Category Archives: Architecture & Construction

Another 32-storey condo tower for Charlotte Street

A rendering, from the King Charlotte condo project website, of the 32-storey tower proposed for Charlotte Street in the Entertainment District.

Another jewel in Clewes’ crown: It’s only two blocks long, but Charlotte Street has been getting more than its share of attention from architects and condo developers. The little north-south street, which links Adelaide and King Street in the Entertainment District, already boasts two condo buildings — Glas Condominiums and The Charlotte — and is getting a third, with Charlie Condos currently under construction. The sales centre for a fourth — Langston Hall — has been open several years; however, that development seems to have stalled, with no signs that construction might start anytime soon. Now, Lamb Development Corp. and Niche Development have proposed a fifth condo project for the street — King Charlotte.

Designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance, King Charlotte would rise at 11 Charlotte Street, a three-storey brick warehouse building that has been converted into offices. A 32-storey point tower (including six-storey podium) soaring 114 metres high, King Charlotte would offer 232 residential units in 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom configurations, plus four levels of underground parking. Part of the ground-floor level would be used for “community space.” A 33rd floor rooftop terrace will be an “entertainment oasis” with an outdoor pool and all-day sun “that will blow your mind,” Lamb Development CEO Brad Lamb promises. The tower design is basically a series of different-sized boxes stacked playfully atop each other. “The retail box protrudes from the podium box, the tower box appears to teeter and overhang the podium box, and the oversized rooftop amenity box actually does overhang the tower box,” Lamb explains on the King Charlotte website.

Full details of the proposed project are provided in a February 28 2011 city planning department preliminary report which recommended a community consultation meeting be held to gather local input. That recommendation was approved in a March 22 2011 motion by the Toronto and East York Community Council; that public meeting should take place sometime later this spring. (Local councillor Adam Vaughan has already held one constituency meeting, in January, to discuss the project with area residents.) If approved by the City (which appears highly likely), King Charlotte would match Charlie Condos in floor count (32) and tower above the street’s existing condo buildings: Glas, a 16-storey midrise at 25 Oxley Street on the southwest corner of Oxley and Charlotte, and The Charlotte, a 14-storey condo completed in 2002 on the northwest corner of Oxley and Charlotte. (If Langston Hall ever proceeds, it will have 12 storeys plus a penthouse.)

Meanwhile, the King Charlotte website has been launched, signs advertising the project have been affixed to the exterior of 11 Charlotte, and a marketing sales campaign is in full swing. A “coming soon to King & Spadina” King Charlotte Condos flyer I received in the mail this week says prices start at $241,900 for a 1-bedroom unit, $327,900 for a 1-bedroom with den, $435,900 for a 2-bedroom, and $558,900 for a 3-bedroom suite.

Looks to me like Lamb and Clewes have another winner on their hands. Charlotte Street is an in-demand area for condo buyers (a friend of mine sold his condo on the street in mere days, for a hefty profit), and I’m sure this project will be another Entertainment District sales success. Below are photos, taken at various times over the past three years, of the King Charlotte site and its neighbours.

King Charlotte Condos development proposal sign

King Charlotte Condos website rendering of the outdoor swimming pool and terrace on the tower’s 33rd floor amenities area

November 29 2010: A view of 11 Charlotte Street; the CN Tower and the new condo M5V condo tower stand in the background. The King Charlotte building would, of course, block this Charlotte Street view of the CN Tower.

March 29 2011: A view of 11 Charlotte from the west side of the street

March 29 2011: The Mountain Equipment Co-Op store on King Street West will be King Charlotte’s next-door neighbour to the south.

March 29 2011: King Street view of the 11 Charlotte Street condo development site; the Mountain Equipment Co-Op store on King is the brick building at right.

March 11 2010: King Street West view toward Charlotte Street. The King Charlotte condo site is the white building with the turquoise sign on its roof (in the middle of the photo). The construction crane is building Charlie Condos at the corner of Charlotte and King; the Glas condominium midrise stands to its immediate north.

November 23 2010: Charlie Condos construction site and Glas Condos

March 29 2011: The Charlie Condos construction site, left, Glas condos, center, and The Charlotte condos on the west side of Charlotte Street north of King.

March 29 2011: Looking north on Charlotte Street toward Adelaide Street from outside the King Charlotte condo development site (right).

September 26 2008: The Langston Hall condo sales centre at the northwest corner of Charlotte Street and Adelaide Street West

September 26 2008: Adelaide Street West view down Charlotte Street towards the Langston Hall condo sales centre, The Charlotte Condos, and Glas Condos.

March 29 2011: The Capitol Building at 366 Adelaide Street West (also known as the Hobberlin Building, from 1920) faces directly down Charlotte Street.

March 29 2011: Adelaide Street view of the east side of Charlotte Street. The 8-storey brick building at left is the MacLean Building at 345 Adelaide Street West, a city-listed heritage property dating from 1914.

March 29 2011: This 4-storey brick warehouse building sits at 19 Charlotte, next to the King Charlotte site. It’s home to a billiard hall, restaurant and offices.

March 29 2011: 19 and 11 Charlotte Street, viewed from across the road

March 29 2011: Front view of the King Charlotte development site

March 29 2011: South side of the King Charlotte development site. A laneway runs between the building and the Mountain Equipment Co-Op store to the south.

Pit stops: Checking out excavation activity at Fashion House, Motion Apartments and U Condos

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March 29 2011: Excavation at the NE corner of the Fashion House site

March 22 2011: Motion on Bay apartment tower excavation at Bay & Dundas Streets

April 1 2011: U Condos condo tower excavation at Bay and St Mary Streets

Digging deeper: Excavations for three new highrise residential buildings are moving steadily along in three different downtown areas.

