Category Archives: Toronto condos

Shovels in the ground at X2 Condos site

The earth is moving at the X2 Condos project site

X2 marks its spot: I felt a touch of nostalgia when I saw a drilling machine and backhoe cutting into the snow-covered ground at the corner of Jarvis and Charles Streets this afternoon.

Don’t know why, but I suddenly started thinking about the ugly three-storey office building that used to occupy the site. For the longest time it housed an overpriced Becker’s convenience store and a sports bar called Caps that served awesome — but wickedly hot — BBQ chicken wings, good burgers and reasonably-priced beer. Caps was popular with sports teams as well as the cops who worked across the street in a police building that ultimately met its demise when the hugely popular 44-storey X Condominium tower started construction several years ago.

Eventually, the Becker’s store and the bar closed down. The PizzaPizza company acquired the property, spruced up the building, and moved its headquarters inside. But the days of the PizzaPizza place were numbered. X Condos was a tremendous success; its units sold like gangbusters, leaving no doubt there was a strong demand for more condos in the immediate neighbourhood. It was obvious that the PizzaPizza property would be worth an absolute fortune as a condo tower development site. Inevitably, signs were posted on the property in 2008 to advise the neighbourhood that plans were afoot to build a 44-storey condo highrise there.

In November 2009, a sales office for X2 Condos was constructed on Charles Street on the site of two brick mansions that formerly housed law firms and other offices (properties that also would ultimately be demolished to make way for the condo highrise.) Demolition of all three buildings began last August, and throughout the autumn the lot sat empty while soil testing and other preliminary site preparation work was performed.

In the meantime, the city approved the developer’s request to add more floors to X2, bringing the tower’s total height to 49 storeys. Now, digging has begun in earnest on the northeast perimeter of the site.

Don’t know why, but suddenly I’m craving beer and chicken wings! Too bad I can’t walk up the street to Caps anymore.

Below is a rendering of the X2 Condo building (designed by Toronto’s Rudy Wallman Architects, by the way), along with photos I’ve taken of the X2 site over the past three years. More photos can be viewed in an album accessible from the Photo Sets page of the blog (where you’ll find another album with pictures showing the construction of X Condos, from site excavation to fully-finished and occupied tower.

Although X and X2 look a lot alike, as sisters usually do, X was designed by a different architect — Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architects Alliance.)

Artistic rendering of X2 Condo tower at the corner of Jarvis & Charles

August 14 2008: Condo development proposal sign on X2 Condos site

Sept 3 2008: View of the former PizzaPizza offices on the X2 site

Sept 3 2008: Jarvis Street view of the former PizzaPizza headquarters

December 3 2008: Charles Street view of the development site

November 2 2009: PizzaPizza building being prepared for demolition

November 2 2009: X2 Condos sales office sign on Charles Street East

November 2 2009: X2 Condos sales office being constructed on the project site

November 22 2009: X2 Condos marketing signs on the PizzaPizza building

Bright pink signs on exterior of X2 Condos sales office

August 29 2010: Demolition of the PizzaPizza building underway

August 29 2010: Big empty lot behind the PizzaPizza building being demolished

August 29 2010: X2 Condos sales office gradually being demolished

August 29 2010: Charles Street view of demolition activity at the X2 Condos site

August 29 2010: Jarvis Street view of the PizzaPizza building demolition

X2 Condos sales office in its new location: a townhouse at X Condos

October 3 2010: View of the lot where X2 will be built

November 11 2010: Work crew tests soil conditions

November 11 2010: Soil testing operations at the west end of the site

December 18 2010: X2 Condos site after a light snowfall

January 9 2011: A blanket of snow covers the X2 Condos site

February 8 2011: Machines digging away at the perimeter of the property

February 8 2011: Digging at the northeast perimeter of the X2 Condos site

February 8 2011: Tag-team excavation activity on the X2 Condos site

Living Shangri-La Toronto hotel & condo tower construction site signs have the city seeing pink

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Just one of several hot pink signs atop the Living Shangri-La Toronto tower

Think pink: You can’t miss the Living Shangri-La Toronto construction at 180 University Avenue (at Adelaide Street West), even though the hotel & condo tower is only 20 storeys high so far. In-your-face fluorescent pink signs on several upper floors stand out for blocks, and will become even more widely visible across the downtown core as the tower climbs taller towards its 65-storey eventual height.

The building site is tickled pink at street level, too, but most of those signs get attention with a warmer, almost coral, shade that isn’t as bold, brash and loud as the signage higher up.

