The 78-storey Aura condo tower had a shimmering, ethereal appearance in today’s early morning mist above downtown Toronto. Part of the College Park complex at Yonge & Gerrard Streets, Aura is the tallest condominium building in Canada. Below are several more pics of the tower displaying its aura. I shot the photos from my balcony five blocks to the northeast of Aura.
A Ward’s Island view of the downtown Toronto skyline earlier this month
Pics and video: A lunchtime bikeride on the Toronto Islands earlier this month gave me a chance to check out how much the downtown skyline has changed in the one-year period since my last trip to the islands.
Although there are dozens and dozens of condo towers and several office highrises under construction in downtown Toronto, only a handful of projects have so far made a significant impact on the skyline views.
The southwest downtown core is now dominated by the two ÏCE Condominium towers which are still under construction on York Street, while the nearby Delta Hotel tower at Southcore Financial Centre on Bremner Boulevard also makes a big impact from some perspectives.
Off to the west, the Library District Condominium tower is a noteworthy addition to the Concord CityPlace skyline; a year ago, only its construction crane was visible.
Over on the southeast side of the downtown core, The L Tower is the most eye-catching new building, with the water’s edge Residences of Pier 27 also commanding attention even though it’s only a midrise condominium project. Much farther east, the Distillery District is easier to locate now that construction is drawing closer to completion on the Gooderham Tower.
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Constantly changing scenery: The Rogers Centre, the CN Tower and the skyscrapers of the Financial District once dominated the north and east views from Roundhouse Park on Bremner Boulevard. But a slew of nearby construction projects is giving park visitors new views that change by the day. Above is a video I shot from the park yesterday, showing building activity at five major construction sites nearby: Infinity3, the final phase of the Infinity condo complex between Bremner and Lake Shore Boulevard; the two ICE Condos towers at York Centre on the east side of the Infinity buildings; the Delta Toronto hotel and Bremner office tower at Southcore Financial Centre; the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada approaching the end of construction at the foot of the CN Tower; and the Three Hundred Front Street West condo tower to the northwest.
My March 2013 album on Flickr features more than 500 photos showing dozens of downtown construction projects and building sites. Click once on the image above to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the actual album where you can view individual full-size photos with captions.
Frozen fingers: It’s only a few days into spring and I’m still sorting through hundreds of building and construction photos I took during the winter. What has struck me the most is how gloomy and grey the city looked most of the time. Sunny, clear days were few and far between — and when they came, it was usually too bitterly cold and windy for me to risk freezing my fingers by wandering around with my camera.
I did manage a few long photo walks, though, and have been gradually posting the pics in albums on thetorontoblog.com’s Flickr photostream. Above is a link to my fourth winter photo album, March 2013.
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Above is a link to my January 2013 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album directly on Flickr and see full-size photos and captions.
October 16 2012: A southwest view of Bridgepoint Health‘s new hospital, seen here from the Gerrard Street bridge above the Don Valley Parkway. As construction nears completion, Bridgepoint expects to begin moving patients into the new building next April …
… while the historic Don Jail, which has been undergoing an extensive cleaning and restoration, inside and out, is expected to open at the same time. The fully renovated building will house administrative offices for around 100 Bridgepoint executives.
Completion in sight: With construction of the new Bridgepoint hospital continuing on schedule, patients and staff of Bridgepoint Health should begin moving into the state-of-the-art and environmentally-conscious new facility in only a few months’ time — April of next year, to be exact. Hospital administrators and executives are expected to start moving into their own new digs around the same time — office space in the fully restored and repurposed historic Don Jail building right next door. And by the end of next year, once the old hospital building and Toronto Jail addition beside it have been demolished, and new public park spaces, landscaping and streets have been put in place, the 10-acre Bridgepoint campus will have completely revitalized the northwest corner of Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street.
The $1.27 billion project was in the news today, with an insightful Globe & Mail report by Angela Kryhul — “Historic Don Jail buffed up, refitted for a new purpose” describing the transformation of the 148-year-old Don Jail building into the administrative headquarters for the adjacent 10-storey, 472-bed hospital. I highly recommend giving Angela’s interesting article a read; she spoke to two architects involved in the Bridgepoint project, Paul Sapounzi of the Ontario firm +VG Architects and Gregory Colucci of Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects. The online Globe & Mail article is accompanied by a slideshow of 11 photographs of the Don Jail’s interior and exterior.
