Category Archives: In the news

42-storey “luxury” student residence for U of T?

Leave a reply

U of T residence

Diamond and Schmitt Architects rendering of proposed U of T residence


Towering Dorm: The biggest university in Canada could lay claim to having the tallest and most expensive student residence in the country if the City approves a development application for property on College Street. But will community concerns about the project’s height and density derail the proposal or knock down the height of what would be a stunning, landmark tower for the neighbourhood?

The potential development site  — 245 – 251 College Street — is situated on the south side of College, just a stone’s throw east of Spadina Avenue and directly across the street from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The university owns part of the property while a private developer, Knightstone Capital Management, owns the rest.

In an article published last July, the Globe and Mail reported that U of T had “quietly” begun plans for a new residence which Knightstone would finance and build near the university’s downtown campus. Just one month later, a rezoning application was filed with the city seeking approval to build a 42-storey tower with “academic residences” and a three-storey podium “containing retail, academic services and lecture halls for University of Toronto.”

In an article published in its online edition today, the Toronto Star offered more details about the plan. It said U of T has leased its land to the developer,  which will build a $120 million, 42-storey residence housing 1,000 students. However, the building will not be a typical university dorm housing “ordinary” Canadian students — they couldn’t afford to live there. Instead, the tower will offer expensive rental accommodation — costing approximately $15,000 per year — that is expected to appeal primarily to wealthy international students, along with some graduate and out-of-province students.  However, accommodation would not be restricted to U of T students; those attending the city’s other educational institutions could rent rooms, too, if they have the cash.

“The glass and panel tower, a series of wonky boxes stacked one on top of the other, would rise a dizzying 42 storeys above its Lilliputian neighbours on College St., commercial buildings that are two, three or five storeys at most,” the Star article says.

To the south, on the other hand, sits a vast residential area; in fact, Glasgow Street — a quiet, narrow road lined with small homes — runs north from Cecil Street, dead-ending at the proposed tower location. “If someone can get 40-storey buildings shoehorned into that neighbourhood, all of the (future development) sites will come back as 40-storey applications,” the Star quotes local city councillor Adam Vaughan as saying.

The newspaper says city staff have recommended that the developer reconsider the tower’s height, and that Vaughan hold consultation meetings with the landowners and residents. But Knightstone’s CEO,  David Lehberg, told the Star that U of T “needs bigger, shinier buildings to compete internationally.”

So, too, does the City of Toronto, in my humble opinion. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this project gets the A-OK; I think it would improve the look of the area immensely, not to mention put U of T on the radar of privileged students around the globe. With several new five-star hotel towers opening in Toronto over the next two years, the city will finally be able to attract elite tourists who have been travelling to high-end hotels in destinations elsewhere, at the expense of our local tourism industry. I say let the residence tower go up so all those wealthy parents will come visit, spend money and boost our economy while their kids attend U of T in style!

Below is another rendering of the proposed tower, by Toronto’s Diamond and Schmitt Architects, along with some photos I snapped of the project site this afternoon from College and Glasgow Streets.

 

U of T residence

Diamond and Schmitt Architects rendering of proposed residence tower


U of T residence

Proposed U of T residence tower site viewed from south side of College Street


U of T residence

Site viewed from the north side of College Street


U of T residence

Development proposal sign on College Street


U of T residence

Another site view from the north side of College Street


U of T Residence

A printing centre once occupied this two-storey building


U of T residence

A view of the proposed development site looking east along College Street


U of T residence

The tower’s neighbours include the LillianSmith library, left.


U of T residence

View towards the tower site from the corner of Glasgow and Cecil Streets


U of T residence

Glasgow Street view of the proposed tower location


U of T residence

Another Glasgow Street view of the proposed tower location


U of T residence

Proposed tower location viewed from the north end of Glasgow Street


U of T residence

Proposed tower location viewed from the north end of Glasgow Street


U of T residence

Proposed site viewed from a parking lot at the end of Glasgow Street


U of T residence

View south on Glasgow Street from the proposed tower location


U of T residence

View of the site (the short white building and the three-storey brown brick structure to its right), looking southwest from corner of College and Huron Streets


U of T residence

The CAMH building directly across College Street


U of T residence

Another view  of the CAMH building on College Street


Aftermath of the big fires: Empty lot at 335 Yonge; 200 Wellesley undergoes major structural repairs