The digs at Fashion House Condos on King Street West, Motion Apartments on Bay at Dundas, and U Condos on Bay near Yorkville, all are more than one underground level deep at parts of their respective construction sites. But while excavation activity is underway on almost the entire Motion on Bay site, digging is limited to certain perimeter points at Fashion House and U Condos. Pile driving and shoring activity continues at both of those sites, where roughly three-quarters of the ground on each property has yet to be broken.

Below is a series of recent photos showing excavation progress at each building site. To view building renderings and pictures I’ve published previously, see my January 24 post on Fashion House, my January 29 post for Motion on Bay, and my February 4 and March 18 posts on U Condos.

March 29 2011: View from King Street of the Fashion House site

March 29 2011: Activity at the northwest corner of the Fashion House site

March 29 2011: Excavation at the north side of the Fashion House site

March 29 2011: Activity at the NE corner of the Fashion House site

February 15 2011: Northwest view of Motion on Bay excavation

February 15 2011: The north half of the Motion on Bay construction site

March 22 2011: Excavation activity at the SW corner of the Motion site

March 22 2011: Shoring and excavation equipment at the Motion site

April 1 2011: Digging away at the southwest corner of the U Condos site

April 1 2011: Excavator digging at the NW corner of the U Condos site

April 1 2011: The dig is more than one level deep at U Condos’ western perimeter

April 1 2011: A closer view of the depth of the excavation at the northwest corner

April 1 2011: Excavation depth along the property’s western perimeter

April 1 2011: St Mary Street view of activity at the east end of the site

April 1 2011: Preparing the Bay Street side of the site for excavation

Looking up at the new Four Seasons towers

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Tall, sleek & slender: It’s the tallest tower in Yorkville, yet the Four Seasons Hotel & Residences hasn’t even topped off at its full 55 floors yet. But the sleek glass skyscraper and its 26-storey condo sibling have literally brightened up the east block of Bay Street between Scollard Street and Yorkville Avenue. When sunshine glints off the curtain glass walls of the East and West Residence towers on a clear day, it’s almost blinding. And even though the two-tower construction site is still surrounded by hoarding and scaffolding, and covered in dust and grime, it feels like it has significantly classed-up the corner at Bay & Yorkville already. I’m loving the look of these shiny towers, from all angles, and think the complex will be a stunning addition to the streetscape once construction is complete.

The five-star Four Seasons Hotel & Residences was designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance, and is being built by Menkes Construction Ltd. The West Residence is a mixed-use tower featuring a 253-room Four Seasons Hotel on the first 20 floors, and 101 private condominium residences on the upper 35 storeys. The East Residence will have 103 condominiums, and is linked to the west tower by an elevated pedestrian walkway about eight floors above the ground.

I previously published photos of the Four Seasons construction in a January 26 post; below is a series of photos from February, March and today which show how much progress has been made since then.

February 10 2011: Construction of the Four Seasons towers (and, to the right, the Florian condo tower) viewed from Yonge St. near Roxborough St. in Rosedale

February 23 2011: East view of the towers from Yorkville Avenue

February 23 2011: Southwest view of the East Residence condo tower

February 23 2011: Yorkville Avenue view of the two towers

February 23 2011: Looking way up the south side of the West Residence tower

February 23 2011: The southeast corner of the West Residence tower

February 23 2011: Construction elevator on the West Residence tower

March 16 2011: The Four Seasons Hotel & Residences complex viewed from the northwest corner of Bay and Scollard Streets

March 16 2011: A health club, spa, swimming pool, ballroom and conference centre will be situated in this eight-storey wing at the corner of Bay and Scollard Streets

March 16 2011: The Four Seasons complex shines in the late afternoon sunshine

March 16 2011: The West Residence tower viewed from Bay Street

March 16 2011: Looking up the West Residence tower from Bay Street

March 16 2011: The southwest corner of the West Residence tower

March 16 2011: The south side of the West Residence Tower

March 24 2011: The towers viewed from Hazelton Avenue at Scollard Street

March 24 2011: From Avenue Road, a view of the “old” Four Seasons Hotel, right, and the new tower rising two blocks to the east on Yorkville Avenue.

March 24 2011: The West Residence tower rises on the Yorkville skyline in this view from the intersection of Yonge and Wellesley Streets

April 1 2011: Southwest view of the West Residence tower

April 1 2011: Bay Street view of the West Residence tower

April 1 2011: A construction elevator rises up the side of the West Residence

April 1 2011: The West Residence tower seen from Avenue Road near the Museum subway station entrance outside the Royal Ontario Museum

Demolition starts at Nicholas condo site

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April 1 2011: 15 St Mary Street site for Nicholas Residences viewed from St Nicholas Street. The interior of the building’s first floor has been completely gutted as site demolition gets underway.

Crews have begun preparing 15 St Mary Street for demolition. The brick building, seen here on Thursday, occupies part of the site on which the 35-storey Nicholas Residences will be built at the corner of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets

A view Thursday afternoon of the north and west sides of 15 St Mary Street, where work crews have begun demolishing the building interior.

It’s going: Construction has begun on Nicholas Residences, a controversial highrise condo building that will tower above a quiet tree-shaded side street in the bustling Yonge & Bloor area. Work crews have fenced off the north side of 15 St Mary Street and parked a giant red dumpster outside the building as they begin gutting the interior of what was once Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto.