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July 19 2011: Construction of the relocated Peace Garden continues along the western flank of Nathan Phillips Square next to Osgoode Hall (right) …
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… as does work on a new live performance stage midway between City Hall and the new skate and snack bar pavilion which opened last September (rear).
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Meanwhile, the reflecting pool will be a dry dustbowl throughout the summer as it receives extensive maintenance work and upgrades…
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… including repairs to mechanical facilities along the pool’s entire perimeter …
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… while window upgrade work continues on City Hall’s west tower, seen here July 7 2012. Hundreds of window panes on City Hall’s east tower were replaced last year.
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However, a two-level restaurant that was supposed to be constructed at the square’s southwest corner won’t materialize until some unprojected future time, as part of a third phase of the revitalization project for the 40-year-old square
Slow progress: In recent months a lot of people have been wondering just how much longer downtown Toronto’s building boom is going to last. I keep wondering the same thing about the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization project at Toronto City Hall.
Like much of the downtown area, Nathan Phillips Square remains a giant construction zone for the third consecutive summer as the $40-million-plus revitalization project drags on, with work gradually progressing on a new theatre/stage facility as well as a relocated and enlarged Peace Garden along the west side of the square.
Extensive maintenance and upgrades have forced the closure of the square’s signature reflecting pool/winter skating rink and put another huge section of the square off-limits for months — although that work isn’t part of the revitalization plan.
And as if all that isn’t enough, this is the second year that work has been in progress to replace the 40-year-old window panes in the iconic City Hall towers.
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Skaters enjoy the rink at Nathan Phillips Square under sunny skies and mild 16-degree temperatures Wednesday afternoon. A National Historic Site, Toronto’s Old City Hall provides a grand backdrop for those enjoying their icetime. Built from 1889-1899, Old City Hall was designed by Toronto architect E.J. Lennox.
Looking toward two of the suspended pavilions at Ontario Place on September 4 2010, the last time I paid a visit to the aging waterfront theme park
Park over troubled waters: It struck me as a curious coincidence that stormclouds figure prominently in many of the photos I have taken of Ontario Place. After all, these are very dark and stormy times for the summertime waterfront theme park, most of which will be closed for the next five years while the Ontario government considers options for revitalizing the tired and tacky 41-year-old facility.
At the beginning of this month, the province announced that it has shuttered Ontario Place’s money-losing Cinesphere, water park and amusement rides while former politician/current radio personality John Tory leads a team charged with investigating options for restoring the lustre to a waterfront jewel that initially drew more than 2.5 million visitors each season, but has since struggled to attract even just one-fifth that many funseekers in recent summers. In fact, the province has been losing more than $20 million annually on subsidies it provides to keep the tired and dowdy-looking park operating. Just the privately-operated Molson Amphitheatre, the Atlantis restaurant, bar and ballroom pavilions, the marina and the parking lots, the only facilities that apparently were profitable, will remain open. More than 48 full-time jobs and 600 summer positions will be lost as a result of the closure.
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February 5 2012: Looking west from Allan Gardens toward the 308 Jarvis Street site, currently occupied by a pay parking lot, where a developer has proposed building a 50-storey condo tower with a 9-storey podium
February 5 2012: A view of the proposed tower site, looking southwest from Jarvis Street just below Carlton Street. At left is the 10-storey Ramada Plaza Hotel at 300 Jarvis Street, while at right is a heritage mansion at 314 Jarvis
February 5 2012: Northwesterly view from Allan Gardens toward the proposed condo site. At left is the Ramada Plaza Hotel, at center is the parking lot and the mansion at 314 Jarvis, and at right rear is the 25-storey Best Western Primrose Hotel at the southwest corner of Jarvis & Carlton Streets
February 5 2012: The developer proposes to incorporate into its condo tower only the “front portion” of this designated heritage house at 314 Jarvis Street
February 5 2012: The tower would rise behind the rear right side of the Allan Gardens Palm House, built in 1910, and would dominate the backdrop in this view
February 5 2012: Looking toward the proposed condo site from the northwest side of Allan Gardens. City parks and planning staff are worried about the potential shadow impact a 50-storey tower would have on this part of the park …
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… as well as on these greenhouses connected to the Palm House conservatory
Tower above the trees?: With its 154- year-old park and century-old Palm House conservatory boasting rare tropical plants from around the world, Allen Gardens is one of downtown Toronto’s oldest and most important botanical parks. But plans for a 50-storey skyscraper that would soar high above the historic park from the west side of Jarvis Street aren’t flying well with city parks and planning staff.