Hot pink is a colour I normally associate with tacky snowsuits and swimwear for five-year-old girls, not luxurious five-star hotels and condos. But since the high-end hotel and condo scene in Toronto is starting to get a little crowded, getting people to think pink is probably a great way to get noticed.

The Shangri-la Toronto is one of four glitzy and glamorous new five-star hotel/condo towers changing the city skyline this year.

Over on Wellington Street West, the Ritz-Carlton Toronto will be opening its doors to guests this month. Up in Yorkville, construction is moving right along for the two shiny glass towers of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel & Residences. And just two blocks east of the Shangri-la, also on Adelaide, the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto is three-quarters of the way to claiming its place as the second-tallest skyscraper in the city.

But the Shangri-la won’t need the pink signs to get attention once more of its striking blue windows are put in place. Glass has enclosed just part of seven lower floors so far, but already the windows are creating some eye-catching colours, textures and reflections. That’s especially the case on the University Avenue side of the tower, where just several panes of creased glass suggest how stunning the tower’s tall and sharply angled east and west glass walls will appear when finished.

A project of Westbank and Peterson Group, the building will feature a 220-room Shangri-la hotel and spa on the first 17 floors. There will be 279 condo residences on floors 18 to 48, and 73 “private estates” on floors 49 to 65. The project was designed by Vancouver’s James Km Cheng Architects with Toronto’s Young + Wright Architects.

Below is a rendering of the tower, along with photos I’ve taken at the project site between September 2008 and last week. To view more pics, check out the Living Shangri-la album on the Photos Sets page of the blog.

Artistic depiction of Shangri-La Toronto’s presence on University Avenue

Marketing billboard at Living Shangri-la Toronto excavation site on Sept 26 2008

A passerby watches the excavation activity from Adelaide Street

Site excavation progress on March 5 2009

Ritz-Carlton Toronto has a head start on construction at its location below the CN Tower, just a few blocks southwest of the Living Shangri-la Toronto site

Freezing rain delays installation of the Living Shangri-la Toronto construction crane on March 29 2009; the crane went up several days later

Construction crane awaits installation on a cold, rainy March 29 2009

Two construction cranes work the site on March 8 2010

Site’s southeast corner seen on March 8 2010

Construction progress viewed from Simcoe Street October 20 2010

Construction viewed from University Avenue on November 15 2010

Distinctive angular design element on the tower’s southeast corner

Southeast corner seen from Adelaide Street on November 15 2010

Simcoe Street view of construction progress on November 15 2010

West side of Living Shangri-la viewed from Neilson Street on November 15 2010

Hotel sign on hoarding along University Avenue’s west sidewalk

Tower viewed from University Ave. near Queen Street on Nov. 29 2010

Window installation on tower’s south side January 3 2011

Windows on tower’s south side January 3 2011

Tower viewed from Simcoe Street on January 3 2011

Tower viewed from Adelaide Street West on January 3 2011

Tower viewed from Metro Hall park on King Street January 3 2011

Blue glass, pink signs catch attention on University Avenue

Windows installed on lower floors above University Avenue

Signature design “crease” in windows above University Avenue

Looking up the tower from east side of University Avenue

Angled windows on east side of tower

Signature “creased” windows on east side of tower

Reflections in “creased” windows on east side of tower

Simcoe Street view of windows on west side of tower February 3 2011

West side of tower viewed from Simcoe Street February 3 2011

Pedestrians under construction hoarding on west side of University Avenue

Greyhounds going, condos coming

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Greyhound depot at corner of Sherbourne and Front Feb 3 2011

Bye bye, buses: The Greyhound parcel centre at 154 Front Street East will be going and a condo building taking its place. But we’ll have to wait a while to find out just how big — and tall — the residential development will be.

The Greyhound service building, offices and parking occupy the southern half of the block bounded by King Street East, Sherbourne Street, Front Street, and Frederick Street. The property was owned by the City until just before Christmas when it was sold by the city’s arm’s-length real estate and development corporation, Build Toronto, to Cityzen Developments for an undisclosed price.

Cityzen is more than familiar with the area; it has been busy transforming the western two blocks of The Esplanade with three separate highrise condo projects: London on the Esplanade, which is completed and occupied, The L Tower, currently under construction behind the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, and Backstage condos, now in the marketing stage of development.