The two-storey brown brick building sits at the southeast corner of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets, directly behind the Church of Scientology Toronto building on Yonge Street. 15 St Mary is one of three buildings that will be demolished to make way for the condo tower; the other is a three-storey brick building at 65 – 67 St Nicholas Street, while the third structure to be torn down sits behind those two buildings, at the rear of commercial buildings which front onto Yonge Street. The brick facade for 65 – 67 St Nicholas will be reconstructed and incorporated into the podium for the new condo tower.

Although project developers Urban Capital and Alit Developments, along with people who have purchased condos at Nicholas Residences, must be thrilled that construction has finally commenced, numerous neighbourhood residents will be tremendously disappointed to see the work begin. They had staunchly opposed the development, which originally proposed a 44-storey peanut-shaped building for the site, and launched a strident “Save St. Nick” campaign to oppose plans for development on the cobblestone St Nicholas Street, home to a row of Victorian cottages dating from the 1880s.

In an August 6 2008 preliminary report, city planners identified numerous issues and concerns with the development proposal, including its height, density, its relationship to the streetscape and its impact upon “the overall character of St Nicholas Street.” The developers revised their plans, proposing in part to reduce the tower’s height to 29 storeys and to retain the facade of 65 – 67 St Nicholas Street, a mill building dating to the 1880s, by incorporating it into the condo building. Details and building renderings, some of which I’ve posted below, are outlined in a 15 St Mary Street Development Application report on the City of Toronto website.

In a September 24 2009 report, city planning staff recommended a 29-storey condo be approved on certain conditions, including payment of $685,000 toward capital improvements to nearby Queen’s Park along with streetscape improvements to St Mary and St Nicholas Streets. Toronto and East York Community Council adopted the report at their meeting on October 13 2009; their decision was reported in an October 14 2009 article in the Globe and Mail. The rezoning application subsequently was approved at the October 26 2009 meeting of Toronto City Council. But that didn’t end conflict between the local community and the condo developers.

Although the developers had agreed to lop 15 floors off their initial tower proposal and settle for building a 29-storey condo instead, residents were enraged when they learned that a potential buyer had been offered a unit on the 33rd floor. The developers subsequently asked City Hall to enact a minor variance to the bylaw that had been passed to permit construction of the 29-floor tower — they wanted permission to add another six storeys to Nicholas Residences. When the city’s Committee of Adjustment unanimously refused, the developers appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

The Save St Nick group hired lawyers to oppose the developers at the OMB hearing; however, the developers, the City and the residents’ organization negotiated an agreement to resolve the dispute once and for all. In return for approval to build six more storeys, the developer agreed to pay $750,000 toward a community benefit project, the details of which would be worked out by the parties later.

Below are some of the photos I’ve taken of the Nicholas Residences site, along with renderings by the project designer, Core Architects Inc., of both the original tower proposal and revised 35-storey building that will be constructed. Those illustrations appear in the project application report on the City of Toronto website.

From the City of Toronto website, artistic renderings of the original (left) and the revised Nicholas Residences condo tower. Instead of the curvaceous Figure-8-shaped 44-floor tower initially proposed, a 35-storey condo will be built.

Also from the City website, artistic renderings of the St Nicholas Street-level appearance of the original (left) and the revised Nicholas Residences condo tower.

From the Nicholas Residences website, artistic illustrations of the 29-storey glass-walled condo tower and its main entrance at 76 St Nicholas Street.

The original development proposal sign posted at the condo site in 2008.

September 28 2008 view of 15 St Mary Street, which at the time still bore signs for its former occupant, Regis College (long since relocated to 100 Wellesley Street West). The Church of Scientology Toronto building stands to the east, at the corner of Yonge & St Mary Streets.

September 28 2008: 65 St Nicholas (left) and the Victoria-era Oak cottage

September 28 2008: Once a planing mill, the building at 67 St Nicholas Street dates from the late 1880s. Its facade will be built into the condo tower podium.

October 30 2008: A Save St Nick protest sign on a St Nicholas St. telephone pole

October 30 2008: St Nicholas Street view of the Nicholas Residences site

October 30 2008: The former mill building at 65 – 67 St Nicholas was occupied by Regis College until the faculty relocated to Wellesley Street West.

October 30 2008: Another view of the old mill building at 65 – 67 St Nicholas Street

October 30 2008: West side of 15 St Mary Street

November 14 2008: A Save St Nick campaign sign on St Nicholas Street

November 14 2008: A Save St Nick campaign sign on a St Nicholas Street lamp post. The mill building at 65 St Nicholas, along with the condo development proposal sign, can be seen across the street.

April 19 2010: The Nicholas Residences condo sales centre at 67 St Nicholas Street

January 9 2011: Nicholas Residences development site viewed from St Mary Street just west of St Nicholas Street

January 9 2011: The north side of 15 St Mary Street, where demolition work on the building interior commenced this week

April 1 2011: A laneway between 15 St Mary Street and 67 St Nicholas Street leads to a parking and garbage area behind the buildings.

April 1 2011: The small parking area behind 15 St Mary Street, looking south toward the rear one-storey extension of 67 St Nicholas Street. Part of this area will be included in the Nicholas Residences development.

April 1 2011: The Nicholas Residences highrise will tower above these buildings which front on Yonge Street. The building at left houses a Flight Centre travel agency, while the one at right is Zelda’s restaurant (the tacky structure with the sloped roof shelters an outdoor dining terrace).

Angular cube frame draws eyes to northeast corner of Living Shangri-la Toronto hotel/condo tower site

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The large metal frame at the Living Shangri-la Toronto construction site

University Avenue median view of the cube frame on March 29 2011

Big white cube: Downtown Toronto has been teeming with highrise building projects all winter, but the Living Shangri-la Toronto hotel and condo tower construction site has been grabbing my attention the most.

