Bay Street condo and apartment towers stand in silhouette under fiery orange clouds during tonight’s sunset (as seen from my balcony east of Jarvis Street). The buildings topped by construction cranes are the two U Condos towers at Bay and St Mary Streets (far right) and the FIVE Condos tower at Yonge and St Joseph Streets (second from right). Bookending the view at far left are the Murano and Burano condo towers at Bay and Grosvenor Streets.
The new RBC WaterPark Place office tower practically blends into the clouds in this view from the west on lower York Street on September 16 2014 …
… while four new towers reach for the clouds above the south downtown core. At left are the Delta hotel and Bremner office tower at Southcore Financial Centre on Bremner Blvd. Soaring skyward at right are the two ÏCE Condos on York Street.
The sensuous curves of the One Bloor condo tower are already adding interest and excitement to the once-drab Yonge & Bloor intersection in Yorkville.
Below are more photos of the towers shown above, as well as other hotel, office and condo skyscrapers that I photographed this past week.
RBC WaterPark Place office building
West side of RBC WaterPark Place viewed from lower York Street
South face of RBC WaterParkPlace seen from Queen’s Quay Blvd. The tower was designed by WZMH Architects of Toronto.
Upper half of the 30-storey tower, viewed from the southwest
Another view of the tower from Queen’s Quay to the southwest
Studio on Richmond condominiums
Looking up the north side of the Studio on Richmond condo tower situated between Simcoe and Duncan Streets in the Entertainment District. It will top off at 31 storeys. Its 41-storey sister tower, Studio2, is currently under construction behind it on Nelson Street.
Studio on Richmond podium and tower viewed from the north side of Richmond Street near Simcoe Street
The two-tower Studio on Richmond condo complex was designed by Quadrangle Architects of Toronto.
A view of the Studio on Richmond condo from the west on Richmond Street near Duncan Street. The building is a project of Aspen Ridge Homes.
Delta Hotel and Bremner office tower at Southcore Financial Centre
The Delta Toronto hotel (left) and the Bremner office tower are nearing completion at Southcore Financial Centre on Bremner Boulevard between York Street and Simcoe Street. The buildings are seen here from Roundhouse Park, near the Toronto Railway Museum.
The 45-storey Delta Hotel tower reflects on the west wall of the 30-storey Bremner office tower in this view from the southwest corner of Lower Simcoe Street and Bremner Boulevard.
Looking up the northwest corner of the Delta Hotel. The Bremner office tower is partially visible behind it.
Upper west side of the Delta Hotel. Scheduled to open in 2015, the Delta will be a premium 4-star hotel with 567 guest rooms.
The angled south face of the Delta Hotel, seen from Bremner Boulevard
The L Tower condominium
Upper floors of The L Tower seen from the west on Sept 16 2014. The dramatically curved skyscraper was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind.
A closer view of some of the upper levels of the 58-storey L Tower, which is located at the corner of Yonge Street and The Esplanade, directly behind the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.
The L Tower makes an emphatic point on the downtown skyline
A telephoto view of the construction crane that has soared above The L Tower construction site for the past several years
The Mercer condo tower
Looking up the southeast corner of The Mercer condo building, which rises 33 storeys at the corner of Mercer and John Streets in the Entertainment District
The Mercer was designed by BBB Architects, and is a project of Graywood Developments Ltd. and Beaveerhall Homes.
Three Hundred Front Street West condominiums
The upper floors of the 49-storey Three Hundred Front Street West condo tower
Looking up the southeast corner of Tridel’s Three Hundred Front West condo. The building was designed by Toronto’s Wallman Architects.
Theatre Park condominiums
The 47-storey Theatre Park condo tower is under construction on King Street West, right next door to Toronto’s historic Royal Alexandra Theatre. I shot this photo of Theatre Park from two blocks to the northwest.
Theatre Park was designed by architectsAlliance of Toronto. The condo is a project of Lamb Development Corp., Niche Development and Harhay Construction Management Ltd.
Glass balcony panels are gradually being installed on the tower’s north side
Design details on the tower’s west side
ÏCE Condominiums
The upper west sides of the 67- and 57-storey ÏCE Condominiums, located at 12 and 14 York Street in the south downtown core
The top of the 67-floor ÏCE Condo at 14 York Street. A project of Lanterra Developments, the two skyscrapers were designed by Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
ÏCE Condo towers viewed from the southeast on Queen’s Quay Blvd.
