Monthly Archives: January 2011

Ritz-Carlton Toronto set to rock city’s 5-star hotel scene when guests begin arriving in February

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CN Tower reflects on Ritz-Carlton Toronto tower on November 29 2010


Lifestyles of the Ritz and famous: The soaring glass and limestone skyscraper with its distinctively sloped upper floors has already taken its elegant place on the city skyline. Now, with guests scheduled to begin arriving within just a few weeks, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto is set to make a spectacular splash on the city’s five-star hotel scene, too. Standing 53 storeys, the Ritz-Carlton is the first of four new high-end hotel/condo towers that should finally put Toronto on the radar of affluent travellers around the globe during the next two years.  (The others, currently under construction, include the Trump International Toronto, the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences, and Living Shangri-La Toronto.)

Seems it wasn’t so long ago that members of the International Olympic Committee, when considering Toronto’s ultimately unsuccessful bids to host the 1996 and 2008 Summer Olympics, complained that the city was sorely lacking in upscale accommodations. Moreover, Toronto hotels have rarely appeared on any of the annual lists that top international travel publications compile of the world’s best hotels. In November, for instance, Toronto failed to get a single hotel on the Conde Nast Traveler “Best in the World 2010” list, and didn’t even make it onto the magazine’s “Top 20 Resorts in Canada” ranking. Toronto hotels similarly didn’t make the upper cut for Conde Nast’s “Gold List” of the world’s best hotels and resorts, released in January. And just this week, Toronto Star Travel Editor Jim Byers blogged that only one hotel in all of Canada made it onto the American Automobile Association’s list of five-diamond hotels in North America for 2011 — and it wasn’t in Toronto, of course (it was the Four Seasons at Whistler, B.C.).

But if the attentive staff at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto make an impression, the constant snubbing of Toronto’s hotels should come to an end. The hotel website says the Ritz-Carlton Toronto will open in February, offering “a world-class spa, exceptional dining, impeccable service and 267 luxurious guest rooms and suites.” I couldn’t find room availability for any February dates when I used the hotel website’s online booking form, but I did manage to find rooms starting as low as $455 per night in early March. (I didn’t book, so I’ll just have to settle for viewing the building from the outside.)

Some construction work is still in progress, as crews rush to complete the hotel entrance, lobby and lobby bar. Work continues on many of the ultra-expensive condo suites in the tower’s upper levels while, on the exterior, the hotel’s signage has still not been installed, and work is finishing up on a wide walkway between the Ritz-Carlton and the CBC headquarters to its west.

Two architectural firms collaborated on the project: Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) Associates Architects and Planners of New York and Page + Steeles Architects of Toronto.

Further details about the Ritz-Carlton Toronto building are provided in this fact sheet from the hotel. Below is an artistic rendering of the tower (from the Ritz-Carlton website), along with a series of photos I’ve snapped on recent walks past the building.

 

Hotel website rendering of the Ritz-Carlton Toronto tower


Ritz-Carlton Toronto tower viewed from Wellington Street on November 29 2010


Ritz-Carlton Toronto viewed from Roy Thomson Hall on January 14 2011


Ritz-Carlton Toronto tower southwest view on November 29 2010


Ritz-Carlton Toronto viewed from Wellington Street December 16 2010


Ritz-Carlton Toronto Wellington Street entrance driveway


Ritz-Carlton Toronto front entrance viewed December 16 2010


Ritz-Carlton lobby awaits furniture installation on December 16 2010


Ritz-Carlton lobby bar under construction December 16 2010


Ritz-Carlton lobby bar under construction December 16 2010


Ritz-Carlton Toronto hotel (lower windows with drapes) and condo residences


Ritz-Carlton Toronto neighbours RBC Centre (middle) and Simcoe Place (right)


Ritz-Carlton Toronto tower west side view on January 14 2011


Ritz-Carlton Toronto tower northwest view on November 29 2010


 

BLVD Developments ready to declare Victory in condominium building battle on King Street West

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Victory condo construction progress on January 14 2011


Building exterior nearly done: Window, brickwork and balcony installations are giving the exterior of Victory Condos on King Street West a more finished look this week.

The L-shaped, 12-storey building is a project of BLVD Developments. It will feature 175 units, including penthouses with large terraces, 2,500 square feet of retail space on its ground level, and another 3.500 of retail shops accessed by a landscaped walkway at the west side of the property.

The building was designed by Rudy Wallman of Toronto’s Wallman Architects.

