay. Once the location of an Infinity dealership and a Premier fitness club, the elegant 90-suite Florian promises to class up the corner with its gracefully curved brick and glass facade.
Now, Lifetime Developments has proposed a new neighbour for the site immediately east of The Florian, currently the offices of Moriyama and Teshima Architects. Lifetime’s latest venture, The Yorkville Condominiums, will be a 31-storey glass condo tower with six “executive” townhouses at the corner of Davenport and McMurrich Street. The project is being designed by Rudy Wallman of Wallman Architects, who also designed the Victory Condos development on King Street West that I profiled in a post several days ago.
So far, I’m ambivalent about his design for The Yorkville, though I admit the only drawing I’ve seen is the one displayed on its website and marketing materials (and shown at the top of this post). First time I saw it, I loved the building … but the more I look at it, the more I wonder if it’s just the artist’s choice of colours that appeal to me. At times, I think some elements of the tower — particularly the roof, the five floors that angle out from the south face of the tower, and the long rectangular gold stripe of glass down the east wall — are merely bold, attention-seeking design gimmicks that scream “Look at me!” Other times, I think those very same features look cool, and give the tower a distinctive appearance.
Maybe I’ll make up my mind once I see more renderings or models. Most likely, this is a building I’ll have to see in finished form before I can tell if I truly like it or not. Either way, I do think The Yorkville will improve this part of Davenport Road and enhance the neighbourhood, so I’ll be happy to see it go up.
Below are some photos I snapped of the proposed development site recently, along with a pic of the pigeon parkette at Lotus.
Development proposal sign outside the Moriyama and Teshima building
November 1 2010 view of The Yorkville Condominiums project site
November 1 2010 view of the corner of Davenport Road & McMurrich Street
January 9 2011 view of The Yorkville Condominiums proposed site
January 9 2011 view of The Yorkville Condominiums proposed site
January 9 2011 view of The Yorkville Condominiums proposed site
January 9 2011 view of The Yorkville Condominiums proposed site
The Florian under construction next to The Yorkville site on Davenport Road
Pigeons enjoying the new parkette at Lotus condominium
Morning sun glints from the tinted titanium and glass wall of the Frank Gehry-designed Art Gallery of Ontario at Grange Park on January 14 2011
365 – 375 Church Street development site viewed December 21 2010
Church Street growing taller? Sometimes it really ticks me off to see developers propose new office or condo towers for sites where attractive old or historic buildings are standing — especially since there are so many parking lots and empty parcels of land scattered throughout the downtown core where development would seem more appropriate or even necessary. Why not leave the nice old buildings and their charming streetscapes alone, I often wonder, and build on the underused empty lots instead?
So when a developer came along proposing to do just that — construct a condo tower where a parking lot now sits on Church Street — I should have been thrilled. Instead, I felt almost as upset as I get when I hear that a wonderful heritage building is going to be destroyed to make way for a new condo. The reason? The new highrise might block my beloved view of the CN Tower!
Now I admit it probably sounds silly to be fretting about losing views of the CN Tower. But those views are worth a lot of money: real estate agents are constantly pestering us to sell our condo because they have clients eager to buy places with the great skyline views we enjoy every day (and we really do love our view). We don’t plan to move in the foreseeable future but, when we do decide to sell, will potential buyers still be as keen for our place if the view is blocked? I doubt it, but that’s a problem we probably won’t have to worry about for several more years.
Condo would rise on parking lot site near Toronto’s Gay Village
The potential view-blocker would be a 30-storey condo tower the Menkes corporation has proposed for the parking lot that currently occupies the northeast corner of Church and McGill Streets (municipal address: 365 – 375 Church). The site is just a stone’s throw south of Toronto’s Gay Village, where two other condo tower plans have recently encountered some stiff community opposition (I’ll be posting photos and info about those projects soon).
Menkes proposes a three-storey podium with street-level retail space, and a 27-storey condo tower on top. The building would have 322 residential units plus five underground levels accommodating 161 parking spaces. The tower would be taller than zoning restrictions allow, so Menkes would have to obtain an exemption from City Hall before it could build.
City councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam told Xtra!, the newspaper for Toronto’s gay and lesbian community, that city planning staff believe the Church Street parking lot is an “underutilized” site “that can bear development.” However, she personally isn’t certain “if it can bear 30 storeys,” and promises that neighbourhood residents will get to provide input. A story in the January 13 edition of Xtra! offers further information about the project, as well as Ms. Wong-Tam’s plans for community consultation. Below are some of my photos of the proposed development site.