A view of the two towers from Grand Trunk Crescent to their northwest
Aura condominium
I shot this pic of the 78-storey Aura condominium tower from the podium green roof at Toronto City Hall. Aura is the tallest condominium building in Canada.
The upper third of Aura, viewed from several blocks to the southwest
A view of Aura from two blocks to the west on Elizabeth Street
Aura viewed from the northwest corner of College Park. A Canderel development project, the tower was designed by Graziani & Corazza Architects Inc.
The top of Aura, viewed from the southwest
The top of Aura, viewed from the north
Nicholas Residences condominiums
A view of 35-storey Nicholas Residences from the north on Balmuto Street. The condo is a project of Urban Capital and Alit Developments.
Looking up the tower’s northwest corner, from the intersection of St Mary and St Nicholas Streets. The building was designed by Toronto’s Core Architects Inc.
Nicholas viewed from the southwest on St Nicholas Street.
West side of Nicholas, viewed from St Mary Street near Bay Street
FIVE Condominiums
Looking toward the 48-storey FIVE Condos tower from two blocks to the southeast, at the corner of Yonge and Maitland Streets. To its right is the Nicholas Residences condo tower, two blocks north.
FIVE Condos was designed by Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects
Looking up the south side of FIVE Condos from Wellesley Street West
The tower has a wonky appearance when viewed from the south, thanks to the undulating pattern of balconies on the east and west sides.
Construction of the tower’s mechanical penthouse is underway. FIVE Condos is a project of MOD Developments Inc., Graywood Developments Ltd., Tricon and Diamondcorp.
Windows on the east side of FIVE Condos on September 5
FIVE Condos viewed from the east on the morning of September 11
A view of FIVE from the south on St Luke Lane, next to the Toronto Central YMCA Centre (left). This view will change drastically in several years when Lanterra Developments builds its 60-storey 11 Wellesley on the Park condo tower on the property partly visible on the left side of St Luke Lane (presently occupied by a row of trees and a condo presentation centre behind them).
Chaz.Yorkville condominiums
Chaz.Yorkville Condominiums, on Charles Street between Yonge and Church Streets, is a project of 45 Charles Ltd. and Edenshaw Homes Limited.
A signature design element of Chaz.Yorkville is the large rectangular box that juts from the tower’s south side. It’s the Chaz Club, a 2-storey private club for exclusive use of condo residents.
The tower was designed by Sol Wassermuhl of Page + Steele IBI Group Architects in Toronto. It will stand 47 storeys tall when complete.
Chaz.Yorkville is only a few weeks away from overtaking the height of its next-door neighbour, the 46-storey Casa Condominium tower, which was built in 2010.
One Bloor Condominiums
Although construction has climbed only one-third of the way to its ultimate 75 storeys, the One Bloor condo tower is already making a huge architectural statement at the Yonge & Bloor crossroads in Yorkville. I shot this photo from the southwest corner of Yonge & Charles Streets.
I often hear passersby comment favourably on the delightful sweeping curves of One Bloor’s podium and tower.
Looking up at One Bloor from the southwest corner of the Yonge & Bloor intersection. The building was designed by Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects.
A view of One Bloor from the northwest, on Yonge Street just above Bloor
U Condos
A view of the two U Condos towers from two blocks to the south on Bay Street, at Phipps Street. The construction crane at left is building the 32-storey 1Thousand Bay condo tower at the southwest corner of Bay and St Joseph Streets.
The west U Condos building has topped off at 45 storeys, while the east tower continues its climb toward 55 floors. U Condos is a project of Pemberton Group, and was designed by architectsAlliance of Toronto.
X2 Condominiums
Construction crews are closing in the mechanical penthouse levels of the 49-storey X2 Condominiums at the southwest corner of Jarvis & Charles Streets
X2 Condos viewed from one block to the southwest on Isabella Street. The tower is a project of Lifetime Developments and Great Gulf Homes.
A September 3 view from the south of X2 Condos left, and the first X Condos, right, which was constructed in 2010. X2 was designed by Wallman Architects, while X Condos was designed by architectsAlliance.
November 14 2013: Construction of FIVE Condos (left) and Nicholas Residences (center rear) is dramatically changing the landscape of north downtown Yonge Street. This is a view from the east side of Yonge just below Maitland Street, one block south of Wellesley Street.