Cityzen president Sam Crignano said the company is planning a condo building with ground-level retail shops for the Greyhound location. Height and density for the building are undetermined since the project must still work its way through the city’s approval process. But Cityzen is confident it has picked the right spot for its next development.

“We love the neighbourhood. We like this part of Toronto. We think it is where all the growth will be, at least most of the growth over the course of the next 15 to 20 years, so we want to be a part of it,” Crignano said.

Below are two maps (from Build Toronto’s website) showing the Greyhound location, plus pics I took of the site last Thursday.

Build Toronto website map showing Greyhound bus depot location

Sherbourne Street view of the bus depot on February 3 2011

Tableau turns the table on its condo competition

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Website renderings of Tableau condos, designed by Rudy Wallman

Great gams: With so many condo highrise projects either already on the market or being proposed for the Entertainment District, there’s a lot of competition for buyers. How do developers and architects make sure their own projects have more appeal to potential purchasers than the others on sale just around the corner or down the block?

Offering trendy building amenities and features might help, but I find every new condo project seems to offer the same stuff: posh pilates and yoga studios, luxurious city-view lounges, rooftop terraces with bars and BBQs, multimedia entertainment rooms, and stunning entrance lobbies conceived by top international interior designers. For me, it gets difficult distinguishing between them all: Which condo has the sky club? The infinity pool on the rooftop skyline terrace? The party lounge with the DJ recording studio?

9-legged base will make condo tower stand out

Maybe the key is a memorable building design — something unique and markedly different from the typical glass and steel box towers that keep popping up everywhere else. Something that will catch someone’s eye because it’s unusual and unforgettable. That’s what works for me, and it’s what I think will make Tableau condos at Richmond & Peter Streets a huge sales success. With an attention-grabbing design by Rudy Wallman of Toronto’s Wallman Architects, Tableau literally stands out in the Entertainment District and definitely gets a leg up on its nearby competition. Nine legs, actually. Nine long, slender, in-your-face legs that will be noticed by everyone who walks or drives through the neighbourhood.

Tableau is a 36-storey, 410-suite mixed-use condo tower planned for the southeast corner of Richmond and Peter, on the block where Richmond turns a bend as it continues west to Spadina Avenue. In what the Tableau website describes as the building’s “signature” architectural element, the condo residences will sit on a “structural table” built strategically above the four-storey warehouse building presently situated on the site. “The front of this building is being reinterpreted and reconstructed and will accommodate the commercial office space, ground floor lobby and retail. The table structure also creates a large, four-storey colonnaded public plaza on Richmond Street.”

Will Tableau look better than the artistic illustrations?

I have absolutely no doubt that the colonnade will command attention from passersby. I used to work just around the corner from the Tableau site, and still can’t even imagine just how a tower on a giant table is going to look and feel in that location. The words “shock and awe” come to mind, but not in a bad way. I’m just hoping the finished product will look better — much, much better — than the artistic renderings. Sometimes when I view the drawings I think the building looks striking, and will be even more impressive and perhaps even breathtaking to see in person. It has nuances of X Condos on Jarvis, and the TD Centre towers, all of which I really like. Other times, the Tableau base reminds me of the $7.99 Lack table advertised on the back cover of the 2011 IKEA catalogue (though Lack has fewer legs, of course). From my experience, most of IKEA’s products look great in the catalogue, but appear tacky and cheap when you inspect them in-store. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that this won’t be the case with Tableau’s table.

(Speaking of X Condos: it will share something in common with Tableau. “Nova,” the sculpture that will be incorporated into the Tableau colonnade, is the work of Kingston, Ont. artist Shayne Dark, who created the “Double Vision” sculpture standing outside X. I’ve included a pic of it, below.)

Here are some more renderings from the Tableau website, along with photos I’ve taken recently of the Tableau location.

Website rendering of the Tableau colonnade along Richmond Street

Another depiction of Tableau’s four-storey colonnade

Artistic impression of Tableau frontage along Peter Street

Kingston, Ont. artist Shayne Dark’s sculpture “Nova” will grace the streetscape at Tableau, left. Dark also created the “Double Vision” sculpture at X Condos, right.

Tableau condos location seen on Nov. 29 2010

Tableau condos sign on the warehouse building where the condo tower will eventually rise

Peter Street view of the warehouse on the Tableau condos site

Another view of the warehouse site where Tableau will rise

Peter street facade viewed November 29 2010

View of the Richmond Street block which the Tableau tower will dominate

The southeast corner of Richmond & Peter Street where Tableau will rise

The southeast corner of Richmond & Peter Street

Another view of Tableau’s location on the wedge-shaped corner lot

Original zoning sign (seen here Nov. 29 2010) called for a 29-storey building with condos and a hotel, plus street level restaurants and retail.

