September 1 2012: Couture Condo’s east side, from Mt Pleasant Road
Glassing in: Window and cladding installation is nearly finished on the Couture Condominium tower under construction at 28 Ted Rogers Way (the northernmost block of Jarvis Street, just below Bloor Street). With glass balcony panel installation currently in progress, the tower exterior should look complete within a few weeks.
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September 1 2012: Walls give shape to the first of six underground levels being built at the FIVE Condos tower construction site at 5 St Joseph Street
Deep down: The first of six underground parking floors is quickly taking shape at the FIVE Condos construction site at Yonge & St Joseph Streets.
Below are several photos I shot at the site this afternoon. Full details about the FIVE Condos project are outlined in my April 28 2011 post, with more information in my December 22 2011 follow-up post.
September 1 2012
September 1 2012
September 1 2012
September 1 2012: The south end of the construction site along St Nicholas Street
September 1 2012: Looking north toward the heritage facade of the Rawlinson Cartage building on St Joseph Street (covered in protective wrapping) that looms above the excavation
September 1 2012: A closer view of the steps that construction workers use to access the site at the northwest corner of the excavation
September 1 2012: View from the southeast corner of the construction site
August 31 2012: Plants adorn the spacious private terraces on the southeast corner of the MuseumHouse condo midrise on Bloor Street across from the Royal Ontario Museum
August 31 2012: There are only 27 suites in the 19-storey limestone, glass and metal tower
August 31 2012: A project of developer Yorkville Corporation, MuseumHouse was designed by Page + Steele IBI Group Architects
Sky gardens: I most envy the people moving into MuseumHouse on Bloor Street West not for their multimillion-dollar new digs, but for their spacious south-view garden balconies in the sky.
Today was the first time I’ve seen the 19-storey luxury highrise since its southeast corner terraces started sprouting plants and flowers, including lush green vines that cascade over the stainless-steel railings and glass balcony panels.
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August 25 2012: The RCMI Residences condo building on University Avenue below Dundas Street has climbed above 10 floors on its way to 42
August 25 2012: Simcoe Street view of the west side of the slender tower
This artistic rendering of the RCMI Residences tower once appeared on the website for its developer, Tribute Communities. It shows how the condo tower will compare to neaighbouring office highrises and hospitals on the west side of University Avenue
RCMI on the rise: Now that construction has climbed more than 10 floors, the condo tower being built on the site of the historic Royal Canadian Military Institute is beginning to make a big visual impact on University Avenue.
RCMI Residences will rise 42 storeys at 426 University Avenue, just below Dundas Street, and will tower above the adjacent office buildings to its north and south. The 312-unit building will include new facilities for the military institute on its first six floors, and will incorporate the rebuilt heritage facade of the RCMI’s 100-year-old headquarters, which had to be dismantled in 2012 to make way for condo construction.
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August 25 2012: A 49-storey condo tower has been proposed for this block on the east side of Yonge Street, between Dundonald and Gloucester Streets
New proposal: As Torontonians and tourists enjoy the Celebrate Yonge festival on south Yonge Street between Gerrard and Queen Streets, some city residents are beginning to wonder if there will be anything left for them to celebrate along the north downtown section of Yonge, between Bloor and Wellesley Streets, by the end of the decade.
News that a 49-storey condo tower has just been proposed for the bourgeoning east side of Yonge, between Dundonald and Gloucester Streets, has left many area residents fearing that Yonge is on the verge of becoming another dark and drab condo canyon like the one on Bay Street. Residents are also worried about the overall impact that several more highrise condo projects nearby will have on the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood.
The latest skyscraper proposal involves properties from 587-599 Yonge Street, as well as adjacent business properties at 2 and 4 Dundonald Street, as well as 7 and 9 Gloucester Street. A search on the City’s development applications webpage shows that a redevelopment plan for the block-long site proposes a 49-storey tower with 514 condo units, street-level retail shops, and underground parking. 593 Yonge is the street address indicated for the application.
(The city’s website entry does not provide any further information about the proposal, and does not identify either the developer or the date on which the 593 Yonge rezoning application was submitted to city planners. The city overhauled its development webpage this summer, and entries no longer provide proposal submission dates. Prior to the format change, webpage entries provided more detail, as well as contact information for the city planner responsible for the file.)
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August 19 2012: A view from St Mary Street of below-grade construction progress for the 50-storey U Condos east tower …
… and for the 45-storey west tower
August 19 2012: South view of below-grade progress on the the west tower, where the third underground parking level is taking shape
August 19 2012: Looking toward the northeast corner of the U Condos site as the underground parking floors continue to take form
Parking progress: When I last published photos of progress at the U Condos site back on March 4 2012, crews were preparing for the installation of the construction cranes while still excavating the vast L-shaped site next to the University of Toronto campus at Bay and St Mary Streets.
Since then, the underground levels for the two U Condos towers have steadily been taking shape, with work this month progressing to the third floor below ground.
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August 27 2012: Formerly a surface parking lot, the 9-21 Grenville Street site for the Karma condo tower has been fenced off for the past several weeks …
… and work to prepare the site for construction of the 50-storey tower has finally started with the demolition of the rear half of the heritage house at 21 Grenville …
… seen here on March 12 2011. The front half of the 139-year-old building will be relocated to the northeast corner of the property and incorporated into the condo development.
This artistic rendering, from the Karma condos website, shows how the heritage house will be positioned beside the northeast corner of the sleek glass tower …
… which will contain 495 units and soar 50 storeys near the northwest corner of Yonge and College Streets. Karma was designed by architectsAlliance.
Construction karma: Demolition work on a brick house dating back to the early 1870s has signalled the long-awaited start of construction on the Karma condo tower near the northwest corner of Yonge and College Streets.