Leave a reply

335 Yonge Street

Empty lot where heritage building once stood at 335 Yonge Street


200 Wellesley Street East

Major structural repairs to three floors at 200 Wellesley Street East


Cleaning up: Two fires that made headlines four months apart have left their mark on downtown Toronto. The heritage building at 335 Yonge Street that was irreparably damaged in a fire early in January has been completely demolished; all that remains is an empty lot where the historic structure used to stand, and scorch marks on the walls of the 10 Dundas Street East entertainment complex and HMV store next door. The only good news — for drivers and pedestrians, anyways — is that the road and sidewalks should be re-opened for full regular traffic soon, for the first time since part of the brick facade of 335 Yonge collapsed onto Gould Street last April.  Hoarding that surrounded the site was removed this week, and barricades that restricted vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the east side of Yonge Street should be dismantled shortly. What will become of the property now that the fire debris has been cleared away remains to be seen. Meanwhile, major structural surgery is being performed on the exterior skin of 200 Wellesley Street East as cleanup continues on damage from a September blaze that displaced hundreds of residents from their apartments. A three-storey-tall section of the building’s west wall has been cut away, and crews have been working for weeks on major repairs to at least three balconies. Looks like it will be many weeks, if not months, before several dozen residents will be able to return to their homes (most tenants have been allowed back in). Below are photos taken this week at each of the two fire scenes.

335 Yonge Street

Yonge Street view of 335 Yonge Street fire site on February 3


335 Yonge Street

Yonge Street view of 335 Yonge Street fire site on February 3


335 Yonge Street

Gould Street view of 335 Yonge Street on February 3


200 Wellesley Street East

200 Wellesley Street East fire repairs on February 1


200 Wellesley Street East

200 Wellesley Street East fire repairs on February 1


200 Wellesley Street East

200 Wellesley Street East fire repairs on February 1


Go, fish! Governments believed ready to splash some cash to lure aquarium to base of CN Tower

Leave a reply

Ripley Aquarium

Ripley aquarium

Architectural renderings of the proposed Toronto Ripley Aquarium


Shore thing?: Toronto may finally get a much-needed new tourist attraction now that various levels of government are prepared to pump millions of dollars into the project — a Ripley Aquarium that will sit at the base of the CN Tower off Bremner Blvd.

In a story posted on its website last night, the Toronto Star reports that governments are prepared to take the plunge and invest taxpayer dollars in the aquarium project because of the obvious spin-off economic benefits such a major attraction would provide to the city. Ripley’s had applied to the city in November 2009 for zoning approval to build the three-storey entertainment complex which would include the aquarium as well as retail and restaurant facilities. The City gave approval last summer, but negotiations have continued to work out project details. Now the project is even closer to fruition, with sources telling the Star that construction is on the horizon since contracts could be signed as early as this summer. If so, the 150,000-square-foot attraction could be ready in time for the Pan Am Games in July 2015. 

One of the aquarium’s top tourist draws will be “the largest underwater tunnel in North America,” Ripley’s Entertainment president Jim Pattison Jr. told the Star. “There will be tens of thousands of different (marine) animals,  and some features that will be unique to Toronto,” he said. Further details about potential government investment in the aquarium are outlined in the Star story available at this link. Additional information about the Ripley’s Aquarium and its location beneath the CN Tower is provided in a public art plan that was submitted to the city’s Public Art Commission last July.

Building the aquarium beneath the CN Tower is a brilliant idea, I think, since the Tower draws nearly 2 million visitors a year to the area, and the Rogers Centre and convention centre are both right next door. Other nearby tourist draws include the Air Canada Centre just a five-minute walk away on Bremner Blvd., and Harbourfront just a 10-minute walk to the south. Toronto desperately needs more tourist attractions; as the Star points out, the Hockey Hall of Fame was the last major tourist attraction to open in the city, and that was 20 years ago.

It’s almost embarrassing to read the Toronto forum on TripAdvisor.com and see how short the list of city tourist attractions actually is (besides recommending visits to the Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Eaton Centre, Hockey Hall of Fame and CN Tower, locals usually recommend tourists leave the city for day trips to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake instead.)

Personally, I’ll be thrilled to see construction commence since I have heard talk about bringing an aquarium to Toronto since I moved here nearly 30 years ago. That’s been more than enough time for talk and wishful thinking. It’s high time now to finally get this project going!

Below are some photos I’ve taken of the proposed aquarium site — presently a grassy knoll between the CN Tower and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Aquarium development proposal sign

Aquarium development proposal sign near the CN Tower


Ripley Aquarium site

CN Tower observation deck view of proposed Ripley Aquarium site Nov. 2 2010


Ripley Aquarium site

View towards the Ripley Aquarium site from the base of the CN Tower


Ripley Aquarium site

Aquarium site viewed from walkway along the east side of the Rogers Centre


Ripley Aquarium site

The aquarium would be built on this grassy hillside beneath the CN Tower


Ripley Aquarium site

View toward the Ripley Aquarium site from the south side of Bremner Blvd.