New proposal sign (seen here Feb. 3 2011 on Richmond Street) drops reference to a hotel and calls for a taller tower with condos plus retail and office space.

Keeping tabs on … the Toronto Trump Tower

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Trump Toronto seen from Adelaide Street West on February 3

46 floors and counting: The Donald’s first construction foray into Canada is three-quarters of its way up.

On Thursday I counted 46 floors on the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, the luxury condo + hotel skyscraper that will ultimately soar 60 storeys above the corner of Bay and Adelaide Streets. With construction crews pouring a new floor about every six days, the granite- and glass-clad tower should top off sometime around mid- to late March.

I’m loving the Trump already — especially its distinctive green glass walls, which will add a refreshing new colour to a skyline that has been basically black, white and bronze for more than two decades. I think the building works well at ground level, too, where it looks right at home in the middle of the Financial District’s canyon of towers old and new. It almost feels like it’s always been there; I can’t even remember what stood on the site before.

Designed by a Zeidler Partnership Architects team led by Lydon Delaney, the Trump will house 261 hotel rooms on the tower’s lower levels, and 118 luxury condominiums from floors 33 to 60. With hotel rooms ranging from 550 to over 2,000 square feet, the Trump will offer the largest accommodations in Toronto, the project’s website brags. And just as you’d expect for a building bearing business mogul Donald Trump’s imprimatur, it will be “the most luxurious residential building in Canada.”

The superlatives don’t end there, of course. The Trump won’t be just an instant new landmark on the city skyline, the website gushes, it will be “an elegant new beacon for luxurious sophistication” (whatever the heck that means). “Accentuated by an articulated spire at its peak that commands attention from any angle, the Tower pays homage to classic Manhattan skyscrapers yet embraces the modern cosmopolitan flair that is distinctly Toronto.”

Aw, shucks. Is that The Donald’s kind way of saying Toronto has finally come of age and matured into a world class city? Below are two building renderings from the Trump Toronto’s website, along with some photos I snapped of the tower on Thursday afternoon.

Rendering shows Trump standing tall with Scotia Plaza and First Canadian Place

Website rendering of Trump Toronto’s lower levels above Bay & Adelaide Streets

Trump rising behind Commerce Court West (57 floors; built 1972)

Trump Toronto rising behind the Bank of Nova Scotia tower (27 floors; built 1951)

Trump Toronto seen from Bay Street just above King Street

Trump Toronto climbs skyward beside Scotia Plaza (68 floors; built 1988)

Looking up to the top (so far) of the Trump Tower from Bay Street

Trump Toronto is clad in granite and glass

Green glass windows and cladding on the tower’s southwest corner

Construction workers on a platform high above Bay Street

Granite exterior on the lower southwest corner of the tower

One of the construction workers’ elevators stops at the 28th floor

Platforms extend from nearly a dozen different floors on the south side

Two angled platforms on the exterior of the tower’s south side

Construction workers on a swing stage two storeys above Bay Street

Classic granite facade fits right in on the Bay Street corridor

Bay Street view of Trump Tower behind Commerce Court West

Trump Tower cozies up to its next-door neighbour, Scotia Plaza

Here’s looking at U, Condos

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U’s Turn: In just a few short years, things will really be looking up for the St. Michael’s College campus at the University of Toronto. Way up. From the old ivy-clad stone and brick bastions of academia to the shiny new glass and steel towers of luxury condo living 45 and 50 storeys up. That’s how high the two towers of U Condos, currently starting construction, will soar above the college campus from their perch at the southeast corner of Bay and St. Mary Streets near Yorkville. It’s going to be a huge and dramatic change for a wedge-shaped piece of property that previously contained an unremarkable asphalt parking lot and a wide field of green grass. For people who were lucky to buy in when the buildings initially went on sale, U Condos undoubtedly will prove to be an incredibly wise investment. I’m willing to bet a substantial number of buyers are real estate- and personal finance-savvy parents who scooped up suites so their kids will have accommodations when they attend U of T; after graduation day, mom and dad will sell the units at a tidy profit, perhaps even paying off the kids’ substantial university tuition bills and other education expenses in the process. Contractors have been preparing the site for excavation since December; heavy machinery has been moving mounds of earth, while pile drivers have been punching away at several different places on the U Condos property. Below is an architectural rendering of the U Condos podium, along with photos I’ve taken in the U Condos neighbourhood at various times since 2008.