Its location — where the University Avenue median ends as the broad boulevard tapers and veers to the southeast at Adelaide Street — certainly helps; whenever I look south on University, my eyes are instantly drawn to the site. (Once the tower reaches its full 65 storeys, it will be impossible to miss.) The various bold shades of pink on construction hoarding and on-site billboards command my attention from blocks away, too. So do the angled, creased windows gradually being installed as the tower adds floors and climbs skyward. And, of course, there’s the Bishop’s Block of heritage row houses at the corner of Simcoe Street and Adelaide, shrouded under white protective wrapping while they are rebuilt and restored as part of the Living Shangri-la Toronto development.

Now there’s something else new and striking to see on the site — a large white cube-shaped metal frame that has been erected on the northeast corner of the property. According to floorplans for the Living Shangri-la’s luxurious amenities, this cube is where a third-floor restaurant and a fifth-floor “revitalization pool” (a feature of the building’s posh spa) will be situated. I’m anxious to see how the cube will be clad; building renderings suggest it could be a shimmering, transparent glass surface.

Meanwhile, the tower keeps climbing taller and is roughly halfway to its final 65 floors. I counted 33 storeys a few days ago, which means Living Shangri-la Toronto will soon start soaring above its neighbour, the 35-storey Boutique Condos building on the west side of Simcoe Street.

Below are more photos of the cube and tower construction progress this week, along with some other recent pictures of the building.

March 29 2011: The view toward Simcoe Street from Adelaide Street West. The Living Shangri-la Toronto tower will soon overtake the height of the 35-storey Boutique Condos building on Simcoe (top left).

March 29 2011: Northeast view of the tower, which has reached 33 floors.

March 29 2011: Tower and cube construction viewed from University Ave.

March 29 2011: Floorplans indicate a spa pool and restaurant will occupy the distinctively-shaped structure at the northeast corner of the hotel-condo complex.

March 29 2011: Another northeast view of the cube

March 29 2011: The condo-hotel tower and the cube add interesting angles to the University Avenue streetscape.

March 29 2011: Another view of the cube from the University Avenue median

March 29 2011: Pinks signs atop the Living Shangri-la Toronto tower reflect off the eastern glass wall of the Boutique Condos tower on Simcoe Street.

March 29 2011: The upper east side of the Living Shangri-la Toronto tower

March 29 2011: The top of the tower (so far), viewed from the northeast

March 29 2011: Tower construction viewed from the west along Adelaide Street

March 14 2011: Living Shangri-la Toronto construction viewed from a laneway between Nelson Street and Adelaide Street West, behind Boutique Condos

March 29 2011: Wraps on the Bishop’s Block heritage house being rebuilt

March 29 2011: West side of the Living Shangri-la Toronto tower

March 14 2011: Simcoe Street view of the west side of the complex

March 14 2011: Simcoe Street view of the Living Shangri-la Toronto lower levels

March 29 2011: Living Shangri-la viewed from University Ave. near Dundas St.

Construction climbs to sixth floor on King St. flank of Freed’s six50 King West condo complex

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King Street view of Six50 King West construction on March 29 2011

Bathurst Street view of six50’s east wing on March 29 2011

Two-thirds of the way up: The Six50 King West condo project already has a strong presence in the King & Bathurst area — and construction of one of its two wings hasn’t even topped off yet.

A project of Freed Developments, six50 King West actually will be two buildings in one, an L-shaped complex wrapping around the back of two brick buildings on the northeast corner of King & Bathurst Streets. The east section of the complex, a 9-storey building with frontage on King Street, is going up first, and construction has reached the sixth floor. Foundation work is still underway for the west wing, which will be a 15-storey midrise tower overlooking Bathurst Street.

The project, which is 80% sold, was designed by Toronto’s Core Architects Inc.

Below are some pics I snapped yesterday at the six50 construction site. You can see the progress that has been made since January by comparing them to photos I published in my first post about six50 King West back on January 20 2011.

A building rendering on hoarding along King Street

Northwest view of construction from the opposite side of King Street

King Street wing of the six50 complex viewed from the opposite side of the street

Northeasterly view of construction progress on six50’s King Street building

six50 construction viewed from the intersection of King & Bathurst Streets

Construction viewed from the west side of Bathurst Street

The numbers on the construction elevator may read 23 and 24, but the east wing of six50 King West will rise only 9 storeys tall

The CN Tower is still visible in this Bathurst Street view of the six50 King West construction activity. The condo building will soon block the tower from sight

Fly condo tower site ready for crane installation

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The construction crane for the Fly condo tower will be mounted on this pad near the east side of the building excavation, seen here on March 29 1011

The Fly Condos excavation, looking north from Front Street West

The east side of the excavation pit for the Fly condo tower

Awaiting a crane: Looks like a construction crane will be installed on the Fly Condos building site on Front Street West near Spadina Avenue any day now. The excavation for the 24-storey glass, stone and precast tower is four levels deep on the east half of the site, and a concrete pad for the crane base has been prepared in the middle of the pit. A project of Empire Communities, Fly Condos was designed by Graziani & Corazza Architects Inc. Below is a billboard with a rendering of the Fly condo tower, followed by photos taken March 29 2011 of the excavation site.