When I passed the Karma site this afternoon, I saw that the rear half of the John Irwin House, a city-designated heritage building, has been demolished. The 2 1/2-storey house was built around 1873 as a residence for John Irwin, a local contractor and municipal politician who developed a series of properties along Grenville Street. The house was added to the city’s list of heritage properties in 2007. A city background file, prepared as part of the listing process, explained that the property has cultural heritage value “as one of the last surviving examples of a house form building in this area, and for its Second Empire stylistic features.”
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August 22 2012: Drilling and earth moving machines work on the west side of the Ivory on Adelaide condo construction site at 400-406 Adelaide East
August 22 2012: Looking toward the Ivory site from the southwest
August 22 2012: Ivory site viewed from the south at the corner of Adelaide & Princess Streets
August 22 2012: A concrete truck waits on Adelaide Street next to hoarding along the sidewalk at the southeast side of the Ivory condo construction site
Drilling for Ivory: Motorists have lost access to another downtown parking lot as construction gets underway on yet another condo building.
These days, only earth movers and drilling machines are allowed on the rectangular property at 400 – 406 Adelaide Street East, where foundation building work recently got underway at the Ivory on Adelaide midrise condo building.
A project of The Plaza Corporation, Ivory on Adelaide will feature 272 units in a 22-storey building designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects. Suites are available in four different floorplan configurations, including 1-bedrooms ranging in size from a 520 to 650 square feet; 1-bedroom + dens offering 650 to 702 square feet; 2-bedrooms with 721 to 983 square feet; and penthouses in a host of sizes from 665 square feet to 1,389 square feet. The project website doesn’t list prices, but indicates that parking and locker are included in the prices for the 1-bedroom + den, 2-bedroom and penthouse suites. The condo interiors were designed by Brian Patton Interior Design.
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August 22 2012: Windows and cladding still must be installed on the top six floors of the 34-storey Market Wharf condo tower, seen here from the west …
… but glass panels, like these ones recently installed on the long wavy balconies along the tower’s east side, give the building exterior a wonderfully wonky and fluid form …
… and juxtapose nicely with wedge-shaped balconies on the tower’s south face
Wedges and waves: Half a dozen top floors still await windows and cladding, and glass panels have so far been installed on just the lower third of balconies on the Market Wharf condo tower. But with construction of the 34-storey tower quickly approaching conclusion, a large orange banner on the building’s east side prominently proclaims: “Move in this year.”
Even though work isn’t finished, the tower already stands out on the city skyline, thanks mainly to its eye-catching mix of wedge-shaped and undulating balconies that conjure images of whitecaps and waves.
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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
August 25 2012: Balconies flare outwards on the tower’s southeast corner
August 25 2012: Glass panels have been installed on nearly 19 floors of balconies
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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August 25 2012: Looking toward the north end of the Theatre Park condo construction site, where underground levels are fast taking shape
August 25 2012: A view of construction progress on underground levels near the midsection of the Theatre Park site. The condo property extends from King Street on the south to Pearl Street on the north.
August 25 2012: Work has progressed the farthest at the King Street (south) end of the site, where only one more underground level remains to be built
Inching upwards: Construction drama should start moving above grade at the Theatre Park condo tower site this fall.
The underground levels for the 47-storey tower have been filling in fast this summer. Work on the southern third of the site — next to the Royal Alexandra Theatre on King Street — has progressed the farthest, and only one more underground level remains to be constructed before that part of the building reaches street level. The northern two-thirds of the site has some catching up to do, but isn’t far behind.
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August 22 2012: Trinity Lofts viewed from the southeast on Eastern Avenue …
… from the southeast, on Trinity Street …
… and from the southwest, on Eastern Avenue
Nearly done: As construction on Trinity Lofts draws closer to completion, residents are expected to begin moving into the 8-storey, 83-unit building this fall.
A project of local development firm Streetcar, Trinity Lofts is situated at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Trinity Street, just a two-minute walk from Toronto’s historic Distillery District and a not-much-longer walk from the West Don Lands area where the athlete’s village and other facilities are under construction for the 2015 Pan Am Games. The building, which follows the natural curve of Eastern Avenue, contains 81 loft condos with 9-foot ceilings and open concept interiors, as well as 2 townhouse units.
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August 22 2012: George Street was closed between Richmond and Adelaide Streets today while a construction crane was installed on the Post House Condos construction site …
… seen here from the west side of George Street as the crane installation work neared completion this afternoon
Crane up: Construction of the 21-storey Post House Condos will rev up now that a construction crane has been installed on site.
A project of Alterra Group, Post House Condos derives its name from its George Street location directly behind Toronto’s First Post Office at 260 Adelaide Street East — a historic building that dates from 1833.
Besides the 179-year-old post office, the condo highrise site tucked is behind two other heritage buildings on Adelaide East– the Bank of Upper Canada Building and the de la Salle Institute Building.
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August 15 2012: Lake Shore Boulevard view of the two ÏCE Condominium towers currently under construction at 12 and 14 York Street on the north side of the Gardiner Expressway
See the next page for more photos and information.
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August 15 2012: The CN Tower looms to the northwest of the Infinity3 condo tower, where construction has reached 30 storeys on its way to 35
Glassing in: The Infinity3 condo tower is starting to show some skin.
As construction passes the 30th floor, on its way to 35 in total, window and cladding installation is beginning to add shape, colour and texture to the building’s bare concrete frame.
Meanwhile, construction is reaching the third level of the Infinity4 building, which will ultimately stand 16 storeys tall and share a podium, four levels of underground parking, and amenities with its taller sibling.
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