View of 365 Church Street, looking southeast from Granby Street, on January 18
Site viewed from the west side of Church Street on January 18
Northeast view of the site from McGill Street on January 18
Development proposal sign at 365 Church Street
Northeasterly view of 365 Church Street on December 21 2010
In several years, two Yorkville condo towers may be clearly visible in this College Street view of the Ontario Legislature building at Queen’s Park
Skyline scrap: The Ontario government will not take action to preserve views of the provincial Legislature building at Queen’s Park — a vista that heritage groups worry will be spoiled by construction of two condo skyscrapers planned for Yorkville.
Concerns about drastic changes to skyline views of Queen’s Park arose several years ago when a developer sought approval from the City to construct two condo towers on the Avenue Road site of the Four Seasons Hotel.
The Four Seasons is building a new flagship hotel and condo complex just two blocks away, at the corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue. Once it begins operations there, the developer wants to demolish the old Four Seasons tower (31 storeys) and replace it with two condo highrises (48 and 44 floors respectively).
City planners rejected the proposal, so the developer appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Heritage groups were outraged by the development plan, fearing that the skyscrapers would be visible poking up in the distance behind the gables of the Legislature building. The Speaker of the Legislature, Steve Peters, shared their concerns, and fought against the condo proposal on behalf of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario when the developer’s case went before the OMB.
The skyline scrap didn’t faze the OMB, which said the project could proceed because it was consistent with city and provincial planning policies. The Legislative Assembly sought leave to appeal its decision, but as I noted in a blog post last week, an Ontario Superior Court judge rejected the claim. With no further legal avenues left to challenge the developer, Mr. Peters called on the provincial government to take action to protect the Queen’s Park vista.
As reported in a Globe and Mail article on Saturday, however, the government won’t step into the fray.
“The courts have made a decision, and we respect the process that has been undertaken,” said a Cabinet minister’s spokesman. The Globe says that, with the province refusing to take action, “there is nothing blocking Menkes Developments, the real estate company behind the proposed condo towers, from going ahead with the project.”
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Menkes will ask its architects to develop a striking design for the proposed towers. If they’re going to be visible behind the Legislature, I’d rather they look a helluva lot more impressive than the existing Four Seasons and the 24-storey Renaissance Plaza condo tower, which already lurk in the distance behind Queen’s Park (see photo below).
This photo taken today shows towers in Yorkville, including the Four Seasons Hotel and the Renaissance Plaza condos (circled), just north of Queen’s Park.
Murano condo towers under construction September 20 2008
Heads up! You don’t usually see scaffolding erected around a brand-new condominium tower to protect passing pedestrians after construction has finished and the building is fully occupied. But then, you don’t usually expect glass panels to shatter and fall off the balconies of new buildings, either. Yet that’s what seems to have happened four separate times in the past year at the Murano condos on Bay Street.
Designed by architectsAlliance of Toronto, Murano is a complex of two glass highrise buildings that opened in 2009: a 35-floor North Tower on Grosvenor Street and a 45-storey South Tower on Grenville Street, both linked by a two-storey podium extending along Bay Street.
According to posts in an online Toronto architecture and building forum, a glass panel broke loose from a balcony in early April of last year. It plunged to the ground, in the process shattering several other glass panels that create a canopy above Bay Street to protect pedestrians from rain and the elements. The sidewalk around the damaged panels was cordoned off with yellow safety warning tape while repairs were performed.
A similar incident occurred in September, when a tempered glass panel shattered and fell from an upper-level balcony on the Grenville Street side of the North Tower. Several days later, glass from another panel shattered and showered to the ground from a different North Tower balcony, also on the Grenville Street side. That incident made headlines in local papers; for example, the Toronto Star reported on glass falling from the Murano tower in a story on September 18.
The broken panels were replaced with sheets of wood while new panels were ordered; meanwhile, condo management called engineers in to try to determine what had caused the panels to break.
In early December, I noticed that the wood sheets were gone and the missing glass panels had finally been replaced; however, around December 21, another balcony panel shattered. Again, it was on a North Tower balcony, but this time on the south side. Scaffolding has protected sidewalks around the condo complex ever since, and up until the end of last week a piece of wood was still visible on the balcony in question. When I passed by this morning, however, the wood was gone and a new glass panel was in place; in fact, I could see a contractor working on the balcony, so he may have just finished the installation. On the other hand, the glass overhang above street level was still missing three panels.
