Category Archives: Office buildings

First underground floor slowly starts taking shape at RBC WaterPark Place office construction site

RBC WaterPark Place

August 15 2012: A view of construction progress on the western two-thirds of the construction site for the 30-storey RBC WaterPark Place tower at 88 Queen’s Quay West

 

RBC WaterPark Place

August 15 2012: Building forms near the west end of the pit

 

WaterPark Place Toronto

July 3 2011: The tower will rise on the parking lot site west of the 24-storey WaterPark Place 1 tower, built in 1986 (left), and the 18-storey WPP 2 tower, built in 1990

 

RBC WaterPark Place

This artistic rendering depicts a southwest street-level view of RBC WaterPark Place from Queen’s Quay Blvd. The RBC tower was designed by Toronto’s WZMH Architects. The rendering appears on the project webpage for the tower’s developer, Oxford Properties.

 

RBC WaterPark Place site

 November 2 2010: This photo, taken from the CN Tower, shows the parking lot area where the RBC WaterPark Place tower is currently under construction

 

New bank tower: Construction crews have been busy laying the foundation this summer for the city’s newest downtown bank tower, RBC WaterPark Place.

The 30-storey glass tower, which was designed by Toronto’s WZMH Architects, will rise on what used to be a large surface parking lot immediately west of the two granite and glass WaterPark Place towers that have been fixtures at Toronto’s Harbourfront area for more than two decades. (The 24-storey WaterPark Place 1 tower was built in 1986, and the 18-storey WaterPark Place 2 tower was built in 1990.)

I recall that when the first two towers were constructed, people were predicting that a third — and possibly even a fourth — highrise would join them within just a few years. But nothing happened during the office building drought that ensued. Now, 22 years later, work is well underway on what will become RBC’s national headquarters for Canadian banking operations.

 

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Highrise condo cluster could threaten character of leafy low-rise street near Yonge & Wellesley

Dundonald Street Toronto

The lush trees and gardens adorning the front yards of these brick homes on the north side of Dundonald Street could be imperiled by construction of up to four condo highrises …

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

… including an 18-storey tower that would incorporate parts of the brick, travertine and glass facade of this Modern-style office building constructed in 1956 at 17 Dundonald …

 

31-37 Dundonald Street Toronto

… a potential 18-storey condo on the site of these three-storey houses at 31-37 Dundonald, currently being offered for sale as a block for redevelopment …

 

22, 40 and 50 Wellesley Street East Toronto

… and two more condo towers, each at least 28 storeys tall, that would loom above Dundonald Street from this location on Wellesley Street East to the immediate south ….

 

40 Wellesley Street East Toronto

… including a 118-meter-tall (32 storeys) condo tower that a developer wishes to build on the site of this 5-storey office building at 40 Wellesley Street East …

 

50 Wellesley Street East condo site

… and a 28-storey condo, now being marketed to prospective purchasers, on the site of what is currently an empty lot at 46-50 Wellesley Street East

 

Dundonald doomed?: A quiet, tree-lined residential street in north downtown’s Church-Wellesley neighbourhood could lose much of its appeal, charm and character — and possibly even much of its lush greenery — if proposals for four condo towers in the area come to fruition.

Only one block long, Dundonald Street runs east-west between Yonge and Church Streets, just one block north of Wellesley Street. It’s among my favourite downtown streets, one I walk several times each week to avoid the noise, steady vehicular traffic and busy sidewalks of Wellesley Street. But my alternative walking route might lose its quiet, pleasant appeal in several years’ time if two highrise condo buildings get built on the south side of Dundonald, along with two more right behind them on the north side of Wellesley Street.

 

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Crane removed at ETFO office construction site as concrete pour, steel frame installation concludes

ETFO office building Toronto

April 29 2012: The yellow and black portable crane assists with the removal of the white construction crane from the ETFO office building site on Isabella Street

 

ETFO office building Toronto

April 29 2012: The operator’s cab for the construction crane is slowly lowered to a flatbed truck waiting on Isabella Street

 

ETFO office building Toronto

April 29 2012: A southwest view of the 4-storey building, which is being designed to achieve LEED platinum certification

 

ETFO office building

This artistic illustration, one of several renderings that appeared on a New Building Construction page of the ETFO website,  suggests how the building will look once construction is complete in March 2013. The organization’s headquarters was designed by Toronto’s  Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects.

