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
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
April 9 2011: Vacant retail premises at 614, 616 and 618 Yonge Street that also will be restored and incorporated into the condo complex
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.
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
April 22 2011: Looking south along St Nicholas Street at the west walls of the former Rawlinson Cartage buildings
April 22 2011: Looking north along St Nicholas Street at the west walls of the former Rawlinson Cartage buildings
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
May 11 2011: Demolition equipment arrives at 5 St Joseph Street
May 13 2011: Crews begin destroying trees outside 5 St Joseph Street
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
May 31 2011: Hoarding outside the former retail shops at 606 to 618 Yonge Street
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
May 31 2011: Drilling and shoring equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street
June 18 2011: Demolition at the rear of 616 and 618 Yonge Street is complete
June 21 2011: The west side of the heritage buildings at 606 to 618 Yonge Street, after their rear additions have been demolished
June 21 2011: Drilling and shoring equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street
June 30 2011: An excavator digs on the property between the Yonge Street heritage buildings and 5 St Joseph Street
June 30 2011: Drilling and shoring equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street
July 2 2011: Demolition of 15 St Nicholas Street viewed from Phipps Street
July 2 2011: A demolition machine at work on a heap of debris
July 2 2011: Rubble is all that remains of the former Shred Central indoor skateboard park at 19 St Nicholas Street
July 2 2011: Demolition viewed from St Nicholas Street, looking north
July 2 2011: Shred Central had occupied 19 St Nicholas for over 13 years
July 2 2011: Demolition at the southwest corner of 15 St Nicholas Street
July 2 2011: The south wall of 15 St Nicholas Street is pulled down
July 9 2011: Demolition continues at 19 St Nicholas Street
July 15 2011: Ongoing demolition of 19 and 25 St Nicholas Street
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July 18 2011: A demolition machine pulls apart 25 St Nicholas Street
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July 21 2011: Looking north from the corner of Phipps & St Nicholas Streets
July 24 2011: Demolition of 19-25 St Nicholas Street nears completion
August 6 2011: There is little left of the buildings at 15-25 St Joseph Street
August 6 2011: A demolition machine stirs up dust on the future tower site
August 14 2011: Drilling work continues outside 5 St Joseph Street
August 14 2011: Looking south along St Nicholas Street
August 14 2011: St Nicholas Street view of the FIVE Condos site
August 14 2011: Looking east across the site where the warehouse buildings at 15-25 St Joseph Street once stood
August 19 2011: Marketing billboards for FIVE Condos on hoarding outside the Yonge Street heritage buildings
August 19 2011: Excavating equipment outside 5 St Joseph Street
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
September 3 2011: Foundation building equipment on the empty lot where the buildings at 15-25 St Nicholas Street once stood
September 12 2011: Crews will soon begin erecting the giant steel frame that will support the facade of 5 St Joseph Street
September 24 2011: The massive steel support starts taking shape
September 24 2011: The support structure will eventually extend the length of the building’s St Joseph Street facade
September 24 2011: The huge frame extends halfway across St Joseph Street
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October 8 2011: The supports will hold the 4-storey brick wall in place while the condo tower is being built
October 14 2011: The full support structure is now in position
November 20 2011: This wall along St Nicholas Street will be demolished soon
November 20 2011: A view of the east side of 5 St Joseph Street before the remaining rear section of the building is demolished
November 20 2011: The section of building with the windows will be demolished next, leaving only the front facade intact
November 25 2011: Demolition begins on the upper floor of 5 St Joseph Street
November 25 2011: The top three floors of the building were once home to gyms, including Epic Fitness, L3 Fitness, and Level Fitness
November 25 2011: Demolition viewed from the northwest along St Joseph Street
December 8 2011: All that’s left of 5 St Joseph is the 4-storey brick facade
December 11 2011: Sunlight streams through windows and the former main entrance doorway to 5 St Joseph Street
December 11 2011: Shoring work continues along the east side of St Nicholas Street behind the wrapped warehouse building facade
December 11 2011: The south-facing side of the 5 St Joseph Street brick facade is being kept under wraps
December 22 2011: Excavation has begun for the 50-storey tower that will rise in the center of this site
December 22 2011: A construction crew works at the edge of the excavation behind the Yonge Street heritage buildings
December 22 2011: Passersby often ask construction workers if the steel support is permanent. It eventually will be removed, of course.
December 22 2011: Shoring activity at the northwest corner of the site
December 22 2011: The wrapped facade looms above excavation and shoring machines on the condo site
December 22 2011: This site will be excavated for five underground levels
December 22 2011: Welders work on one of the I-beams that will be sunk into the ground to shore up the excavation site
December 22 2011: If only the facade could have been wrapped in festive colours for the holiday season!