Architectural rendering of U Condos towers and podium

Billboards along U Condos Bay Street location November 14 2008

View towards Bay Street from west end of U Condos site November 1 2010

U Condos site viewed from St. Mary Street on November 1 2010

U Condos site viewed from Bay Street on November 11 2010

Billboard on U Condos site November 11 2010

View towards U Condos site from west end of St Mary Street on December 4 2010; in two years, the new towers will totally dominate this view towards Bay Street

Idle excavation equipment on U Condos site December 4 2010

Last glimpse of green: This lawn, seen December 4 2010, will soon be dug up

All quiet on the U Condos site on Sunday January 9

Snow-covered excavation machinery at the U Condos site January 9

U Condos site under a blanket of snow on January 9

Pile driving machinery on January 24 after a light snowfall

Pile driving machinery on January 24

U Condos billboards along Bay Street on January 29

Early stages of excavation at U Condos on January 29

Grass has been completely cleared from the western half of the site

U Condos hoarding along St Mary Street January 29

Richmond/Sherbourne corner looking more Modern as construction of condo midrise reaches 7th floor

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Construction progress at The Modern on February 3 2011

Almost halfway up: I can barely recall what the northeast corner of Richmond and Sherbourne Streets looked like up until three years ago; all I remember is that a busy 24-hour gas station — very popular with downtown taxi drivers — used to occupy the site. When I walked past this morning, I saw that construction of The Modern on Richmond, a 17-storey condo midrise, has reached the seventh floor. By this time next year, the location should become popular with cab drivers once again — for picking up and dropping off fares, rather than filling their tanks. Below is a building rendering from The Modern’s website, plus some of my photos of the site since the fall of 2008.

Building rendering from The Modern condos website

Condo sales office at The Modern on Richmond site Sept 3 2008

Excavation activity at The Modern condos site March 9 2010

Site viewed from Sherbourne Street just below Queen Street on March 17 2010

Construction approaches the second floor on November 9 2010

Occupancy this summer? Not a chance!

Building climbs above Sherbourne Street on February 3

View from Sherbourne looking south towards Richmond Street February 3

View from Richmond Street looking northeast on Sherbourne February 3

Construction at corner of Sherbourne and Richmond on February 3

Construction along Sherbourne Street on February 3

View from southwest corner of Richmond & Sherbourne February 3

Murano got them first. Is Casa the latest condo to succumb to the broken balcony panel blues?

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Broken balcony panel at Casa Condominium on January 29 2011

Is it contagious? A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about glass panels breaking on a few balconies at the Murano condos North Tower at Bay and Grosvenor Streets. Well, it looks like Murano might not be the only downtown condo highrise whose residents and management are getting their share of grief from faulty balcony panels. The 46-storey Casa Condominium tower on Charles Street is sporting a nasty shiner, too, and Murano has yet another one near the top of its North Tower.

While I was walking up Bay Street Saturday afternoon, something caught my eye when I glanced up the north side of Murano. I zoomed in for a look with the camera and saw a piece of wood filling the gap on a 32nd-floor balcony. This was not one of the two balconies on which glass panels had shattered only days apart last September; those panels were replaced before Christmas.

About an hour later I was walking near Casa when I looked up and thought I saw a familiar sight, about 27 storeys up the tower’s southwest corner. Sure enough, my camera confirmed that a piece of wood has been secured on a balcony in place of a shattered glass panel, pieces of which are still clinging to the frame. (This morning, the wood panel was still in place — and visible from blocks away.)

What’s up with the balcony glass on these buildings? Why are the panels breaking? Haven’t heard anything in the local news about the latest incidents, so I’m relieved that apparently nobody on the ground has been injured by any glass that may have fallen down. But now I can’t help but wonder just how safe it is to walk below any of the new condo towers constructed downtown recently. I guess I’ll find out if I see protective scaffolding around Casa next time I walk down Charles Street.

Since our own balcony sits directly above a busy back entrance to our building, I’m glad it has metal railings — rather than tempered glass panels — that are firmly cemented into the concrete floor.

Below are pics I took Saturday of the balconies with temporary wood panels at Murano and Casa.