 

Nicely framed: When I last reported on construction progress at the new Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) headquarters on December 8 2011, the building’s ground floor was still beginning to take shape. Only four months later, construction crews have finished pouring concrete and assembling steel framework for all four floors of the structure, and have also installed windows along sections of the first floor. And just this weekend, crews disassembled and removed the big white construction crane that had towered above the site since the middle of last August.

 

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Bistro favoured by film stars serves last meal, Cresford cooks up condo tower to take its place

Bistro 990 restaurant at 990 Bay Street Toronto

March 2 2012: Once a popular hangout for Hollywood celebrities attending the Toronto International Film Festival, Bistro 990 has closed after 23 years in business

 

984 Bay Street and 1000 Bay Street Toronto

The restaurant and its next-door neighbour at 794 Bay Street, a 7-storey building that formerly housed doctors’ offices and medical lab facilities …

 

1000 Bay Street Toronto

… along with the adjacent surface parking lot at 1000 Bay Street, on the northwest corner of Bay and St. Joseph Streets, will be razed and replaced  …

 

1Thousand Bay condos Toronto

… by a 32-storey, 478-unit glass condominium highrise depicted in this artistic illustration that appears on the website for Cresford Developments

 

984 Bay Street 1Thousand Bay sales centre

… which has opened its presentation centre for 1Thousand Bay in a street-level space once occupied by a retail drug store

 

Last supper: A Bay Street bistro long famous for its celebrity clientele served its last customers and closed its doors on Saturday night, clearing the way for a glass condominium tower designed by Toronto’s architectsAlliance to take its place.

Bistro 990 had operated at 990 Bay Street for 23 years. In its heyday, it was a a popular restaurant hangout for Hollywood stars visiting the city for the Toronto International Film Festival. The restaurant lost some of its appeal in recent years as local foodies grew less fond of classic French cuisine, and then lost some of its celebrity lustre when the film festival relocated from Yorkville to the TIFF Bell Lightbox two years ago.

 

 

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Logo installation underway at PwC tower

 

PwC office tower Toronto

March 7 2012: One-third of the lead tenant’s logo has now been installed on the south side of the PwC office tower at Southcore Financial Centre

 

PwC office tower Toronto

… seen here from Lake Shore Boulevard to the south on January 6 2012.  (The two ÏCE condo towers being constructed in the foreground eventually will block this view of the 26-storey PwC office building at 18 York Street.)

 

Waiting for the WC: The logo for its namesake anchor tenant is finally being installed atop the PwC Tower at Southcore Financial Centre.

When I passed by the building back on February 20, a swing stage above the top left corner on the tower’s south side hinted that the PwC logo would soon be affixed to the face of the 26-storey headquarters for the Canadian head office of tax firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Limited.

 

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Ceiling section collapses from hydro headquarters

700 University Avenue

February 29 2012: A large section of ceiling collapsed this morning from the overhang above the first floor of the Ontario Power Generation building

 

700 University Avenue

The ceiling segment caved in near the building’s southeast corner

 

Drywall drops: No-one was hurt this morning when a large section of ceiling material buckled and collapsed from the ceiling of the first-floor building overhang at the Ontario Power Generation 700 University Avenue corporate headquarters.

 

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Snow day! Photos of some downtown construction sites after a light morning snowfall dusts Toronto

West Don Lands Community Toronto

The vast construction zone for the new West Don Lands Community is seen in this image taken by a Waterfront Toronto webcam this afternoon. The 80-acre site was blanketed with light snow this morning, less than 24 hours after Waterfront Toronto and Infrastructure Ontario announced that long-awaited construction is finally commencing on the new mixed-use residential community a short distance east of the downtown business district. The highrise under construction at upper left is the 40-storey Clear Spirit condo tower in the nearby Distillery District.