The application for a “50- storey with 9-storey podium mixed-use building” was filed with the City on January 23 2012. The proposal would redevelop property situated at the municipal addresses of 308, 310, 312 and 314 Jarvis Street, as well as 225 Mutual Street. The complex would contain 590 units, of which 5 would be townhouses fronting on Mutual Street at the west side of the property. The podium would include commercial space. The building would have five levels of below-ground parking.
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A light layer of snow covers the sharply-angled east side of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal on January 21 2012. Designed by “starchitect” Daniel Libeskind, the glass and aluminum-clad extension to the Royal Ontario Museum slices into the sky above Bloor Street. Below are several more wintertime views of the Crystal.
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November 23 2011: Installed yesterday, the new Maple Leaf Gardens marquee has a retro look befitting the historic hockey arena building, which opened in 1931. Below are two more photos of the marquee.
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November 20 2011: Crews prepare to install a Loblaws sign on the south side of Maple Leaf Gardens at the corner of Church Street…
… a similar sign had earlier been installed just around the corner on the building’s east facade along Church Street …
… while yet another sign listing all the new tenants of the renovated heritage building sits on a flatbed truck, awaiting installation at the Gardens’ northeast corner at Church and Wood Streets
Month-end opening: The public will get its first peek inside the revitalized Maple Leaf Gardens on November 30 — the day the new flagship Loblaws grocery store will officially open its doors for business.
Scores of construction crews have been buzzing around the inside and outside of the building this week, hurrying to finish the store in time for its much-anticipated and months-overdue opening. Today, crews were installing Loblaws signage atop a new canopy at the southeast corner of the Gardens, where the grocery store entrance is situated, as well as working on the underground parking garage entrance at the southwest corner of the building. Work also is continuing on the new Maple Leaf Gardens marquee along Carlton Street, and inside the upper levels of the Gardens, where the new Ryerson University Athletics Centre is being built. (Unlike the grocery store, the sports & recreation complex is not scheduled for completion until next spring.)
8 a.m. opening on November 30
In a press release issued today, Loblaw Companies Limited said “Toronto’s new crown jewel of food stores” will open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, November 30. Although the company is keeping most details about the new store under wraps for now, it did drop “some delectable tidbits about the food experiences that will be found on Food’s Greatest Stage™ under the legendary roof located at 60 Carlton Street.” The media release said some of the store’s highlights include a complete ACE Artisan Bakery, an 18-foot-tall “Amazing Wall of Cheese” boasting more than 400 varieties of cheese from around the world, a patisserie featuring handcrafted chocolate and a huge assortment of pastries baked in-store, a tea emporium, an omelet station, a sushi Bar, and an open kitchen preparing take-home breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.
From what I’ve heard, the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws will be the most impressive grocery store in downtown Toronto, providing an unrivalled shopping environment that will dazzle and delight foodies who have been starved for alternatives to the congested and dumpy-looking food stores currently serving the fast-growing condo and apartment neighbourhood. Last week, I spoke to several newly-hired Loblaws employees who had just received their first tour of the historic building where they soon will be working. Since the site is still a construction zone, with crews putting finishing touches on the building’s interior and exterior, they had to wear hard hats and safety boots throughout their orientation tour. But they said the store basically looks set to open, with all shelves already fully stocked with merchandise. Describing the Loblaws as easily “the nicest grocery store” they’ve seen “in all of downtown,” they said customers will be amazed by both the look and feel of the interior as well as the extensive product line-ups that will tempt their tastebuds and pocketbooks.
According to the Ryerson University website, the architectural team for the Gardens transformation includes Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. for the “base building” and BBB Architects Inc. for the “Ryerson fit up.” Heritage consultant is E.R.A. Architects Inc.