Below is a series of photos showing construction progress at Victory Condos. There are three shots showing the condo location in 2008 before construction commenced, a picture taken from the CN Tower in November, and several pics from just this past week.

 

Update: Demolition continues at Yonge St. fire site

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January 14: There’s very little left of the first floor of 335 Yonge

 

Remains of the day: Crews have demolished the top two floors of the heritage building at 335 Yonge Street that suffered extensive and irreparable damage in a suspicious fire on January 3, and are working to clear the rest of the site.

The fire marshall’s office has yet to report if it has determined what started the fire; however, a police criminal investigation is underway based on surveillance videos that showed a man entering the building and then leaving only minutes before the blaze broke out.

On January 26, city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam will meet with the building owners, local businesses, and officials from Ryerson University to discuss what will happen with the site.

Meanwhile, The Globe and Mail reported today that a contracting firm is suing the owners for allegedly not paying a $70,000 bill for work performed after part of the building facade collapsed last April. I’m sure there will be even more legal proceedings in the months ahead to determine what will happen with the property.

 

Local TV celebrity Marilyn Dennis smiles down on the ruins of 335 Yonge

 


Covered fence blocks street views of demolition at 335 Yonge

 

With podium and cantilevered townhouses in place, Market Wharf poised to built condo tower next

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Website rendering of Market Wharf condos below St Lawrence Market


Podium finish: If you liken building construction to a competitive race, then Context Development has achieved a podium finish with its Market Wharf project on Lower Jarvis Street. And to borrow an expression from the 2010 Canadian Winter Olympic Team, Context will totally own the podium once it gets the 25-storey Market Wharf condo tower going up — the next phase in construction — and sells the remaining 30% of units that have not already been snapped up by eager buyers. 

December was a busy building month for Market Wharf:  its eight-storey-tall podium got topped off; crews began installing windows in the townhouses that cantilever over the south end of the podium; mullions were being installed for windows for the Shoppers Drug Mart store that will open in the podium’s retail level; and work continued on the base for the condo tower.

  The building was designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance. Below are photos I took of the site last week, along with another artistic rendering from the Market Wharf website where full project details and floorplans can be viewed.

 

Artistic rendering of a west view of the Market Wharf podium and tower


Market Wharf podium northwest side view January 3 2011; note how the window sizes and brickwork placement differ from the rendering above.


West side of Market Wharf podium on January 3 2011


Southwest view of Market Wharf podium on January 3 2011


Preliminary building work for Market Wharf condo tower


Getting ready to build the tower at south end of Market Wharf site


Southeast view of Market Wharf podium and townhouses


Cantilevered townhouses on the podium’s southeast corner


Another view of the cantilevered townhouses


Southeast side of Market Wharf podium along Jarvis Street


Northeast side of Market Wharf podium along Jarvis Street


Northeast corner of the Market Wharf podium (drug store to occupy street level)


St Lawrence Market view of Market Wharf podium on January 3 2010


Hasta la vista, Queen’s Park?

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Ontario Legislature viewed from College Street on January 14 2011


Four Seasons views all year long? Redevelopment of the 31-storey Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville into two condo towers — 48 and 44 floors tall — is one step closer in the wake of a ruling yesterday by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

In 2007, Menkes Developments proposed building the two condo highrises on the Avenue Road site of Toronto’s “old” Four Seasons (a brand-new Four Seasons hotel + condo complex is presently under construction just two blocks away; after it opens, Menkes wants to demolish the old tower and build condos in its place). After city planners rejected Menkes’ proposal, the developer appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

In the meantime, heritage groups voiced opposition to the Menkes project, claiming the condo towers would be so tall, they would spoil precious views of the Ontario Legislature building at Queen’s Park (the groups fear that the condo towers will poke above the building’s gables and spoil skyline views to the north.)

The Ontario Government did not seek standing to participate in the OMB hearings, but the Speaker of the Legislature, Steve Peters, did so on behalf of the Legislative Assembly. His argument that the towers would ruin views of the Legislature didn’t hold sway at the OMB, which ruled that the Menkes proposal was consistent with city and provincial planning policies. The Legislative Assembly in turn went to court seeking permission to appeal the OMB decision.

In her decision yesterday, however, Madam Justice Alison Harvison Young rejected the Legislature’s request. She said that even though the Legislature is an important building, that “does not, in itself, render the legal issues of significant importance to justify granting leave to appeal.”