The problem must be a source of embarrassment and frustration for the building’s developer, Lanterra Developments, which operates a customer service centre for its various condominium projects in a street-level office in the Murano podium along Bay Street (now partially obscured by the scaffolding).
But shattered glass hasn’t been the only thing dropping from the Murano towers. In a gruesome accident in May 2008, falling metal debris killed a 55-year-old construction worker while the complex was being built; details are provided in this Toronto Star story. And on March 15 last year, a man jumped to his death from a unit on the east side of the building. Could ghosts of the two deceased be responsible for the falling glass? Or is it merely a case of balcony panel defects or improper installation techniques?
It will be interesting to see how long the scaffolding remains in place; it really detracts from the streetscape and spoils views of the podium. Fortunately, it doesn’t block the colourful decorated glass windows (created by Toronto photographer Barbara Astman) on the podium’s second floor.
Missing glass panel on south side of North Tower December 21 2010
Closer view of the replacement wood panel on North Tower balcony
January 18 2011: New glass panel freshly installed
January 18 2011: Overhang above the sidewalk is still missing panels
Scaffolding on Bay Street sidewalk below Murano condo towers December 21 2010
Wood panel on a Murano North Tower balcony September 19 2010
Wood panel on another Murano North Tower balcony September 19 2010
Scaffolding on sidewalks around the Murano towers January 5 2011
Scaffolding on sidewalks around the Murano towers January 5 2011
Scaffolding on sidewalks around the Murano towers January 5 2011
January 14 2011 view of 90 Gerrard Street West. Originally a residence for nursing students, in recent years the building housed The Residence College Hotel.
Dormitory demolition: Toronto’s downtown hospital district will be getting another new building in the near future — a “state-of-the-art” lecture hall — once a tower that occupies the proposed 90 Gerrard Street West location has been demolished.
The University Health Network (UHN), which operates three downtown hospitals — Toronto Western on Bathurst Street, Princess Margaret on University Avenue and Toronto General on Elizabeth Street — once had a large lecture theatre at Toronto General. However, that facility was lost several years ago when the MaRS Centre was constructed at Toronto General along College Street. UHN has been languishing without an appropriate lecture centre ever since, but is now taking steps to remedy the situation by building an ultra-modern UHN Lecture Hall at the northeast corner of Elizabeth Street and Gerrard Street West.
The mid-rise, 19-storey concrete and glass building currently on the site is now being prepared for demolition. Originally constructed as a residence for nursing students, the building was recently known as The Residence College Hotel, which offered budget accommodations to hospital patients and other Toronto visitors.
In a newsletter announcement to staff last April, UHN president Bob Bell said UHN had applied to the city for a permit to demolish The Residence and replace it with the new lecture hall as well as green space. The city issued the demolition permit on June 1. The building’s windows subsequently were covered from the inside, while fencing and hoarding was installed on the outside of the property, so crews could prepare the structure for demolition.
The UHN Lecture Hall is being designed by Toronto’s Diamond + Schmitt Architects, which also designed the SickKids Research and Learning Tower that I profiled in TheTorontoBlog last week. So far, UHN has not made public any proposed designs for the new building. The lecture hall project is the fourth major building initiative currently underway in the hospital district. Besides the SickKids tower, there is ongoing building activity at nearby Mt. Sinai Hospital, where several new floors have been added to the top of the hospital, and at Toronto Rehab, where work is continuing on addition to that facility. Below are several photos taken last Friday of 90 Gerrard Street West.
400 Wellington condo construction on January 14 2011
Nearly halfway there: With five floors poured and the sixth in the works, the 400 Wellington condo development is already making its presence felt on Wellington Street West.
A project of DesignSorbara, the complex actually is two buildings in one: a 10-storey building in the front, and a 12-storey sibling to its rear. It’s also a mix of two distinct architectural styles. The front building’s design was inspired by the various reddish-brown warehouses in the neighbourhood, while the rear structure features “a mid-1900s-inspired horizontal layout of windows and masonry,” according to the 400 Wellington website. Together, the buildings will provide a “contrast of traditional and modern, of horizontal and vertical, of glazing and masonry,” housing 102 residential units.
Contemporary penthouses with large windows will overlook the rapidly-growing Wellington and King Street West area from the tops of each building. Penthouse V, for example, will offer two bedrooms and a den, 2 and a half bathrooms, 1,531 square feet of living space, and a 205-square-foot balcony.
The building is rising quickly: When I walked past in March, excavation was still in its early stages. As of last week, the building already is almost halfway to its projected height.