Wood panel on a Murano North Tower balcony January 29

Wood panel on a Murano North Tower balcony January 29

Wood panel and shattered glass on a Casa balcony January 29

Wood panel on a Casa balcony January 29

Wood panel visible on a Casa southwest corner balcony January 29

Casa condo tower on December 21 2010 (no broken panels visible)

Keeping tabs on … Aura Condos at College Park

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Night and day: condo tower renderings from Aura’s website

Filling in fast: The giant excavation for Aura condos has been filling in fast, with considerable progress being made on the building’s underground levels since my last Aura construction update 10 days ago. Below are several site photos from January 29, along with some renderings of the tower from Aura’s website.

Aura condo construction approaches grade level along Yonge Street

Once an enormous excavation, the site is filling in fast

In fine form: Underground floors and walls take shape

Construction approaches the site’s north side observation windows

Website rendering of Aura condos retail levels

Website rendering of Aura condos lobby exterior

City Scene: Yorkville’s highrise building boom

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Davenport Road (near Bay Street) view of new towers being built in Yorkville

Growing up: Construction activity is apparent in practically every corner of downtown, and the Yorkville neighbourhood is no exception.

Pedestrians and drivers approaching Bay Street along Davenport Road are greeted by this view of three highrise towers currently under construction: The Florian condo building (left) and the two towers of the new Four Seasons Toronto Hotel and Private Residences.

Meanwhile, just beyond the bend in the road, east of Bay, there’s more construction in progress. Excavation is underway for the Milan condominium tower on Church near Yonge, while in a few years’ time there could be as many as three towers rising right behind The Florian on McMurrich Street.

Checking in on Charlie

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Architectural rendering from the Charlie Condos website

From Chaz to Charlie: Yesterday I posted about Chaz on Charles Street. Today I’m taking a look at Charlie on Charlotte Street. (Far as I can tell, they’re not siblings — their names and street locations might be similar, but they’re separate projects by totally different developers.)

Now that she’s finally got an above-ground presence, passersby are starting to notice Charlie Condos in the Entertainment District. Up until late last year, you couldn’t see much of her. Hoarding hid Charlie from public view on King Street West, so construction of her parking garage and underground levels could be seen only through a tall chain-link fence along a back lane off Charlotte Street. Work on Charlie’s below-ground floors reached street grade in early December, and now the building is beginning to rise above the bold blue hoardings that shield the sidewalk on the north side of King.

Designed by Toronto’s Diamond + Schmitt Architects, and a project of Great Gulf Homes, Charlie will “define mile-high style” (according to her website) — even though she’ll stand only 32 stories tall. But with her clear glass windows, aluminum frame, and heritage brick foundation, Charlie will look “elegant and evocative … classic and contemporary.” We’ll have to wait until at least several floors of windows and exterior finishing treatments have been installed to judge if that’s in fact the case. But by taking the place of what used to be a parking lot, Charlie is classing up the corner and already helping to boost property values in her immediate vicinity.

A friend of mine made a very handsome profit selling his Charlotte Street condo late last year, thanks to the interest that Charlie and other nearby condo projects, including M5V across the street on King, have stirred up in the area.

Below are some of my pics of construction progress at the Charlie site.

Charlie billboard at King & Charlotte Streets on September 26 2008

Charlie location at King and Charlotte Streets on September 26 2008

Charlie construction approaching street grade on November 23 2010

Charlie construction approaching street level November 23 2010

Charlie construction approaching street grade November 29 2011

Charlie underground levels approach street grade while the M5V condo tower nearby on King Street (left) is almost finished construction.

Charlie construction progress on January 14 2011

Charlie will block views from Charlotte Street of these nearby buildings

New condo tower’s sky lounge, social amenities and limestone podium bring all that Chaz to Charles St.

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Architectural rendering of 2-storey sky lounge at Chaz on Charles condos

Watch me watch you: It’s been about five years since a developer announced plans to build a residential tower on the site of a Brutalist-style office building at 45 Charles Street East. Since then, I’ve been waiting patiently to see what the highrise that will replace it will look like. My wait is over.

Designed by Sol Wassermuhl of Toronto’s Page + Steele IBI Group Architects, Chaz on Charles will be 39-storey condo tower featuring a five-storey limestone-clad podium topped by a sleek glass tower with recessed balconies. To fit nicely on the current streetscape, the podium will be “synched” with that of the 46-storey Casa condo tower right next door (to its west).