 

Aura at College Park Condos Toronto

Construction progress on the 75-storey Aura at College Park condo tower is seen in this image captured from a webcam on the Aura website.

 

Nicholas Residences condo construction Toronto

Excavation activity at the Nicholas Residences condo site near Yonge & Bloor

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

Shoring work continues on the FIVE Condos site at Yonge & St Joseph Streets

 

FIVE Condos site Toronto

Snow-covered steel I-beams and construction equipment on the FIVE Condos site

 

ETFO office building Toronto

A worker directs traffic past the ETFO office building site on Isabella Street

 

ETFO office building Toronto

Another view of progress on the 4-storey ETFO office headquarters

 

X2 Condos Toronto

Overlooking the long, rectangular excavation for the 49-storey X2 Condos tower under construction at the southwest corner of Jarvis & Charles Streets

 

X2 Condos Toronto

Crews have nearly completed digging the deep excavaton for the X2 Condos tower. The construction crane is expected to be installed soon

 

45 Charles Street East Toronto

Interior demolition work continues on the eight-storey office building at 45 Charles Street East, future site of the Chaz.Yorkville condo tower.

 

45 Charles Street East Toronto

Despite the light snow cover, a drilling rig (rear right) was busy jackhammering a concrete pad at the northwest corner of the Chaz.Yorkville site

 

Burano Condos and Women's College Hospital Toronto

Two major construction projects at the southwest corner of Bay & Grosvenor Streets: Burano Condos, left, and the Women’s College Hospital redevelopment.

 

Womens College Hospital Toronto

The new Women’s College Hospital building has risen five floors so far on what was formerly the site of the hospital’s multi-level parking garage

 

Burano Condos on Bay Street Toronto

The soaring glass atrium on the north (Grosvenor Street) side of Burano Condos

 

Burano Condos Toronto

A view of the atrium from the north side of Grosvenor Street

 

Burano Condos Toronto

A publicly-accessible piazza, designed by landscape architects Janet Rosenberg + Associates, will be constructed next to the atrium

 

Burano Condos Toronto

The sharply angled glass panels of the atrium provide a striking contrast to the condo tower that soars 50 storeys straight up above it

 

Harbourfront Centre York Quay parking garage construction

A Harbourfront Centre webcam image of progress on the new underground parking garage for York Quay Centre. Concrete floor slabs have been poured for the 3 below-grade levels, and work will start soon on the ground-level roof over the structure. New outdoor public spaces will be created on top.

 

 

ETFO office construction climbs above grade

ETFO office building construction

December 8 2011: The first floor of the new ETFO headquarters starts to take shape at the northeast corner of Huntley & Isabella Streets

 

ETFO office building Toronto

December 8 2011: As the office building begins to climb above grade, passersby no longer have to peer through the security fence to follow construction progress

 

Teachers’ HQ on the rise: From June through November, passersby had to walk right up to a security fence to see how far construction had progressed on the new Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) headquarters being built at the corner of Huntley and Isabella Streets. Now that the office building’s ground floor has started taking shape, people can watch what’s happening as they walk past on the opposite side of the street — or drive by in the comfort of their cars and SUVs.

Construction has begun rising above grade at the southwest corner of what will be a 4-storey LEED-certified building, designed by Toronto’s KPMB Architects and built by Bird Construction. Crews are expected to finish pouring concrete for the building early next spring; if that goes according to plan, the headquarters will be on schedule for its anticipated May 2013 staff move-in.

Below are a few more pics I took of the ETFO building this afternoon. Photos of earlier building progress as well as pre-construction site preparation and demolition activity can also be viewed in my November 6 2011, June 2 2011, and May 9 2011 posts.

 

ETFO office building Toronto

December 8 2011: Construction viewed from the SE corner of Huntley & Isabella Streets. The tall building at right rear is James Cooper Mansion condominium.

 

ETFO office building Toronto

December 8 2011: Construction commenced in June and is expected to finish in early 2013, with staff move-in anticipated for May of that year.