Meanwhile, CTV Toronto reports that Mr. Peters will ask the government to take action to protect the vista. A story in today’s Globe and Mail provides further details about the controversy.

Below are photos of the current Four Seasons Hotel and the redevelopment proposal sign that has been displayed on the property for the past three years, as well as a pic of the new Four Seasons complex under construction at the northeast corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue.

 

 

 

Move-in dates approaching quickly for buyers at James Cooper Mansion condos on Sherbourne St.

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James Cooper Mansion condos on Sherbourne Street January 9 2011


Looking good: “If you think it’s nice on the outside, you should see inside. This place is beautiful!”

That’s what a contractor said when he saw me snapping photos outside the James Cooper Mansion condo tower on Sherbourne Street last weekend.

The Tridel condo project designed by Burka Architects Inc. is close to completion, and the contractor said buyers will probably start moving into the building by the end of the month.

Today, I saw workers putting up signs for a rental office and Tridel customer care centre, so at least parts of the building must be nearly ready for occupancy.

Below are photos I’ve taken of the building in recent weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exterior repairs underway at fire ravaged highrise

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External fire damage repair work at 200 Wellesley St E on January 13 2011

 

 

237 tenants still displaced: Three and a half months after a 7-alarm blaze ravaged the 29-storey 200 Wellesley St. E. apartment building in St James Town, major repair work has commenced on the outside of the 41-year-old tower.

The blaze raged for hours on the evening of Friday, September 24, causing extensive fire, smoke and water damage to dozens of apartments in the 711-unit building. Interior repairs commenced a few days after fire investigators examined the site; however, more than 1,200 residents were left homeless for weeks. Most have since been allowed to move back, but nearly 240 tenants are still living in hotels while repairs to their apartments continue.

Smoke and fire damage to the tower’s white exterior brickwork and balcony panels was largely cleaned up by November, and in December workers could be seen performing what appeared to be structural repairs to the ceilings and floors of several balconies close to the 24th-floor apartment in which the fire is believed to have started.

Last week, contractors draped protective green shrouds over two rows of balconies, and installed a platform elevator up the side of the tower. This afternoon, the sound of drills and jackhammers echoed through the neighbourhood as workers toiled outside the 24th floor fire scene. It likely will be weeks, if not months, before the repairs are finally finished and everyone is allowed to move back home.

Local newspaper coverage of the blaze included this story from the Toronto Star, and this report from The Globe and Mail. More recently, the Star published this story about a class action lawsuit being pursued by tenants. Below are photos of fire damage to the building exterior, as well as recent repair work.

 

September 26 2010 view of fire damage at 200 Wellesley St. E.

 

September 26 2010 view of fire damage at 200 Wellesley St. E.

 

Balcony repairs at 200 Wellesley on December 18 2010

 

External fire repair work at 200 Wellesley on January 9 2011

 

External fire repair work at 200 Wellesley on January 9 2011

 

External fire repair work at 200 Wellesley on January 9 2011

 

External fire repair work at 200 Wellesley on January 13 2011

 

External fire repair work at 200 Wellesley on January 13 2011

 

Sick of snow and cold? Weary of winter weather? Just imagine warm sun and sand at Sugar Beach

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Beachgoers enjoy warm sand and hot sun at Sugar Beach last August


Can’t get to the Caribbean? Stuck in the snow and cold and hoping you don’t catch the flu nasty that’s knocking people off their feet in Toronto? Unfortunately, it’s only the middle of January, and we’ve still got a lot more wicked winter weather ahead of us. But if you can’t escape to the south to soak up some hot sun on a beach holiday this season, you can always do the next best thing: Pretend you’re there.

To help you imagine that you’re enjoying warm sun and sand beside a wide expanse of appealing blue water, here’s some photos of the new beach and lakeside promenade that opened next to the Corus Entertainment building at the foot of Jarvis Street last summer.

Admittedly, Sugar Beach isn’t lush and exotic like Hawaii or St. Lucia, but it definitely looks a helluva lot more enticing than the snow and ice I see on the city streets right now.

Enjoy your beach break daydream and remember: only four more months to go before you can kick back and relax for real on Sugar Beach!

 

Demolition underway as The Berczy prepares to build “boutique” condo complex at Church & Front

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Artistic rendering of The Berczy condos at Church and Front Streets


New neighbour for the Flatiron: The Berczy condo site at the southwest corner of Church and Front Streets is now surrounded by hoarding, and demolition activity is underway at what used to be the The Keg steakhouse chain’s Church Street location.