Chaz will be so packed with appealing amenities, its residents probably won’t want to spend much time in their own units. Heck, they won’t need to. According to the Chaz on Charles website, the main floor will boast not one but two lobbies “literally brimming with activity.” One will be “a living room-style lobby lounge,” while the other will offer “a series of smaller spaces” that include a living room, wet bar, dining room with full catering kitchen, and a billiards room — all of which will open onto an outdoor landscaped terrace.

Chaz will have top of the line fitness and recreation facilities, of course, along with not one but two theatres (a movie screening room and sports viewing room), meeting room facilities, guest suites for overnight visitors, and a pet spa. Yes, no longer will you have to endure the embarrassment and humiliation of leading your muddy, smelly mutt through the lush lobby and elevators anymore, since there will be a special wash and blowdry room where you can give Fido a quick freshening-up after a walk in the grimy neighbourhood streets.

But wait, there’s more! What’s really going to put Chaz on the map — and instantly make it a midtown “landmark” (according to the website’s copywriters) — is the signature architectural detail that will appear three-quarters of the way up the south side of the tower. I’ll let the people at Chaz describe it in their own words: “Jutting out from the 31st and 32nd levels on the south side of the building is a two-storey cantilevered box, framed in white concrete and illuminated at night. This is the Chaz Club, a lounge and dining space for the building’s residents, and it is a dazzling architectural gesture. From miles around, Torontonians will look up to see residents of Chaz, and their guests, enjoying cocktails on the club’s spacious terrace or relaxing inside this glass box in the sky.”

Yes, without a doubt, jealous people throughout downtown Toronto and from points miles afar will spend their evenings staring at the lucky, privileged few who will get to call Chaz home. If they can even see them, that is. With all the other highrises and towers planned for the immediate vicinity, views of the Chaz Club will likely be blocked from most sightlines. But not from mine! So in just a few years’ time, I’ll be able to sit back, relax and enjoy a nice glass of wine on my balcony while watching Chaz residents looking back at me while they sip cocktails in their chic, comfy glass box in the sky. Some things are worth waiting for, n’est-ce pas?

Below are some photos I’ve taken of the Chaz location during the past four years.

Chaz on Charles development zoning sign outside 45 Charles St. E. in late 2007; the city subsequently approved a tower with six more floors.

This office building at 45 Charles East will be demolished to make way for the Chaz condo tower

Chaz condo sales office on August 29 2010

45 Charles St. E. and the Casa condominium tower next door

Chaz on Charles will tower above The Bromley apartment building to its south on Isabella Street, seen here on January 29 2011

Isabella Street view of Chaz on Charles condo site on January 29 2011

Another Isabella Street view of the site where Chaz on Charles will rise

Backed by TV and radio ads, The Mercer is latest condo project to launch in Entertainment District

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Architectural rendering of The Mercer tower, from the condo website

Ad vantage?: For months, I have seen ads for The Mercer practically every other time I’ve passed a TV tuned to the CP24 news and informational channel. I’ve heard spots for The Mercer almost every time I’ve turned on the radio, too. The ads always catch my attention, and it’s not just because they feature three long-legged female models imitating the Beatles crossing Abbey Road while a singer croons “Mercer Mercer Me” in a retooled version of the Marvin Gaye hit record. They stand out because I never see or hear TV and radio ads for any other condo projects. I find plenty of condo ads in local newspapers and magazines, of course, and receive condo brochures and postcards in the mail regularly, but I can’t think of a single other downtown building project that has advertised so heavily on radio and TV. (If there have been others, I’ve missed them.)

With The Mercer holding its grand opening tomorrow morning, I’ll be keen to see if the ads draw lineups of eager buyers outside their sales office at the corner of John & Mercer Streets. One of many condo projects either recently launched or being proposed for the rapidly-growing Entertainment District, The Mercer will be a 33-storey condo tower (down from the 38 floors originally planned) with 299 units, street-level retail, and four underground parking levels.

The building will rise on a site currently occupied by two parking lots and a small four-storey brown brick office building on Mercer Street, and will become a new neighbour to the trendy Le Germain boutique hotel.

The Mercer is designed by architect Brian Brisbin of Toronto’s BBB Architects. Full project details are available on The Mercer’s website.

Below are some recent photos of the condo project’s location, along with a website rendering of the building’s frontage on Mercer Street.