 

ETFO office building Toronto

December 8 2011: North view of ground floor progress from Isabella Street

 

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ETFO office construction reaching street level

ETFO Toronto office building construction

November 5 2011: The west half of the foundation for the new ETFO office building at Huntley & Isabella Streets has reached street level …

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

… while the east half of the building site still has some catching up to do

 

ETFO Toronto office building rendering

This rendering, courtesy of KPMB Architects, shows how the building will look

 

Filling in: The underground parking level for the new The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) headquarters is filling in fast as construction of the 4-storey office building at Huntley & Isabella Streets moves along. Construction reached grade on the west half of the building in October, and is gradually catching up on the east side. When finished, the garage will have room for 50 vehicles.

KPMB Architects designed the ETFO building to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. It will feature a green roof and storm water management, and will have several exterior deck terrace areas. Construction commenced during the summer and is expected to conclude in May 2013.

Below are photos of construction progress since September. Earlier construction photos and additional information about the project are available in my posts on June 2 2011 and May 9 2011.

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

 November 5 2011: Looking north across the west half of the ETFO site. The condo, apartment and office towers in the background are all on Bloor Street East.

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction progress

 November 5 2011 The location is in a predominantly residential neighbourhood, with some office, education and health care buildings close by, including the Rogers Communications head office and the Casey House hospice

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ETFO Toronto office building construction

November 5 2011: Entrance to the 50-car garage will be here, off Isabella Street

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

November 4 2011: The building’s main entrance also will be on Isabella Street …

 

Rendering of ETFO Toronto office building entrance

… as seen in this rendering provided courtesy of KPMB Architects

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

October 14 2011: Construction on the west half of the office building site reached street level in early October

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

October 14 2011: Foundation filling in around the middle of the ETFO site

 

ETFO Toronto  office building construction

October 14 2011: Construction progress on the east half of the property

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

October 14 2011: Excavator on the ramp at the east side of the site

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

September 24 2011: Crews will soon begin pouring the concrete floor for the one-level underground garage

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

September 24 2011: North view across the middle of the ETFO site

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

September 24 2011: Supporting walls under construction on the east side

 

ETFO Toronto office building construction

September 24 2011: The view from the ramp at the southeast corner of the site. The Rogers Communications head office is the large building at upper left.

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Condo tower in the works for site of heritage office building on Dundonald St. near Yonge & Wellesley

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

August 19 2011: This office building at 17 Dundonald Street was built in 1956. Included on the City’s inventory of heritage properties, it is considered culturally significant as an early example of the Modern style of architecture.

 

Tall “cube” coming? A developer is planning a condo highrise for 17 Dundonald Street in the Yonge & Wellesley area — but the tower’s projected floor count apparently is up in the air.

People living on and near Dundonald Street say various sources — including their city councillor — have told them a new development is in the works for the property, currently the site of a 2.5-storey office building situated just a stone’s throw from the Wellesley subway station. Constructed in 1956 as the Commercial Travellers’ Association of Canada Building, the low-rise office structure was designed by the Toronto architecture firm Weir Cripps and Associates.

The building is included on the city’s inventory of heritage properties; in fact, on June 8 2010, Toronto City Council adopted an “Intention to Designate” for the property. In an April 21 2010 background report presented to city councillors and the Toronto Preservation Board, city planners stated that 17 Dundonald had “cultural heritage value” worthy of designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.  “As a small-scaled office building, the Commercial Travellers’ Association of Canada Building (1956) is an early and representative example of the Modern style with design merit that through its scale supports and maintains the prevailing character of Dundonald Street as the location of low-rise buildings,” the report explained.

The report, along with a notice of intention to designate published on the City’s website, said some of 17 Dundonald’s heritage attributes include: its “scale, form and massing”; “the near-square plan under a flat roof”; “the cladding, employing concrete, turquoise-hued glazed brick, travertine, aluminium and glass”; the organization of the building’s north facade into four bays; and the placement of the building itself, with a “small landscaped forecourt” separating it from the street. (The report provides extensive interesting information about the history and design of the building; it’s well worth a read.)