The Berczy will be a 13-story building with just 163 suites, billed by its developer — Concert Real Estate Corporation — as “a boutique collection of city homes.”

It will be a new neighbour for one of Toronto’s most popular landmarks, the Flatiron building at Front and Wellington Streets.

The Berczy itself is just as popular, it seems: the project is completely sold out.

Below are some pics I shot recently at The Berczy site.

 

A view of The Berczy site before demolition commenced


Hoarding around The Berczy construction site January 5 2011


Hoarding along Church Street side of The Berczy construction site


Hoarding along Church Street side of The Berczy construction site


The Berczy construction site viewed from The Esplanade January 5 2011


Apparently, much of this brick building immediately to the south of The Berczy will be restored and  incorporated into the new condominium complex.


Images of Ryerson University campus reflect in exterior of new image arts school and gallery

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Artistic rendering on a billboard beside the construction site on Gould Street


Ryerson reflects: A university campus is a great place for personal reflection, as a stroll past Ryerson University’s latest construction project proves.

The university is in the midst of a massive renovation and total transformation of its School of Image Arts building at the southwest corner of Bond and Gould Streets. As part of the redevelopment project, which began last year and continues until September 2012, the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre will be incorporated into the new facility.

The gallery is intended to serve as an international centre “for the study, teaching, research and public exhibition of photography, new media and film.” It will “combine public exhibition of innovative work by professional Canadian and international artists” with academic research and education while also housing “the renowned Black Star Collection at Ryerson University and other collections in a museum-quality, climate-controlled environment.”

I’m glad to see the drab old building getting a complete overhaul, and I enjoy how the gallery’s shiny glass skin reflects nearby buildings on the Ryerson campus, including the clocktower at Kerr Hall. Unfortunately, most of the Rye U students don’t even seem to notice the gallery taking shape; they’re too busy fiddling with their smart phones as they rush past on their way to and from classes and coffee shops. But I’m sure the new school will catch their attention once the construction hoarding and fences come down, and the university joins the ranks of “the top international centres for photography and related disciplines.”

Further information and a rendering of the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre is available here.

The photos that follow show the building’s renovation and construction progress during the past year.

 

Bond Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on March 8 2010


Bond Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on March 8 2010


Bond Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on January 5 2011


Gould Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on March 8 2010


Gould Street view of School of Image Arts renovations on Dec 21 2010


Kerr Hall courtyard view of School of Image Arts on Nov 11 2010


School of Image Arts Bond Street facade reflects Kerr Hall on Nov 11 2010


School of Image Arts reflects Kerr Hall clock tower on Dec 21 2010


West side of School of Image Arts on Dec 21 2010


West side of School of Image Arts on January 8 2011


Condo slump coming? Some experts think so, but developers are set to launch 35 projects by June

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Rendering of the proposed Backstage on the Esplanade condo tower; real estate brokers packed a sales office this week for a sneak peek at the project


Condo boom losing steam? The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) says housing starts in Canada dropped 13% in December, dragged down by a 45% drop in condo construction in Ontario. According to CMHC, multiple-unit starts (mainly condos) averaged 91,000 in 2010, but dipped to 85,000 in December. Some experts predict the numbers will fall even lower — to 75,000, which is the average historical level. Does this mean Toronto’s red-hot condo boom is on the verge of  a slump?  Not necessarily.

According to a story in The Globe and Mail today, “Toronto builders expect to launch 35 new projects in the first two quarters of the year, with as many as 17,000 new units expected to hit the market in 2011.” Last year, the second-best ever, saw 19,000 new units sold. And real estate agents are optimistic the high demand for condos will continue.

Earlier this week, the Globe pointed out, realtors packed the Backstage on the Esplanade sales office for a sneak peek at the project. Backstage is a 36-storey tower proposed for a narrow wedge of land nestled between the railway tracks to the south, Yonge Street to the west, and The Esplanade to the north. It will sit behind the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and the Daniel Libeskin-designed L Tower, which is currently under construction at the northeast corner of Yonge and The Esplanade.

The site looks impossibly tiny for a condo tower when viewed both from street level and above, but developers have been plans to make it work.

Below are some photos of the Backstage location, its sales office, and its original development proposal signage on The Esplanade.

 

Backstage condo tower location viewed from CN Tower


Another CN Towerview of the site proposed for the Backstage tower


Backstage Condos

November 9 2010 view of Backstage Condos site on The Esplanade


Proposed Backstage condo tower site viewed from The Esplanade


Marketing banner on Yonge Street railway underpass adjacent to Backstage site


Backstage sales office one block east of the tower site


The project’s original development proposal sign on The Esplanade


Military club makes way for condo construction: RCMI Residences set to rise on University Ave.