Fly condos marketing billboard on Front Street West

Ramp leading from Front Street into the Fly condos excavation

Front Street view toward the northeast corner of the Fly Condos excavation

A trailer at the bottom northeast corner of the pit

The ramp curves downward to the pad for the construction crane base

Southeast corner view of the excavation for the 24-storey condo tower

A view of the crane pad, near top left, and excavation equipment in the pit

The excavation on the east side of the site is about four levels deep

Three men make the long walk up the ramp at the end of the workday

Looking west across the Fly Condos excavation

City Scene: Burano gaining on the Muranos

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Catching up to its cousins: The Burano condo tower, left, is slowly but surely closing in on the height of the two Murano condo towers on the opposite side of Bay Street. When topped off at 48 floors, Burano will be the tallest of the bunch — Murano North is 35 storeys, while Murano South is 45. All three condo towers, seen here on March 25 2011, are projects of Lanterra Developments.

Grocery store & Ryerson University sports centre gradually taking shape inside Maple Leaf Gardens

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Construction progress inside Maple Leaf Gardens on March 29 2011.

Under the big top: The enormous cavern under the big white domed roof of Maple Leaf Gardens keeps buzzing with construction activity. But there’s an awful lot of work remaining to be done before the interior of the historic hockey shrine starts looking like a grocery store and a university athletic facility. Latest word is that the Maple Leaf Gardens revitalization is scheduled for completion in December but — as is always the case with any construction project — that deadline isn’t cast in concrete and is always subject to change. In my February 2 post about the project, I mentioned what little construction progress I had been able to see when passing the Gardens while one of the construction entrance doors was open. I’ve since had a few more quick glimpses inside and today was lucky to have my camera with me when doors were opened to allow construction vehicles in and out of the building. I managed to snap a few photos which appear below, along with some other recent pics of Maple Leaf Gardens.

The interior arch on the west side of the hockey arena’s famous domed roof is visible above the spotlights. The new Ryerson University sports and recreation centre will occupy two floors under the dome. It will have an NHL-sized ice rink as well as a running track, basketball and volleyball courts, a fitness centre, gym and academic space. The university facility alone is costing more than $60 million.

Maple Leaf Gardens interior viewed from the northeast corner of the building

The revitalized Maple Leaf Gardens will become home to a 70,000 square foot Loblaw grocery store at street level, with one floor of underground parking below it (partly visible at the bottom of the photo).

This is a typical street view of the cavernous interior of Maple Leaf Gardens — a dark, dusty space buzzing with activity as the Loblaw corporation and Ryerson University transform the Gardens into a unique multi-purpose facility.

A concrete pumping truck slowly backs into the Maple Leaf Gardens construction entrance on Wood Street. Earlier this winter, a hole was knocked into the wall to create an extra entrance at this location.

It’s a tight squeeze, but the truck manages to ease inside in less than a minute

February 20 2011: Windows will eventually be installed for the grocery store

Wide windows along the Church and Carlton Street walls of Maple Leaf Gardens will create a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape

February 20 2011: The southeast corner of Maple Leaf Gardens on Carlton Street

March 25 2011: Scaffolding above the Gardens’ Carlton Street entrance

March 25 2011: The boarded-up Carlton Street entrance to Maple Leaf Gardens

City Scene: 17 balconies at The 500

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Southern exposure: Rows of balconies along the south side of the condo tower at 500 Sherbourne Street, seen here on February 28 2011. Called The 500 Condos & Lofts, the 34-storey building was designed by Paul Northgrave of Northgrave Architect Inc. in Toronto.

2nd crane installed at WC Hospital building site

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March 27 2011: With the installation of this crane at the north end of the Women’s College Hospital construction site on Saturday, there are now two cranes building a new medical facility on the east side of the hospital property

The two construction cranes at the Women’s College Hospital building site, seen in a photo shot from Grenville Street this afternoon. The crane in the center of the picture was installed earlier this month; the other, on Saturday.

Two cranes in the crater: A second crane was installed yesterday at the excavation site where a new Women’s College Hospital building is under construction. It joins another crane that went up on the site earlier this month, as I reported in a March 14 post. Meanwhile, site excavation continues. Below are some photos taken Friday, showing work crews preparing the pit for the installation of the second crane. There’s also several photos of the new crane being assembled on Saturday, along with some pics from today of the crane and the excavation site.

March 25 2011: Grenville Street view of the Womens College Hospital excavation

March 25 2011: Grenville Street view of excavation activity at the Women’s College Hospital construction site

March 25 2011: Excavation activity at the northeast corner of the site

March 25 2011: Pink shed in the southwest corner of the excavation

March 25 2011: Digging deeper at the north end of the site, to prepare for installation of a second construction crane the next day

March 25 2011: The new hospital building is scheduled for completion in 2015

March 25 2011: Grosvenor Street view of excavation progress

March 25 2011: Grosvenor Street view of the excavation, looking south

March 25 2011: A giant mound of earth still must be removed from the site

March 25 2011: Grosvenor Street view of the east side of the construction site

March 26 2011: It took the entire day on Saturday for these two portable cranes on Grosvenor Street to install a second construction crane on the Women’s College Hospital building site.

March 26 2011: This crane, erected earlier this month, stands at the south end of the site, near Grenville Street. A second crane was installed at the north end of the site on Saturday

March 26 2011: Part of the main platform for the second crane is hoisted into position. The new hospital facility will rise between the Burando condo tower at left and the old Women’s College building at right.

March 26 2011: The crane installation started before sunrise on Saturday and continued non-stop all day until after sunset.

March 27 2011: The platform is lowered into position

March 26 2011: Crane segments are assembled on Grosvenor Street

March 26 2011: Workers maneuver a crane segment on Grosvenor Street

March 26 2011: The operator of the portable crane that lifts segments of the new construction crane into place above the hospital building site.

