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March 7 2011: Two portable cranes remove segments from the main construction crane that helped build the YWCA Elm Centre apartment building

Project completion looms closer: You can’t miss the new YWCA Elm Centre apartment building at the corner of Elizabeth and Elm Streets downtown, and not just because it’s located between two very busy downtown landmarks: the Hospital for Sick Children and the Toronto bus terminal. Thanks to the bright blue window and wall panels accenting its 17-storey tower on Elm Street and most of its 10-storey wing along Elizabeth, the Centre is highly visible for blocks in several directions.

On Tuesday, the Centre stood out even more when two portable cranes pulled onto the west side of the property and began taking down the tall white construction crane that had helped build the YWCA complex during much of the past two years. Construction crane removal is always a sign that a building project is nearing completion, and the YWCA website does state that the new facility is expected to open in the middle of this year.

The $80 million complex will be “the largest affordable and supportive housing development for women in Canada” with 300 apartments geared mainly to low-income women and their families, women with addiction and mental health issues, and families of aboriginal ancestry. The Centre also will be “home to YWCA Toronto’s new administrative headquarters and a hub for women-focused events and activities in our city,” the website explains. More information about the Centre and a “virtual tour” of the building is available on the website.

Below are more photos of the YWCA Elm Centre.

January 3 2011: Southeast view of YWCA Elm Centre from Edward Street

January 3 2011: South view of YWCA Elm Centre from Chestnut Street

January 8 2011: East view from the corner of Bay and Edward Streets

March 7 2011: The yellow crane lowers a large segment that had been detached from the fixed-in-place crane used to build the YWCA facility

March 7 2011: The bottom half of the fixed crane is visible at right

Ronald McDonald House Toronto construction on January 14 2011

Home Sweet Home: Construction of the new $30 million Ronald McDonald House Toronto at 240 McCaul Street has been moving along nicely — on schedule and on budget — since the project broke ground on March 17 and “topped off” on November 23.

When I last saw the construction site in November, the four-storey, T-shaped building was basically just a concrete shell. Now, walls are up and windows are going in, and exterior brickwork installation should be underway the next time I pass by.

Ronald McDonald Houses offer a “home away from home” for seriously ill children and their families while the kids are undergoing medical treatment at nearby hospitals and medical institutions. The present Ronald McDonald House Toronto, on Gerrard Street just a stone’s throw from Yonge Street, has 28 furnished family bedrooms with private bathrooms as well as a kitchen and dining area, common family room, playroom and laundry facilities.

With no room to expand on Gerrard Street, and demand for accommodation increasing drastically in recent years, the Ronald McDonald House Toronto board decided it was time to build a new House. To pay for the project, the board launched a fundraising campaign which has raised $29 million so far. The federal government contributed an $8.7 million capital grant under its national economic stimulus program, while the Ontario government provided a $9 million grant toward the construction costs.

Designed by Toronto’s Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc., the new House on McCaul will more than triple current capacity, offering cheery and bright accommodation to as many as 80 families. The biggest Ronald McDonald House in the world, it will have a total of 96 bedrooms, with 65 family bedrooms and 15 two-bedroom suites for long-term stays.

Below are building renderings plus photos showing construction progress last November and just last week.