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Tower rendering on hoarding at the RCMI Residences construction site


The cannons will come back! Preliminary excavation work is underway for Residences at RCMI on University, the 42-storey condo tower that will rise on the site of The Royal Canadian Military Institute at 426 University Avenue (just south of Dundas Street).

When the  slender glass highrise opens in several years, it will house “a completely modernized RCMI [on] the first six floors, complete with its distinctive cannons dutifully rolled back to their guarding positions,” the RCMI notes in its website description of its novel construction venture with builder Tribute Communities.

The tower design incorporates the facade of the RCMI’s former building, which had occupied the site from 1890 until its demolition last fall. The RCMI is a private social club for former military officers and civilians with interests in the military; it also owns and maintains “Canada’s largest privately-held military library.” Its current membership “is drawn from all walks of life, including the Reserves, the Regular Forces, academe, and business across Canada and abroad. Increasingly, our new members are concerned with information technology and other business affairs related to security issues.” Undoubtedly, buyers at RCMI Residences will feel secure in their sleek new digs once they move into the completed condo complex.

Below are photos I snapped of the RCMI building before it was demolished, along with photos of construction progress to date and renderings of the RCMI tower.

 

The Royal Canadian Military Institute on March 11 2010


The Royal Canadian Military Institute on March 11 2010


The Royal Canadian Military Institute on March 11 2010


Hoardings around the RCMI Residences site on Nov 29 2010


RCMI Residences construction viewed from Simcoe Street Jan 3 2011


RCMI Residences construction viewed from Simcoe Street Jan 3 2011


RCMI Residences construction viewed from Simcoe Street Jan 3 2011


RCMI Residences construction viewed from Simcoe Street Jan 3 2011


RCMI Residences construction viewed from Simcoe Street Jan 3 2011


Hoarding at RCMI Residences construction site on Jan 3 2011


RCMI Residences tower rendering


RCMI Residences facade rendering


RCMI Residences tower rendering


SickKids Research & Learning Tower design details becoming evident in construction along Elm Street

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SickKids Research and Learning Tower taking shape along Elm Street


Artistic rendering of SickKids Research and Learning Tower


Beacon on Bay: Although foundation work is still below grade level along the Bay Street portion of its construction site, some design elements of the SickKids Research and Learning Tower are already obvious on the fast-progressing Elm Street section of the project — particularly a long, rectangular row of windows in what will be a patterned wall above Elm.

The $400 million facility will feature 750,000 square feet of space and 21 floors rising approximately 117 meters (383 feet). Sick Kids Hospital boasts that its new building, scheduled to open in 2013, will be not only “an architectural landmark,” but “a beacon in Toronto’s Discovery District and a magnet for the best and brightest child health professionals around the world.”

If the finished tower winds up looking like artistic renderings I’ve seen, it should be a beacon indeed — a bright, beautiful building that should drastically improve and enhance a rather unsightly stretch of Bay Street (the site itself used to be a parking lot).

I’m also fervently hoping that the tower will rise tall enough to block views of its next-door neighbour, the Enwave steam plant smokestack on Walton Street — especially views from the south, since the stack stands out like a sore thumb between the graceful curving towers of City Hall.

There’s a wealth of information about the Research and Learning Tower project, as well as renderings of the building interior, at the SickKids Foundation website.

The tower is a project of Toronto’s Diamond + Schmitt Architects. Below are several recent photos showing how far construction has progressed, as well as a rendering of the tower viewed from Bay Street.

 

SickKids tower construction viewed from Bay Street below Gerrard Street


SickKids tower construction viewed from Bay Street


SickKids tower construction progress at corner of Bay & Elm Streets


SickKids tower construction progress along Elm Street


Progress of foundation work for SickKids tower


SickKids tower construction progress along Elm Street


Artistic rendering of SickKids Research and Learning Tower


I’m hoping the SickKids tower will be high enough to block views of the Enwave steam plant smokestack between the towers of Toronto City Hall

New mayor’s budget cuts could affect elements of Nathan Phillips Square revitalization project

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November 2010: New skate pavilion and concession stand takes shape

 

No cash for tourist kiosk or restaurant? The two-year, $42.7 million revitalization of Nathan Phillips Square at City Hall is chugging along, but two of the project’s most appealing features might not get built because of budget cutbacks announced yesterday by Mayor Rob Ford.