At present, 17 Dundonald is surrounded by residential properties, including the Terrace Court townhouses and low-rise condominium complex on its east side, the 24-storey Continental Tower apartment building on its west flank, and 22 Condominiums, a tower rising 23-storeys to its immediate south at 22 Wellesley Street East.

Area residents say Ward 27 City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam has told meetings of neighbourhood condo owners that a developer has been discussing redevelopment proposals for 17 Dundonald with city planners. Their intention, apparently, is to construct a highrise condo building in a Cubist style intended to emulate the Modernist architecture of the office building it will replace. But I’ve heard conflicting information about just how tall the building might be: 18, 19, 25 and 30 storeys are the floor counts people have mentioned. Word on the street is that a tower taller than the nearby 22 Condominiums and Continental Tower (23 and 24 storeys, respectively) doesn’t sit well with city planners, who feel too much height would be out of character for Dundonald Street. So far there has been no word on the identity of either the proposed building’s developer or the architectural firm designing it.

Below are some recent photos of 17 Dundonald and its neighbours.

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

 July 8 2011: Looking west along Dundonald Street toward the office building at # 17. The Terrace Court condo townhomes (left) sit to the east, while the 24-storey Continental Tower, built in 1971, rises to the west.

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

July 8 2011: The north and east sides of the building

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17 Dundonald Street Toronto

July 8 2011: The building’s cladding includes concrete, glass, travertine, aluminium and glazed brick with a distinctive turquoise hue

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

 July 8 2011: Two of 17 Dundonald’s neighbours include Terrace Court, an 8-storey condo and townhouse complex at 19-29 Dundonald Street (left), and the 22 Condominiums tower behind it on Wellesley Street


17 Dundonald Street Toronto

July 8 2011: The building was designed by Weir Cripps & Associates Architects


17 Dundonald Street  Toronto

July 8 2011: Looking towards 17 Dundonald from the northwest, outside the Continental Tower apartment building at 15 Dundonald Street. 

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

July 13 2011: A walkway between the two fences at the west side of the building links Dundonald Street to Wellesley Street and the Wellesley subway station

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

July 13 2011: The north facade and recessed front entrance to 17 Dundonald

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

July 13 2011: A city planning report says the placement of the main entrance in a recessed and glazed bay, with a protective angled canopy, is one of the building’s important heritage attributes

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17 Dundonald Street Toronto

July 13 2011: The driveway separates the office building from its Terrace Court condo and townhouse neighbours at 19 – 29 Dundonald Street

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

August 19 2011: The main entrance is set in one of four bays on the north facade

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

August 19 2011: The angled canopy above the double aluminum front doors

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

August 19 2011: The west wall of 17 Dundonald and the north side of 22  Condominiums, viewed from the pedestrian walkway linking Dundonald and Wellesley Streets alongside the Wellesley subway station

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17 Dundonald Street Toronto

August 19 2011: The west wall of 17 Dundonald Street catches some evening sun and reflects the Continental Tower apartment building next door

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

August 19 2011: There are five bays along the building’s west elevation

 

17 Dundonald Street Toronto

August 19 2011: The south wall has turquoise-hued brick at its southwest corner. Next door is the brown brick wall of the 8-storey Terrace Court condo.

 

22 Wellesley Street East Toronto

August 19 2011: 22 Condominiums rises to the south at 22 Wellesley Street East

 

22 Wellesley Street East condo tower Toronto

August 19 2011: 22 Condominiums was built by Lanterra Developments in 2007

 

22 Wellesley Street East Toronto

August 19 2011: Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance designed 22 Condominiums

 

22 Wellesley Street East Toronto

August 19 2011: Balconies at the northwest corner of 22 Condominiums

 

 

Ripe for redevelopment: Will offices or condos rise from the demolition dust at 90 Harbour Street?

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: Constructed in 1953 as the Ontario Workmen’s Compensation Board Building, 90 Harbour Street was headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police from 1975 to 1989. It has been vacant since then, apart from occasional short-term occupation for film productions.