Extensive structural repairs underway to exterior of highrise apartment where Sept. fire started

Leave a reply

200 Wellesley St fire damage

Contractors repair fire damage at 200 Wellesley East on January 19 2011


Costly cleanup: Repairing damage from the September 24 apartment fire at 200 Wellesley Street East has become a huge — and, quite obviously, hugely expensive — undertaking.

As I reported in a post on January 13, crews recently started repair work on the outside of the highrise tower.  On that day, jackhammering could be heard from an elevated work platform positioned outside the 24th floor apartment where the blaze is believed to have started. Today, the result of all the drilling and hammering was apparent: crews have cut a huge two-storey-tall hole in the tower’s west wall.

In December, it appeared that external building damage had largely been fixed — the fire-charred, smoke-stained brickwork and balcony panels looked freshly cleaned and repainted. But now that a significant segment of the building’s outside wall has been removed, it’s clear the fire damage was incredibly extensive. Below are pics of repair work in progress this afternoon.

 

200 Wellesley highrise fire

Balcony repairs one floor above fire location at 200 Wellesley


200 Wellesley highrise fire

Hole cut in outside wall for repairs to fire-damaged apartment


200 Wellesley highrise fire

Crew repairs fire-damaged 24th floor apartment at 200 Wellesley


Government won’t protect Queen’s Park vista

Leave a reply

In several years, two Yorkville condo towers may be clearly visible in this College Street view of the Ontario Legislature building at Queen’s Park

 

Skyline scrap: The Ontario government will not take action to preserve views of the provincial Legislature building at Queen’s Park — a vista that heritage groups worry will be spoiled by construction of two condo skyscrapers planned for Yorkville.

Concerns about drastic changes to skyline views of Queen’s Park arose several years ago when a developer sought approval from the City to construct two condo towers on the Avenue Road site of the Four Seasons Hotel.

The Four Seasons is building a new flagship hotel and condo complex just two blocks away, at the corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue. Once it begins operations there, the developer wants to demolish the old Four Seasons tower (31 storeys) and replace it with two condo highrises (48 and 44 floors respectively).

City planners rejected the proposal, so the developer appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Heritage groups were outraged by the development plan, fearing that the skyscrapers would be visible poking up in the distance behind the gables of the Legislature building. The Speaker of the Legislature, Steve Peters, shared their concerns, and fought against the condo proposal on behalf of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario when the developer’s case went before the OMB.

The skyline scrap didn’t faze the OMB, which said the project could proceed because it was consistent with city and provincial planning policies. The Legislative Assembly sought leave to appeal its decision, but as I noted in a blog post last week, an Ontario Superior Court judge rejected the claim. With no further legal avenues left to challenge the developer, Mr. Peters called on the provincial government to take action to protect the Queen’s Park vista.

As reported in a Globe and Mail article on Saturday, however, the government won’t step into the fray.

“The courts have made a decision, and we respect the process that has been undertaken,” said a Cabinet minister’s spokesman. The Globe says that, with the province refusing to take action, “there is nothing blocking Menkes Developments, the real estate company behind the proposed condo towers, from going ahead with the project.”

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Menkes will ask its architects to develop a striking design for the proposed towers. If they’re going to be visible behind the Legislature, I’d rather they look a helluva lot more impressive than the existing Four Seasons and the 24-storey Renaissance Plaza condo tower, which already lurk in the distance behind Queen’s Park (see photo below).

 

This photo taken today shows towers in Yorkville, including the Four Seasons Hotel and the Renaissance Plaza condos (circled), just  north of Queen’s Park.

 

Update: Demolition continues at Yonge St. fire site

Leave a reply

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

 

Hasta la vista, Queen’s Park?

Leave a reply

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.

 

 

 

Exterior repairs underway at fire ravaged highrise

Leave a reply

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

 

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

Leave a reply

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


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

Leave a reply

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

 

Was heritage building deliberately torched?

Leave a reply

<>

335 Yonge Street ruins viewed from Gould Street (top) and Yonge Street (below) today after investigators knocked down the top floor and began searching the rubble for evidence of arson. Bottom pic shows 335 Yonge after its top floor was removed.

<>



Police seeking “person of interest”: The search for the cause of Monday’s fire at 335 Yonge Street turned into a criminal arson investigation after Toronto police found evidence suggesting that someone had entered the property and left mere minutes before the blaze broke out. Nearby surveillance cameras captured pictures and video of a “person of interest” who spent nearly two and a half hours in the building in the middle of the night, leaving the scene shortly before someone saw flames and called the fire department.