According to an article in today’s Globe and Mail, the mayor’s budget cuts mean  “a planned tourist booth for the corner of Bay and Queen Streets likely won’t be built. Neither will a restaurant for the square, unless the city can find a partner to share construction costs.”

The plan to revitalize the 40-year-old square, which for years has looked worn, tired, dowdy and downright tacky in many places, has been controversial since it was originally proposed to and debated by City Council. Ford had been vocal about his opposition to the project and its cost while he was a city councillor, as well as throughout the mayoral election campaign last year. The good news is that his proposed 2011 budget doesn’t take money away from the program, so most of the revitalization work should continue as planned. However, there won’t be any cash to cover cost overruns.

The most visible revitalization progress to date has been the ongoing construction of a new skate pavilion and concession stand, replacing the hideous concrete structure that previously stood next to the square’s summer water fountain / winter ice skating rink. Also, the Peace Garden has been completely removed  (it will be relocated to the western side of the square).

A two-level restaurant proposed for the southwest corner of the square would have been a highlight of the refurbishment program, as would a tourist information kiosk planned for the southeast entrance to Nathan Phillips Square. Undoubtedly, both would have drawn more tourists and residents to the square; however, it’s been obvious for some time that our new  mayor isn’t the least bit interested in making Nathan Phillips Square a more welcoming, enjoyable place for either tourists or taxpayers to visit.

Below are some pics I shot in November of building progress on the new skate pavilion and demolition of the Peace Garden, as well as artistic renderings of the tourist booth, restaurant and skate pavilion. More renderings, along with full project details, can be viewed on the city’s Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization website.

 

Construction progress of new skate pavilion and concession stand

 

Construction progress of new skate pavilion and concession stand

 

Peace Garden demolition and removal

 

Rendering of new skate pavilion and concession stand

 

Rendering of restaurant proposed for square’s southwest corner

 

Rendering of proposed tourist information kiosk

 

Rendering shows location proposed for tourist info kiosk

 

Snow wonder: When will digging start at One Bloor?

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November 20 2008 view of snow-covered One Bloor condo tower site …

 

…and on January 9 2011 — over two years later — little has changed

 

Bloor Street blahs: I’m getting increasingly anxious for construction to start on the One Bloor condo tower. Every time I pass the One Bloor building site at the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor, it bugs me to see a big empty lot — a site that the media and real estate agents for years have described as Canada’s “premier” and “most prestigious” address. If it’s such a hot and important spot, what’s taking developer Great Gulf Group so long to get shovels in the ground? C’mon, guys, get going already!

Actually, Great Gulf is getting there — and digging should start soon. Back in November, the company applied to the city for a permit to begin work on the building’s foundation. Meanwhile, it’s preparing to open a spiffy new condo sales centre in the Xerox tower right next door. So things are moving along, though seemingly at a snail’s pace to impatient people like me.

I know I won’t be the only one cheering when hoarding is installed around the site and excavation equipment finally begins breaking ground — there’s a lot of building and skyscraper fans who can’t wait to watch a tower soar into the sky here. But exactly how tall will it stand?

The excavation permit application refers to a mixed-use highrise tower with 67 residential floors, 2 commercial floors (including a “p1 level commercial concourse”)  and six underground parking levels. That suggests the developer is set to build a 69-storey skyscraper.

Personally, I’d prefer to see a much taller tower — something closer to the 80 storeys envisaged for the ill-fated condo + hotel + retail complex originally proposed and sold for the site. (For those who either don’t recall or aren’t familiar with the dramatic recent history of the 1 Bloor Street East site, the Toronto Star describes crucial events in this story from July 18 2009 and this follow-up article from August 21 2009, while The Globe and Mail offered an even more detailed account in this story from September 17 2009.)

Heck, I wish One Bloor would go even higher — if Melbourne, Australia can build a 91-storey skyscraper (the Eureka Tower), why can’t we? Hasn’t Canada (i.e. Toronto) traditionally held bragging rights to the tallest building in the Commonwealth?

I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that Great Gulf ultimately hikes the height of One Bloor to make it the tallest condo in Canada, but I won’t hold my breath just yet.

Below are several more photos I’ve taken of the One Bloor site, along with pics of Great Gulf marketing billboards featuring artistic renderings of their tower design. Additional renderings as well as more details about the project can be viewed on the project website, onebloor.com.