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

The five-storey stone frontispiece on 90 Harbour Street’s front (south) facade. The building is a blend of Art Deco, Art Moderne and Modern Classical styles.

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

The building’s first floor base is clad in polished black granite, while the upper floors are clad in buff brick. The window trim is limestone.

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 17 2011: Demolition of the building’s west wing gets underway 

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

 July 17 2011:  A mound of rubble beneath two holes smashed in the west wall

 

Prime location: A 2.5-acre piece of property being touted as one of the last major development sites available in downtown Toronto is up for grabs near Harbourfront.

The Ontario Realty Corporation is selling 90 Harbour Street, a building originally constructed in 1953 as offices for the Ontario Workmen’s Compensation Board and subsequently used as headquarters for the Ontario Provincial Police. With frontage on Lake Shore Boulevard, York Street and Harbour Street, the five-storey structure occupies a prime piece of real estate in an area currently experiencing a massive building boom.

Just a short walk from Union Station, 90 Harbour is situated directly across Lake Shore Blvd. from the recently completed Maple Leaf Square office, condo, hotel, retail, and restaurant development. It also sits kitty-corner to York Centre, where four condo towers are currently under construction for two different building projects: ÏCE Condominiums and Infinity3 Condominiums. Immediately to the north of those is the Southcore Financial Centre, where the 26-storey PwC office tower at 18 York Street is nearing completion and where construction has commenced on two more highrise buildings: the 30-storey Bremner Tower and the 45-storey Delta Toronto hotel tower. And just south of 90 Harbour, a 30-storey office building has been proposed as Phase III of Waterpark Place across the street.

When I passed by 90 Harbour at the beginning of this month, Ontario Realty Corporation “for sale” signs were posted at several places on the property, but public parking lots were still operating on the east and west sides of the building. When I passed by this afternoon the signs were gone, the entire property was surrounded by blue security fencing, and a Progreen Demolition machine was working next to a large mound of rubble on the west side of the building, beneath two large holes that had been smashed into the brown brick wall.

The demolition work will disappoint any city heritage buffs who may have been hoping that the building might be retained as part of any new development project. The City of Toronto had intended to designate 90 Harbour as a heritage building several years ago because of its “cultural heritage value” as “a representative example of a mid-20th Century office building that blends features of the three prevalent styles of the period.” As a “reasons for listing” document explained: “While the symmetry, cladding and profile reflect Modern Classical styling, the stepped plan and vertical elements recall Art Deco and the band windows are identified with the Art Moderne. All three styles were introduced in the 1920s and remained popular until the International Style or Modern Movement gained acceptance in the 1960s.” However, the City could not proceed with the heritage designation because it did not have authority, under Ontario law, to impose such a designation on provincial government property. The City subsequently withdrew its notice of intention to designate, and issued a demolition permit on February 14 2011.

So what’s in store for 90 Harbour? I wasn’t able to find out today if any parts of the facade or other building elements will be saved, or if the building will be demolished completely. However, the ad on the Ontario Realty Corporation website does state that “Proposed development scenarios and designs have continued to retain heritage elements of the existing structure.” The website also points out that the property has “excellent” potential for commercial and residential development and is bound to “build off the success of established and proposed commercial and residential developments along the Harbourfront” as well as the new “office and residential projects immediately to the north.” I will follow up once I learn of any development plans for the site.

Below is an aerial photo that appears on the Ontario Realty Corporation website flyer for 90 Harbour, showing the property’s location in downtown Toronto, along with some of my own recent photos of the building.

 

aerial photo of 90 Harbour Street Toronto

 Ontario Realty Corporation website photo showing the location of 90 Harbour Street between Harbourfront and the Gardiner Expressway

 

90 Harbour Street

July 1 2011: 90 Harbour Street seen from the intersection of York Street and Lake Shore Boulevard, looking to the northeast

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

June 22 2011: A for sale sign posted outside the property on York Street

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

June 22 2011: Looking north from the parking lot on the west side of 90 Harbour Street toward the PwC office tower at 18 York Street (left) and the Maple Leaf Square condo/office/retail/restaurant/hotel development

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto parking lot

June 22 2011: To the south of 90 Harbour are the Waterpark Place office towers (left), the 33 Harbour Square condos (center) and the 55 Harbour Square condos

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

 July 1 2011: 90 Harbour viewed from York Street, looking east. The two condos in the background are the Pinnacle Success Tower and the 33 Bay Residences at the Pinnacle Centre, both on Harbour between Bay and Yonge Streets.