The Mercer Condos location at Mercer and John Streets January 14 2011

The Mercer Condo tower will rise on this site along Mercer Street

Original development application sign for The Mercer Condos

The Mercer Condos will rise above this parking lot on Mercer Street

Rendering of The Mercer Condos frontage on Mercer Street

Another hotel/condo tower proposed for Yorkville

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A condo/hotel project is planned for the Ridpaths location on Yonge St.

Two towers: Toronto’s in the midst of a hotel building boom. As I mentioned in a recent post, the brand-spanking-new five-star Ritz-Carlton is scheduled to open next month, while three more high-end hotel/condo skyscrapers — the Four Seasons in Yorkville, the Living Shangri-La on University Avenue at Adelaide Street, and the Trump International Hotel and Tower at Bay and Adelaide Streets — are under construction and changing the city skyline already. The newest Le Germain boutique hotel opened at Maple Leaf Square a few months back, while a handful of other hotel properties (smaller and less expensive than the five-stars) are in the works for several downtown locations.

Now, another hotel/condo complex is being proposed for Yorkville near the new Four Seasons, on the site of the venerable Ridpaths furniture store on Yonge Street across from Canadian Tire. A developer wants City approval to build a 35-storey hotel/condo tower that would “partially” retain the existing Ridpath’s building on Yonge Street. A second tower — a condo building with 28 storeys — would be constructed on what is now a customer parking lot behind Ridpaths, accessed from McMurrich Street.

The complex would have 206 residential units; however, the application (as described on the City’s development applications website) does not indicate how many hotel rooms are planned.

In a November 2010 update on its website, The Greater Yorkville Residents’ Association (GYRA) said it plans to meet with Ward 27 councillor Krystyn Wong-Tam “to suggest a working group be formed for residents and other members of the Bloor-Yorkville Community to be actively engaged throughout the application approval process.”

I’m curious to know if the developer plans to keep only the Tudor-style Ridpaths facade, or part of the actual store. If Ridpaths could somehow remain in operation on the premises (unlikely, I know), condo purchasers would get to enjoy furniture shopping only an elevator ride from their apartments. Imagine the decadent convenience of not needing to bundle up in warm winter coats and boots when you want to go browsing for a new bedroom set or coffee table in the middle of February!

Below is a pic of the zoning application sign outside Ridpath’s, and a shot from McMurrich Street of the parking lot where a condo tower would rise.

Four Seasons Toronto hotel & condominium towers establish a new landmark for Yorkville district

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Four Seasons towers rising above the Yorkville Ave. fire station and library

Rapid rise: Even though it’s still under construction, the Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences Toronto has already become a new landmark for the Yorkville neighbourhood. You can’t miss it as you approach the Yonge Street Canadian Tire store from Church Street. It’s obvious from the Annex and from many places along Avenue Road, Bay and Yonge Streets. You can even see it from the south side of Bloor across from Holt Renfrew. That’s no small achievement considering that views toward Yorkville are blocked by some of the area’s oldest skyscrapers (the Manulife Centre and the two bank towers at Yonge & Bloor) as well as several new towers (18 Yorkville, Crystal Blu and Uptown Residences, to name but three). It certainly will make it easy to help guide tourists to Yorkville (I won’t have to point at the CIBC tower at 2 Bloor West anymore and say “go there; Yorkville’s right behind it;” I’ll be able to point out the Four Seasons instead. Designed by hotshot Toronto firm architectsAlliance, the two-tower complex is a project of Menkes Developments. Below is an architectural rendering of the property, along with some pics I recently took of the Four Seasons complex from several different perspectives in and around Yorkville. You can view even more photos of construction progress on the blog’s Photo Sets page (just click on the red tab at the top of this page and scroll down to the Four Seasons album).

Architects’ rendering of the new Four Seasons Toronto hotel + condo complex

Four Seasons Toronto seen from Scollard Street January 9

Four Seasons Toronto seen from Church near Yonge on January 9

Four Seasons Toronto from Avenue Rd at Yorkville Avenue on January 9

Four Seasons Toronto seen from Bloor Street opposite Holts on January 9

Four Seasons Toronto seen from Scollard Street on January 9

Four Seasons Toronto seen from Bay Street at Davenport Road on January 9

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.

www.TheTorontoBlog.com

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing Building Boom.

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Backed by TV and radio ads, The Mercer is latest condo project to launch in Entertainment District

Another hotel/condo tower proposed for Yorkville

Four Seasons Toronto hotel & condominium towers establish a new landmark for Yorkville district

Tracking Downtown Toronto's AmazingBuilding Boom.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.