March 26 2011: A worker waits on the partially assembled crane platform while the next piece of the construction crane is hoisted up from Grosvenor Street.

March 26 2011: Waiting patiently for the next piece of crane to arrive

March 26 2011: Another piece of the crane on its way up

March 26 2011: A Grosvenor Street view of the two portable cranes, the partially assembled crane, and the first crane installed earlier this month.

March 26 2011: Two workers position a crane segment

March 26 2011: The big hook used to hoist the heavy crane segments into place

March 26 2011: One of the cranes on Grosvenor Street unloads crane segments from transport trucks and moves them into position so workers can bolt them together. Another crane later lifts the assembled boom into place.

March 26 2011: The partially assembled crane casts its shadow on Burano

March 26 2011: One crane up, the other nearly there

March 27 2011: The Burano Condos construction crane, left, and the crane on the south side of the Women’s College Hospital redevelopment site, right.

March 27 2011: The crane at the south end of the hospital construction site

March 27 2011: The counterweight on the south crane

March 27 2011: The newly-installed construction crane in late afternoon sunshine

March 27 2011: The two cranes at the Women’s College Hospital site

General sales starting soon for boutique condos on site of historic St Basil’s School in Yorkville

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The 83-year-old St Basil’s Catholic School building, site for the 36 Hazelton luxury boutique condo project, seen on March 24 2011…

…and on March 25, after a huge black banner was removed from the facade. The building sits on the west side of Hazelton Avenue just north of Scollard Street

This rendering, from the 36 Hazelton website, suggests how the luxury boutique condo complex will look once it is built on the St Basil’s schoolhouse site.

School’s out, condo’s coming: Exclusive VIP sales previews started last year, but a general sales presentation centre should be opening soon for 36 Hazelton, an exclusive seven-storey, 19-suite boutique condo building to be constructed on the site of the historic St Basil’s Catholic School in Yorkville. A project of Alterra Group and Zinc Developments, the 36 Hazelton development sparked considerable controversy in the Yorkville community when the proposal to redevelop the school property, a designated heritage site, was filed with the city several years ago. Area residents were alarmed by the developers’ plan to demolish most of the 83-year-old schoolhouse while retaining only its neo-Gothic facade on Hazelton Avenue. Residents worried that the height and density for the proposed 8-storey condo complex would look out of place on a street noted for its charming two- and three-storey Victorian houses. They also feared that City approval of the project would set a precedent that could endanger the Yorkville heritage district and put other historic buildings at risk of demolition and redevelopment.

In a March 2 2009 report to the Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) and the Toronto Preservation Board, city planners recommended that the developer’s application to alter the St Basil’s School building be rejected. And in a March 30 2009 report to the TEYCC, planners described the development plan as “inappropriate and out of context,” and recommended that it be refused. When the developers presented a revised proposal, the TEYCC deferred consideration of the refusal report at its meeting in April 2009, and asked city planners to review the new plan. In a June 12 2009 final report to the TEYCC, planners recommended that the revised building application be approved. The TEYCC was supposed to consider that report at its June 2009 meeting; however, that meeting was cancelled after municipal employees went on strike. In July 2009, the developer filed an appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board, but the dispute got resolved when the TEYCC, and then city council, approved the revised 7-storey project in the fall of 2009.

With a project sales centre set to open soon, a construction start is possible later this year or early in 2012. As 36 Hazelton goes up, it should quickly become apparent if area residents were correct in claiming that the project wouldn’t be an appropriate redevelopment for the location — and, of course, if it will be too big, and look too out of place, on the leafy, quiet street. I’ve walked around the area numerous times recently, trying to get a sense of how 36 Hazelton might change the neighbourhood. Hazelton Avenue is one of my favourite downtown streets, and I’d be sorry to see its character destroyed by development. But since most of the new condo building will be set back from the street, occupying what is currently a parking lot, it’s quite possible it could fit in rather nicely, especially since it’s situated at the north end of the tony Hazelton Avenue retail strip (rather than being plunked farther down the block between semidetached two-storey brick houses). However, even if 36 Hazelton does wind up being a suitable and attractive addition to the streetscape, I really would hate to see further development of low- or midrise condos elsewhere on the avenue. Below are photos I’ve taken of the St Basil’s School and other buildings and homes in its immediate vicinity, along with condo illustrations that have appeared on the 36 Hazelton website and an illustration, from a city planning report, showing the new building’s east elevation.

Website illustration of the 36 Hazelton boutique condo building

36 Hazelton website illustration of the St Basil’s schoolhouse facade, which will be incorporated into the new luxury condominium complex

An illustration showing 36 Hazelton’s east elevation

January 9 2011: The St Basil’s Schoolhouse dates from 1928. Access to a large parking lot behind the building is through a laneway on the left side of the school.

January 9 2011: The condo site is literally only a stone’s throw away from Yorkville’s chic Hazelton Lanes shopping centre

January 9 2011: Condo marketing signs and banners on the St Basil’s School site

January 9 2011: Passersby examine the illustrations on the 36 Hazelton billboards

January 9 2011: A large banner blocks most of the schoolhouse facade from view

March 24 2011: The north half of St Basil’s School

March 25 2011: The banner has been removed and the full facade is visible

March 25 2011: A closer view of the St Basil’s School facade on Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: St. Basil’s School viewed from the rear parking area. The Four Seasons Toronto hotel and condo tower, visible in the background, is under construction on Bay Street, just one block to the east.

