Category Archives: Gooderham condos

Downtown skyline views from the Toronto Islands

The downtown Toronto skyline as seen from Ward's Island

A Ward’s Island view of the downtown Toronto skyline earlier this month

 

Pics and video: A lunchtime bikeride on the Toronto Islands earlier this month gave me a chance to check out how much the downtown skyline has changed in the one-year period since my last trip to the islands.

Although there are dozens and dozens of condo towers and several office highrises under construction in downtown Toronto, only a handful of projects have so far made a significant impact on the skyline views.

The southwest downtown core is now dominated by the two ÏCE Condominium towers which are still under construction on York Street, while the nearby Delta Hotel tower at Southcore Financial Centre on Bremner Boulevard also makes a big impact from some perspectives. 

Off to the west, the Library District Condominium tower is a noteworthy addition to the Concord CityPlace skyline; a year ago, only its construction crane was visible.

Over on the southeast side of the downtown core, The L Tower is the most eye-catching new building, with the water’s edge Residences of Pier 27 also commanding attention even though it’s only a midrise condominium project.  Much farther east, the Distillery District is easier to locate now that construction is drawing closer to completion on the Gooderham Tower.

 

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Winter building pics: March 2013

 My March 2013 album on Flickr features more than 500 photos showing dozens of downtown construction projects and building sites. Click once on the image above to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the actual album where you can view individual full-size photos with captions.

 

 

Frozen fingers: It’s only a few days into spring and I’m still sorting through hundreds of building and construction photos I took during the winter. What has struck me the most is how gloomy and grey the city looked most of the time. Sunny, clear days were few and far between — and when they came, it was usually too bitterly cold and windy for me to risk freezing my fingers by wandering around with my camera.

I did manage a few long photo walks, though, and have been gradually posting the pics in albums on thetorontoblog.com’s Flickr photostream.  Above is a link to my fourth winter photo album, March 2013.

 

 

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Balcony panels add flare to Clear Spirit tower

Clear Spirit condo tower

August 25 2012: Alternating lines of pale green and white translucent balcony panels add eye-catching appeal to the Clear Spirit condo tower in the Distillery District

 

Clear Spirit condo tower

August 25 2012: Balconies flare outwards on the tower’s southeast corner

 

Clear Spirit condo tower

August 25 2012: Glass panels have been installed on nearly 19 floors of balconies

 

Clear Spirit condo tower

August 25 2012: The 40-storey Clear Spirit tower is viewed from the southwest near Parliament Street and Queen’s Quay Boulevard

 

Nice stripes: Throughout construction of the Clear Spirit condo building in the Distillery District, I’ve been anxious to see how the 40-storey tower would look once its glass balconies were installed. Now that panels have been installed on most balconies on the lower 19 floors, my wait is over — and I’m really liking what I see.

The alternating stripes of pale green and white translucent glass panels add a subtle extra dimension of colour and texture to the wrap-around balconies, enhancing the visual appeal and interest of the tall slender tower.

 

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