Below are more photos I took outside Maple Leaf Gardens this afternoon. Photos of earlier construction activity at the iconic hockey shrine can be viewed in my posts on November 3, June 14, April 14, March 29 and February 2.
November 20 2011: Crews working outside the parking garage entrance at the southwest corner of the Gardens on Carlton Street
November 20 2011: Workers on a portable crane attend to details on the wall above the underground parking garage entrance.
November 20 2011 There is one level of parking underneath the grocery store
November 20 2011: Work continues on the Carlton Street marquee. The entrance to the Ryerson University Athletics Centre will be here.
November 20 2011: Sign installation above the Loblaws entrance
November 20 2011: The new canopy above the Gardens’ southeast corner
November 20 2011: Workers prepare to erect a vertical sign on the northeast corner of the building, at Church & Wood streets. A Joe Fresh clothing shop, an LCBO liquor outlet and a medical clinic will also be opening soon in the Gardens.
November 20 2011: The Gardens’ northeast corner, at Church & Wood Streets
November 20 2011: Construction cranes and elevators along Wood Street
November 20 2011: A crew prepares to install a vertical sign at the northeast corner of the building
November 20 2011: The slender sign is set in place
November 20 2011: The service entrance on the north side of the Gardens, along Wood Street, was punched into the brick wall of the historic building.
November 17 2011: Construction activity on the north and east sides of Maple Leaf Gardens. On weekdays, the building is constantly surrounded by cranes, equipment supply vehicles, and concrete delivery trucks and pumpers.
November 1 2011: A mid-morning view of Maple Leaf Gardens at the northwest corner of Church & Carlton Streets
Coming soon: “When is it finally going to open?” That question is almost constantly on the minds of thousands of people who live and work near the intersection of Church and Carlton Streets, where construction activity both inside and outside the Maple Leaf Gardens building continues at a relentless pace.
For residents of nearby condos, co-ops and apartments, the long-overdue opening of the historic hockey arena’s new occupants — including a Loblaws grocery store, an LCBO liquor outlet, and Ryerson University’s Athletics Centre at the Gardens — won’t happen soon enough. They are weary from months of traffic restrictions on sidewalks and streets adjacent to the Gardens, as well as the daily disruption, dirt and noise from both construction work and the heavy concrete trucks, equipment and supply vehicles, and portable cranes that steadily stream to and from the project site.
Also eagerly anticipating an end to construction are hockey and heritage fans, as well as countless other people who are simply curious to see how the Gardens’ interior has been transformed during the two years since the revitalization project began.
Relief for all is now in the foreseeable future since the grocery store appears poised for a possible November opening, while the Ryerson athletic centre is on track for completion and occupancy sometime during the upcoming winter months.
Massive recruitment drive
Although a Loblaws spokesperson told me yesterday that details for the grocery store opening date haven’t been determined yet, the neighbourhood has been buzzing with word it could be open for business in as few as two to three weeks’ time. Loblaws recently launched a massive recruitment drive, hiring hundreds of part-time staff to work in what is shaping up to become the chain’s premier flagship store. Several new staff told me they’ve been training at various Toronto Loblaws stores during the past three weeks. They said they initially were advised they would be working in the Gardens by the end of this week, but the date was pushed back and they’re now expecting to start work in the new store shortly after the middle of the month. Similarly, staff at a nearby liquor store said they have been told the new LCBO Gardens outlet should be open sometime between the middle and end of November. From what I could see through windows and open doors earlier this week, however, a Loblaws opening closer to December appears more likely.
Meanwhile, Ryerson students will have to wait several more months before they’ll get to check out the university’s new sports and recreation facilities. According to the Ryerson University website, the sports centre is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy in “winter 2012.” A status update on the website says some of the construction activity currently underway includes “work on the roof dormers along the west side of the dome roof. Roof dormers are connected to the dome and are openings that provide ventilation to allow air to flow into the arena from the mechanical system. Work on the Carlton Street marquee is also underway; this canopy over the main entrance is being reinforced by additional steel and is being prepared for the installation of the historic ‘Maple Leaf Gardens’ signage. The installation of glass windows on the street level, light fixtures in the stairwells and the fire alarm system is also in progress. Work on the mechanical system continues, including installing piping for the gas, sprinkler and the hot and cold water systems.”