March 25 2011: Another view of the schoolhouse from the rear of the property

March 25 2011: The Hazelton Lanes complex sits to the immediate west of the parking lot behind the St Basil’s School building

March 25 2011: Northwest view from the parking lot behind the schoolhouse

March 25 2011: Looking north from the parking area behind the school

March 25 2011: Parking lot view of the back of buildings next door to 36 Hazelton

March 25 2011: Parking lot view to the south. A walkway on the opposite side of the brick building leads from Hazelton Avenue into Hazelton Lanes

March 25 2011: Apartments at 40 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: St Basil’s School and 40 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: The four-storey 40 Hazelton Avenue building next door to St Basil’s School. The 36 Hazelton condos will stand three storeys higher.

March 25 2011: The brick houses at 44, 46 and 48 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: The west side of Hazelton Avenue, looking north from outside #56

March 25 2011: Looking south on Hazelton Avenue from outside #52

March 25 2011: The west side of Hazelton Avenue below Scollard St.

March 25 2011: Homes on the east side of Hazelton Avenue near 36 Hazelton

March 25 2011: Brick houses at 59, 57, 55 and 53 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: Looking southeast toward 55, 53, 51 and 49 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: 51 and 49 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: The new Four Seasons Toronto tower looms behind the houses at numbers 53, 51 and 49 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: Numbers 45, 43 and 41 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: Yorkville’s upscale shopping district extends north to the buildings at 4, 43 and 41 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: The Toronto Heliconian Club at 35 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: The Four Seasons tower looming behind the Heliconian Club

March 25 2011: Toronto Heliconian Club and 33 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: 33 Hazelton Avenue at the northeast corner of Scollard Street

March 25 2011: The upper levels of 33 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: The northeast corner of Scollard Street and Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: Another view of 33 Hazelton Avenue

March 25 2011: Hazelton Avenue view to the northeast at Scollard Street

March 24 2011: Scollard Street, looking east from Hazelton Avenue towards the two Four Seasons Toronto hotel and condo towers under construction on Bay Street between Scollard Street and Yorkville Avenue.

Museum House on Bloor tower topping off with construction of two-storey glass penthouse condo

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March 24 2011: Construction workers are now focussed on building the two-storey 6,770-square-foot penthouse condo at Museum House on Bloor.

Condo building rendering from the Museum House on Bloor project website suggests how the glass-walled penthouse will appear once construction is complete

Puttin’ up the penthouse: Museum House on Bloor is getting its crowning jewel — a sprawling two-storey, 5,618-square-foot penthouse with an 1,152-square-foot terrace. The posh pad, now under construction, will occupy the 18th and 19th floors of the slender midrise condo building that has been rising on the north side of Bloor Street just west of Avenue Road. While I was watching workers assemble forms to prepare for a concrete pour on the penthouse levels this afternoon (from the street, unfortunately; I doubt they’d allow me onto the construction site), a line from the “Green Acres” TV show theme song kept repeating in my mind. I know that Eva Gabor was referring to New York City when she sang, “I just adore a penthouse view,” but I’m sure she would have enjoyed the skyline and scenery from the top of Museum House almost as much. Its expansive — and highly expensive — penthouse suite will overlook The Royal Ontario Museum and the Royal Conservatory of Music on Bloor Street, as well as tree-shaded Philosopher’s Walk, the University of Toronto campus, Queen’s Park and the provincial Legislature buildings. Views extend to the Financial District and CN Tower in the south. But while its occupants will no doubt savour the panoramic sightlines from their glittering glass box in the sky, they might not get to enjoy it privately once the 32-storey Exhibit Residences condo tower is constructed next door. And I’m sure there will be plenty of curious people living at Exhibit who will enjoy their prime views into the Museum House penthouse just as much as the downtown skyline. Below are pics I snapped of Museum House this afternoon. Additional photos can be viewed on my January 9 2011 post about Museum House.

Museum House on Bloor condo construction viewed from the southwest corner of Avenue Road and Bloor Street on March 24 2011. At left is the Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal of the Royal Ontario Museum

The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal of the Royal Ontario Museum, left, the One Bedford condominium tower at Bloor Street and Bedford Road, center, and Museum House

Southwest view of Museum House from the Bloor Street sidewalk outside the Royal Conservatory of Music. When the Exhibit Residences condo tower is built, it will soar 32 storeys on the east (right) side of Museum House

Southwest view of Museum House from Bloor Street. I haven’t seen any renderings that show how the solid concrete west wall will be clad

The palatial two-storey penthouse is now being constructed atop the tower

Direct view of the Museum House building from the south side of Bloor Street

Upper levels of Museum House; all suites have spacious south-view terraces

Southeast view of the upper floors of Museum House

Upper east side luxury condos

Safety nets along the east side of the penthouse levels

A construction worker in a perilous position high above Bloor Street

Getting forms in place to prepare for more concrete pouring

Westerly view of Museum House from the sidewalk in front of the Royal Ontario Museum. The Exhibit Residences tower ultimately will rise where on the site of the two-storey commercial buildings next to Museum House.

Reference library’s new entrance taking shape

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The frame for the Toronto Reference Library’s new entrance cube takes shape at the corner of Yonge St. and Asquith Ave. on March 24 2011

Steel frame installation for the library’s dramatic new glass cube entrance

Architectural rendering by Toronto’s Moriyama and Teshima shows how the new glass cube entrance and improvements to the building’sYonge Street facade will enhance the library’s look and streetscape presence.