 

Toronto Harbour Commission building

February 18 2011: The Toronto Harbour Commission building at 60 Harbour Street on the east side of 90 Harbour

 

90 Harbour Street

July 1 2011: The CN Tower and Maple Leaf Square condo towers rise behind 90 Harbour, viewed here from the parking lot on the east side of the building

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: Looking east along the front facade of 90 Harbour Street

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: The dilapidated condition of the front lawn and wheelchair entrance created an eyesore outside an otherwise attractive building

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: A “for sale” sign outside the building’s former main entrance

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: Broken windows on the front facade of 90 Harbour Street

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: The building’s 3-storey west wing and the 5-floor center section.

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: A view of the west wing from the Harbour Street sidewalk

 

90 Harbour Street parking lot in Toronto

 July 1 2011: Looking toward the CN Tower from the west parking lot

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 1 2011: 90 Harbour viewed from the corner of York St. and Lake Shore Blvd.

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 17 2011: Security fencing along the northeast perimeter of the property

 

90 Harbour Street

July 17 2011: Demolition activity at the west wing of 90 Harbour

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 17 2011: Demolition machine working beside the west wing of 90 Harbour

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 17 2011: Water sprays control dust during demolition activity at 90 Harbour

 

90 Harbour Street Toronto

July 17 2011:  Water sprays control dust from the huge pile of rubble

 

90 Harbour Street

July 17 2011: Only one demolition machine was working on the site today

 

90 Harbour Street

July 17 2011: A closer look at the two gaping holes in the wall of the west wing

 

 

PwC tower aims for autumn occupancy as digging continues for hotel & office towers next door

PwC office tower at 18 York Street

June 20 2011: The exterior construction elevator has been removed from the south side of the PwC tower as the office building nears completion …

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

… while excavation work is underway for the Delta hotel and Bremner office building that will join PwC as part of the Southcore Financial Centre

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

July 1 2011: Only 10 floors of windows remain to be installed on the south wall

 

 

Nearly finished: Occupancy is expected to commence this fall for the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) office tower at 18 York Street, the first of three buildings that will make up the Southcore Financial Centre (SFC) complex occupying the entire block of Bremner Boulevard between York and Lower Simcoe Streets. When I walked past the SFC site recently, I saw that the temporary construction elevator had been removed from the south side of the PwC tower, where windows are gradually being installed where the elevator previously rose. Meanwhile, crews were busy with site preparation and excavation for the 45-storey Delta Toronto hotel and the 30-storey Bremner Tower office buildings currently under construction to PwC’s immediate west.

According to SFC, the 26-storey, 650,000-square-foot PwC tower is 96% leased. Its anchor (and namesake) tenant will be the PwC Canada accounting and consulting firm, while other major tenants will include personal and commercial insurance firm RSA Canada, engineering & construction organization SNC-Lavalin, and the commercial real estate services company Avison Young. The 700,000-square-foot Bremner Tower will rise right next door. Both office buildings were designed by Toronto’s KPMB Architects. The Delta Toronto, a four-star hotel with 566 rooms, was designed by Toronto’s Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects. Scheduled completion date for the Bremner Tower is December 2013, while construction of the Delta Toronto is expected to finish in the fall of 2014.

Below are pics of recent construction activity at the SFC site. Further information and photos of earlier construction progress, along with architectural renderings of the three towers, can be seen in my April 24 2011 post as well as my February 26 2011 post.

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

June 20 2011: The PwC logo will be mounted on the top left section of the tower

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

June 20 2011: Windows being installed where the temporary construction elevator used to rise on the south side of the PwC tower

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

June 20 2011: Workers apply finishing touches to the tower’s south face

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

June 20 2011: A closer view of the crew working on the glass curtain wall

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

June 20 2011: A construction entrance gate on Bremner Blvd. near York Street. Some of the new tower’s tenants will begin moving in this fall.