The Loblaw Companies Limited website doesn’t provide any information about its Gardens location, but the Ryerson University website says the architectural team for the Gardens transformation includes Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. for the “base building” and BBB Architects Inc. for the “Ryerson fit up.” Heritage consultant is E.R.A. Architects Inc.
Below are some of my recent photos of activity on the outside of Maple Leaf Gardens. I haven’t been able to photograph inside the building; however, if you want to see what’s been happening there, the Ryerson Builds webpage features a slideshow with 42 photographs showing construction activity inside the Gardens between January 2010 and September of this year (I have posted one of those pics below). The homepage of the Turner Fleischer website includes a direct link to more photos, from December 2009 to October 2010, in an album entitled “Maple Leaf Gardens Progress.” Additional photos can be viewed in my previous posts on the Gardens makeover: June 14 2011, April 14 2011, and March 29 2011.
From the Ryerson Builds webpage, this photo from September 2011 shows building progress on the NHL-sized hockey rink at the university’s new athletics centre. A slideshow on the webpage includes 41 more photos of construction activity inside Maple Leaf Gardens.
November 1 2011: The Carlton Street facade of Maple Leaf Gardens. The public sidewalk next to the building, along with one lane of westbound traffic, have been closed virtually all of this year.
November 1 2011: The canopy over the Carlton Street entrance is being reinforced with extra steel. Maple Leaf Gardens signage will be installed on the marquee.
November 1 2011: The entrance to the Loblaws grocery store will be at the Gardens’ southeast corner.
November 1 2011: Part of the frame for the corner canopy was put in place several weeks ago, but entrance doors haven’t yet been installed
September 3 2011: Looking west from Church Street at the sidewalk and street closure along the Gardens’ Carlton Street facade.
October 1 2011: Passersby will be able to see into the new Loblaws grocery store through these windows which were installed in the Gardens’ Church Street facade
October 8 2011: Another view of the new windows along Church Street
November 1 2011: New sidewalks being installed on Church Street
November 1 2011: Although new sidewalks are being installed on Church Street, work on the east wall of the Gardens is far from finished
November 1 2011: Grocery store windows on the east side of the building. Traffic on Church Street was restricted during sidewalk replacement work.
November 1 2011: The northeast corner of Maple Leaf Gardens, at Church and Wood Streets. The stretch of Wood Street next to the Gardens is usually crowded with cranes, concrete trucks, heavy construction vehicles and equipment.
November 1 2011: Newly-installed windows near the northeast corner of the building. During the spring and summer, this was one of three separate spots where concrete trucks and other vehicles could access the interior of the Gardens.
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November 1 2011: A crew uses a portable lift to work on the Wood Street facade. A red construction elevator rises from the building’s north side, providing access to the Ryerson sports facilities being built on the upper levels inside the Gardens.
November 1 2011: Looking east along Wood Street at the external construction elevator and a truck delivering concrete for the Ryerson Athletics Centre at the Gardens. This stretch of street is usually jammed with cranes, lifts and trucks.
November 1 2011: Trailer-sized mechanical equipment on the roof of the Gardens dwarf two construction supervisors looking down onto Church Street.
August 2 2011: This mechanical equipment is a new Gardens fixture; it was installed only this year, during the spring and summer.
November 3 2011: Two men on a portable lift work on the Church Street facade
August 1 2011: Thrillseekers on the CN Tower observation deck roof
Eight daredevils walking along the north side of the deck’s roof
An EdgeWalker takes a hands-free backward lean over downtown Toronto
On edge: The CN Tower literally put people on edge today, the first day its new EdgeWalk attraction was open to members of the public eager to pay $175 for the privilege of walking on a ledge 1,168 feet above downtown Toronto.
I was at John & Adelaide Streets around 3 o’clock this afternoon when I looked up and saw one group of eight daredevils walking along the edge of the tower’s observation deck rooftop, securely tethered to the tower by safety harnesses attached to their red jumpsuits. The walkers paused a few times so some of the participants could take turns doing “Look ma, no hands!” backward leans off the EdgeWalk platform.
Below are several more photos and one brief videoclip of this particular group of EdgeWalkers. Further details about the CN Tower’s spine-tingling new feature are available in my May 12 2011 post as well as in this Toronto Star story by reporter Katie Daubs.
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