Below are photos of 400 Wellington from last March and November, as well as from last week, plus an architectural rendering from the website.
Billboard on construction hoardings at 400 Wellington
400 Wellington construction site on March 11 2010
400 Wellington construction site on March 11 2010
CN Tower view of 400 Wellington construction on November 2 2010
400 Wellington construction on November 23 2010
400 Wellington construction on November 23 2010
400 Wellington construction on January 14 2011
400 Wellington construction on January 14 2011
400 Wellington construction on January 14 2011
400 Wellington construction on January 14 2011
400 Wellington construction on January 14 2011
Architectural rendering from 400 Wellington website
Ronald McDonald House Toronto construction on January 14 2011
Home Sweet Home: Construction of the new $30 million Ronald McDonald House Toronto at 240 McCaul Street has been moving along nicely — on schedule and on budget — since the project broke ground on March 17 and “topped off” on November 23.
When I last saw the construction site in November, the four-storey, T-shaped building was basically just a concrete shell. Now, walls are up and windows are going in, and exterior brickwork installation should be underway the next time I pass by.
Ronald McDonald Houses offer a “home away from home” for seriously ill children and their families while the kids are undergoing medical treatment at nearby hospitals and medical institutions. The present Ronald McDonald House Toronto, on Gerrard Street just a stone’s throw from Yonge Street, has 28 furnished family bedrooms with private bathrooms as well as a kitchen and dining area, common family room, playroom and laundry facilities.
With no room to expand on Gerrard Street, and demand for accommodation increasing drastically in recent years, the Ronald McDonald House Toronto board decided it was time to build a new House. To pay for the project, the board launched a fundraising campaign which has raised $29 million so far. The federal government contributed an $8.7 million capital grant under its national economic stimulus program, while the Ontario government provided a $9 million grant toward the construction costs.
Designed by Toronto’s Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc., the new House on McCaul will more than triple current capacity, offering cheery and bright accommodation to as many as 80 families. The biggest Ronald McDonald House in the world, it will have a total of 96 bedrooms, with 65 family bedrooms and 15 two-bedroom suites for long-term stays.
Below are building renderings plus photos showing construction progress last November and just last week.
Artistic rendering of the new Ronald McDonald House Toronto
Montgomery Sisam rendering of the new Ronald McDonald House
Ronald McDonald House construction progress November 15 2010
Ronald McDonald House construction progress November 15 2010
Workers installing windows on January 14 2011
Ronald McDonald House north side view on January 14 2011
Ronald McDonald House construction on January 14 2011
Ronald McDonald House construction on January 14 2011
Ronald McDonald House south side view on January 14 2011
As this photo shot on Friday afternoon shows, 500 Wellington is beginning to look a lot like an artistic rendering suggests the finished luxury loft building will appear.
Fast riser: It wasn’t all that long ago — March 11, 2010, to be precise — that I saw excavation equipment in the early stages of digging the foundation for 500 Wellington West. Now, just 10 months later, the 10-storey condo loft development already has a striking presence on the streetscape, as brickwork and windows are being installed on its facade.
The building was getting considerable attention on Friday afternoon, when numerous passersby stopped to take long, close looks at the progress of construction. (The comments I overheard were all positive, by the way.)
A Freed Developments project, 500 Wellington West is a small building offering big — really, really big — luxury condo lofts. There will be only 17 units in the complex, ranging from a spacious 2,500 square feet to mansion-sized 6,000 square-foot, full-floor residences. (As you’d expect, the asking prices for all that space are really big, too: from $1.5 to $5 million.)
The building was designed by Core Architects Inc., with ultra-luxe interiors by Burdifilek and landscaping by gh3 Designs, all of Toronto.
Below are some of the photos I’ve taken at the site since August 2008.
500 Wellington West marketing billboard viewed in August 2008
500 Wellington construction site viewed on March 11 2010
500 Wellington West excavation progress on March 11 2010
500 Wellington West excavation progress on March 11 2010
500 Wellington West viewed from Victoria Memorial Park on Nov 23 2010
500 Wellington Street West on November 23 2010
500 Wellington Street West on November 23 2010
500 Wellington West construction viewed on January 14 2011
500 Wellington West construction viewed on January 14 2011
500 Wellington West construction viewed on January 14 2011
500 Wellington West construction viewed on January 14 2011
500 Wellington West construction viewed on January 14 2011
500 Wellington West construction viewed on January 14 2011
500 Wellington West construction viewed on January 14 2011