 

Southcore Financial Centre site

June 20 2011: The Bremner Tower will rise on this spot beside the PwC Tower…

 

Southcore Financial Centre site

… while the Delta Toronto hotel tower will rise a little farther west, at the corner of Bremner Blvd. and Lower Simcoe Street.

 

Southcore Financial Centre site

June 20 2011: Excavation activity in progress for the hotel and office towers

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: The Delta Toronto hotel tower will sit directly across Lower Simcoe Street from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: Buses parked on Bremner Boulevard near Lower Simcoe Street, outside the future location of the Delta Toronto hotel tower.

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: The railway tracks sit to the immediate north of the SFC site

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: Overlooking the northwest corner of the SFC building site

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: Railway and commuter trains pass on the opposite side of the concrete and steel beam barrier at the northern perimeter of the SFC site.

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: Two excavating machines at work on the site

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: A welder works on the retaining wall next to the railway tracks

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 2011: A crew works near the northeast corner of the SFC building site

 

Southcore Financial Centre construction site

June 20 2011: The northwest corner of the site along Lower Simcoe Street

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

July 1 2011: Window installation should be completed soon on the upper 10 floors where the exterior construction elevator once rose

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

July 1 2011: A closer view of the former elevator location on the south wall

 

PwC office tower at 18 York Street Toronto

July 1 2011: Another view of the areas where windows will soon be installed

 

… and gone!

15 Huntley Street

May 31 2011: 15 Huntley Street is just one large empty lot …

 

Former CAS buildings at 15 Huntley Street

… now that the low-rise brick buildings that formerly occupied the site — seen here on February 28 2011 — have been completely demolished…

ETFO office building rendering by KPMB Architects

… to make way for new offices for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, depicted in this rendering provided courtesy of KPMB Architects

 

All clear: A large empty lot sits at the northeast corner of Huntley and Isabella Streets, now that derelict buildings once occupied by the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto have been removed from the property. The demolition paves the way for construction to commence this summer on a new office building for the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

Designed by KPMB Architects of Toronto, the ETFO headquarters will stand four storeys (20 metres) tall and have one level of underground parking, accessed from Isabella Street on the southeast side of the property.  Designed to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification, the building will boast several exterior deck areas plus an extensive green roof that will provide insulation as well as storm water management. “We tried to have as much green roof as possible,” Kael Opie, the ETFO project architect at KPMB, told a meeting of the Upper Jarvis Neighbourhood Association this week. The north side of the building has been terraced to minimize shadow impact on nearby homes, he added, while “aggressive landscaping” will include the planting of many new trees to help the new building blend into the neighbourhood. (Several mature trees had to be destroyed to allow construction of the ETFO headquarters; however, the northwest corner of the building was specifically designed to preserve one large black walnut tree, as indicated in the architectural rendering above, and new plantings will far outnumber the trees that had to be removed).

Surveyors have been on site this week determining where any service infrastructure — such as water, gas and hydro lines — might be situated on the property. In about two weeks’ time, machines will begin drilling “soldier piles” on the property, and site excavation should commence about three weeks later. The construction crane is expected to be installed in early August, and project completion is anticipated for the end of January in 2013. More project details, along with photos of the old CAS buildings both before and during demolition, are outlined in my May 9 2011 post. Below is another KPMB Architects rendering of the new ETFO building, along with a few more pics I took yesterday of the cleared lot on which it will be constructed.

 

KPMB Architects rendering of new ETFO office building

A southwest view of the new ETFO office building is depicted in this rendering provided courtesy of KPMB Architects of Toronto

 

15 Huntley Street

May 31 2011: East view from Huntley Street of the ETFO building site

 

15 Huntley Street

May 31 2011: North view from Isabella Street of the ETFO building site

 

15 Huntley Street

May 31 2011: Northwest view from Isabella Street of the ETFO building site