Meanwhile, work crews used heavy machinery to tear down the top floor of the fire-charred structure today so pieces of rubble could be extricated and examined for evidence of arson (the ruins remain far too unsafe for investigators to enter). Still no word from the building’s owners or city officials as to what will happen with the site once the fire marshall’s office has concluded its investigation.

While speculation about arson and “demolition by neglect” continues to swirl in the local media, noted journalist Christie Blatchford examines the serious fire hazards posed by vacant and abandoned buildings in an insightful column in today’s Globe and Mail. Below: photos showing some of the demolition equipment in use at 335 Yonge today.

<>

<>

<>
<>

President envisions burned heritage building as Yonge Street gateway to Ryerson U campus

Leave a reply

The remains of 335 Yonge Street two days after the big blaze

 

 

Ryerson to the rescue? While firefighters and investigators today kept busy probing the cause of Monday’s destructive fire at 335 Yonge Street, the president of Ryerson University reiterated his keen interest in acquiring the historic property.

As I mentioned in a blog post the other day, I’ve been wondering if the university still wants the site — the William Reynolds Block — for its campus expansion plans. Turns out, it definitely does.

University president Sheldon Levy told The Globe and Mail that he’d still like to obtain the property for a possible Yonge Street “gateway” to the RU campus. According to the Globe & Mail story, “Ryerson has eyed the property as a potential venue for an additional entrance to the Dundas subway station for years, but failed to persuade the owners, the Lalani Group, to sell the land.” Ryerson is just about to start construction of a new student services building just a stone’s throw away — directly across Gould Street, on the site of the former Sam the Record Man store. Obtaining the 335 Yonge building would give the university the opportunity to create an impressive, stand-out entrance that its compact downtown campus has been sorely lacking.

But the big question, now, is whether City Hall and the provincial government have the wherewithal to finally get any kind of redevelopment of the site going — especially since they have allowed the property to sit neglected since part of its brick facade fell down last April.

“You don’t sit back and watch a building fall down and burn and then say, ‘Let’s think about this for another six months or a year,” Levy told the Globe. Sadly, that’s the way all levels of government typically act in Canada. They love to spend years talking about things they’d like to do before actually getting around to  it — if they ever in fact do it at all.

Frankly, I’ll be amazed if any kind of redevelopment activity gets underway at 335 Yonge in the next year — whether it’s by Ryerson, the City, or by someone else. But I’ll be thrilled if the university does acquire the site and is able to restore the burned building as part of a new main entrance to its campus. Below are some pics I shot of 335 Yonge this afternoon.

 

Traffic was still restricted on two blocks of Yonge Street today

What’s left of the building’s Yonge Street facade

Firefighters surveying the ruins from an aerial platform

Firefighters hosing down the remains of the collapsed building

Site of Ryerson’s new student services centre, to start construction soon

Overnight blaze destroys 123-year-old downtown heritage building … what will take its place?

1 Reply

What caused the fire? That’s the question investigators with the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office will try to answer following a massive six-alarm blaze that destroyed a stately heritage building at 335 Yonge Street early this morning.

Built around 1888, and originally home to the Empress Hotel, the three-storey brown brick William Reynolds Block at the corner of Yonge and Gould Streets recently housed several retail stores and eateries. Its busiest and best-known tenant was Salad King, a Thai restaurant that was enormously popular with students from the Ryerson University campus right next door.

All of the businesses were forced to close last April after a section of the building’s façade collapsed without warning onto Gould Street (there’s more information about that incident in a Toronto Star article here). Since then, the two eastern lanes of Yonge Street and the stretch of Gould adjacent to the building have been fenced off as a safety precaution while the City and the property’s owners discussed whether the structure could be restored.  That now appears highly unlikely, since fire investigators say they must demolish what remains of the structure so they can safely inspect the rubble to determine the cause of the blaze.

While they’re busy grappling with that mystery, I’ll be keen to hear answers to some “burning” questions that have been on my mind since April: What’s going to happen with this piece of prime downtown real estate? Will the old Empress Hotel building be reconstructed in some shape or form? Will a new retail or office building or a condo tower take its place? Or will Ryerson University acquire the property to expand its downtown campus?

Just before Christmas, I snapped some photos of the cordoned-off building; they appear below, along with pics I took this afternoon. For more news, and to view additional photos of the fire and its aftermath, see this Toronto Star article and this follow-up story in The Globe and Mail.