Cube construction: External work on the Toronto Reference Library’s $34 million revitalization program has become a lot more noticeable now that the building’s new entrance is taking shape. Most of the renovation work has been hidden by hoarding for months, and progress on the library’s dramatic glass entrance cube at the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace during the winter. But this week crews have been busy building the steel frame for the cube; today, Asquith was closed to vehicular traffic while a crane hoisted steel beams into place. More details about the renovations can be found in my January 17 post about the library’s renewal and expansion project. Below are photos from February and from this afternoon showing the ongoing renovation work on the Yonge Street side of the library building.

February 23 2011: No sign of progress yet on construction of the new entrance

February 23 2011: A three-storey glass cube entrance at this corner will be the star attraction of the library’s five-year renewal and expansion project

February 23 2011: Hoarding blocks views of street-level renovations to the facade, but work on the3rd-floor roof above Yonge Street is more apparent.

February 23 2011: Renovation activity is taking place along the full length of the narrow third-floor roof on the Reference Library’s Yonge Street facade

February 23 2011: Yorkville Avenue view of the Toronto Reference Library.

March 24 2011: A crane lifts long steel bars being used to construct the frame for the three-storey entrance cube

March 24 2011: The new glass entrance and windows along the Yonge Street facade will improve the building’s appearance as well as its relation to the streetscape

March 24 2011: Sections of the entrance cube’s frame are hoisted into place

March 24 2011: The steel frames are lowered behind a rendering of the entrance

Trump l’oeil: Eyes on Toronto’s Trump Tower

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Reaching skyward: In this view from the depths of the Bay Street skyscraper canyon, the 13-storey office building at 302 Bay Street (top) appears to rise almost as tall as the still-under-construction Toronto Trump Tower, which is around 50 floors high so far and climbing steadily on its way to 60 storeys. Originally the Trust and Guarantee Building, 302 Bay was built in 1917 but received a rooftop addition in 1929. The building now bears the Bank of Montreal name above its front entrance. On the left is the 51-storey Bay Adelaide Centre, Trump Toronto’s neighbour on the north side of Adelaide Street, built in 2009. Part of the 68-storey Scotia Plaza tower built in 1988 is visible at right and in reflection on the south side of Bay Adelaide Centre.

The Trump Tower made the news today in a Toronto Star article that gives an “exclusive peak” inside the Trump Hotel section of the skyscraper, which received an occupancy permit from the City last Friday. The hotel is scheduled to open later this spring. The newspaper article also profiles the tower’s 42-year-old billionaire builder, Alex Shnaider, and hails his “noteworthy accomplishment” of having “built the tallest residential tower in Canada — and the second tallest building in Toronto, after the CN Tower.” Seems the Star is jumping the gun: the Trump isn’t even as tall as the Bay Adelaide Centre yet, and it’s far from “built.” Moreover, when complete, it still won’t rise as high as 72-storey First Canadian Place, so Trump will have to settle for third-highest place on the Toronto skyline. Below are some pics I’ve taken of the Toronto Trump Tower this month.

March 14 2011: Adelaide Street West view of Toronto Trump Tower construction

March 7 2011: Toronto Trump Tower viewed from Bay & Adelaide Streets

March 7 2011: Southwest view from Bay below Adelaide Street

March 7 2011: Upper-level construction viewed from the southwest

March 7 2011: Nathan Phillips Square view of the Toronto Trump construction

March 7 2011: West view of Bay Adelaide Centre and Toronto Trump Tower

March 7 2011: From left are the Bay Adelaide Centre, Toronto Trump Tower, Scotia Plaza and the Bank of Nova Scotia building at 44 King Street West.

March 7 2011: Trump Tower viewed from Bay Street outside First Canadian Place

March 7 2011: Toronto Trump Tower and the Bank of Nova Scotia building at 44 King Street West. The 27-storey bank building at the northeast corner of King & Bay Streets was constructed in 1951.

March 14 2011: Adelaide Street West view of Toronto Trump construction

March 14 2011: Toronto Trump Tower, Scotia Plaza and First Canadian Place

March 14 2011: When completed, the Toronto Trump Tower will stand taller than Scotia Plaza — when measured to the top of its spire. But Scotia Plaza’s roof will still be higher, as a diagram on skyscraperpage.com demonstrates.

March 14 2011: Toronto Trump Tower and Scotia Plaza

March 22 2011: Scotia Plaza, Toronto Trump Tower and Bay Adelaide Centre

March 22 2011: Northeast view of the Trump Toronto from King Street West

March 22 2011: Upper-level construction viewed from the northeast

March 22 2011: King Street view of the northeast corner of the Trump Toronto

March 22 2011: Toronto Trump Tower street level view from King Street

March 22 2011: Cement trucks at the tower’s King Street construction entrance

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.

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Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing Building Boom.

Category Archives: Architecture & Construction

Another 32-storey condo tower for Charlotte Street

Pit stops: Checking out excavation activity at Fashion House, Motion Apartments and U Condos

Looking up at the new Four Seasons towers

Demolition starts at Nicholas condo site

Angular cube frame draws eyes to northeast corner of Living Shangri-la Toronto hotel/condo tower site

Construction climbs to sixth floor on King St. flank of Freed’s six50 King West condo complex

Fly condo tower site ready for crane installation

City Scene: Burano gaining on the Muranos

Grocery store & Ryerson University sports centre gradually taking shape inside Maple Leaf Gardens

City Scene: 17 balconies at The 500

2nd crane installed at WC Hospital building site

General sales starting soon for boutique condos on site of historic St Basil’s School in Yorkville

Museum House on Bloor tower topping off with construction of two-storey glass penthouse condo

Reference library’s new entrance taking shape

Trump l’oeil: Eyes on Toronto’s Trump Tower

Tracking Downtown Toronto's AmazingBuilding Boom.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.