Shifting landscape: Two condo tower construction projects are rapidly changing the look of Yonge Street’s west side, between College and Bloor Streets, while a third new building will soon make a dramatic impact on views up the east side of Yonge Street.
The steadily rising concrete frames for FIVE Condos and Nicholas Residences now dominate the views up Yonge from as far south as its intersection with Carlton and College Streets. Depending upon your particular vantage point along the 10-block stretch of what city planners call “north downtown Yonge,” FIVE and Nicholas already obscure or partially block from sight several skyscrapers in the Yorkville neighbourhood — including the 51-storey Manulife Centre tower, which has been a familiar landmark indicating the intersection of Bloor & Bay Streets since 1972.
But with a long way still to go before construction of FIVE and Nicholas is complete, it’s already obvious that both new buildings will exude an even more powerful presence on the landscape once they have attained their full height. As of this weekend, construction of Nicholas has reached the 27th level on the way to 35, with cladding and windows installed up to the 13th floor so far. Two blocks down the street, construction of FIVE Condos has climbed to the 16th storey — exactly one-third of its way to the building’s final 48 floors. Installation of that tower’s cladding has not yet begun.
Meanwhile, the One Bloor condo project is poised to begin an equally remarkable transformation of views up the east side of Yonge Street. Rising at the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor Streets, One Bloor will ultimately top off at 75 floors, completely reshaping the Yorkville skyline and one of the country’s most famous crossroads in the process.
November 27 2013: Looking toward the One Bloor condo construction site from one block to the south, at the intersection of Yonge and Charles Streets.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
August 25 2013: Construction of the tower component of the FIVE Condos project at Yonge & St Joseph is now visible from the east along Dundonald Street.
Five floors up: Now that construction of FIVE Condos at Yonge and St Joseph Streets has reached the fifth floor, residents to the east are beginning to see how significantly the 48-storey tower will change the look and feel of their neighbourhood.
Until last week, it was difficult to monitor construction progress on the tower. Nestled behind a row of 3.5 to 4-storey heritage buildings along Yonge Street, as well as a 4-level heritage building facade propped up by giant steel supports on St Joseph Street, the construction could be seen at street level from only a couple of places. The Yonge & St Joseph intersection has been the best vantage spot, while the corner of Phipps Street and St Nicholas Street on the west side of the project site has offered an alternative but awkward view of the building activity.
However, construction is now visible to people approaching from Dundonald Street on the east side of Yonge. Work on the tower’s fifth floor can clearly be seen behind the row of historic buildings at 606 to 618 Yonge that will be restored as part of the redevelopment project. The tower is also starting to come into view from part of Wellesley Street one block to the south, and within just a few weeks should be obvious from the intersection of Yonge & Wellesley Streets as well as farther up and down Yonge.
August 30 2013: Construction of the FIVE Condos tower is now rising above the heritage buildings along Yonge Street (left) and the retained facade of the Rawlinson Cartage warehouse building on St Joseph Street (right).
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Above is a link to my February 2013 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album directly on Flickr and see full-size photos and captions.
Above is a link to my December 2012 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album and see full-size photos and captions.
A development application has been filed with the City for this 625 Yonge Street property at the southeast corner of Yonge & Isabella Streets. The proposal calls for a 40-storey residential tower with retail shops and offices to take its place.
October 10 2012: The 625 Yonge building, viewed from the southwest
October 10 2012: Looking north on Yonge from Irwin Street. The 625 Yonge development site (white building with the yellow and black YSFC banners) has the cachet of being situated only three blocks south of the prime Yonge & Bloor intersection.
Condos on the corner: News that a rezoning application had been filed with the city for a commercial property on the corner of Yonge and Isabella Streets left the nearby neighbourhood rife with rumours and speculation yesterday about what is in store for the site. Not surprisingly, most people expected an announcement would be forthcoming that a condo tower project is being proposed.
Word spread quickly that an entry for 625 Yonge Street had been added to the development projects page in the planning department section of the City of Toronto website. For most of the day, the website entry listed only the municipal address for the development application, its file number, and contact details for the city planner responsible for the file. It did not provide any specifics about how big or how tall the development would be, or whether it would be condos, offices, retail or a mix of all three. The absence of further information led to considerable conjecture about the owner’s plans for the property. (When I checked the entry late yesterday afternoon, it still lacked details; this morning, someone called my attention to additional information that finally had been added sometime during the evening.)
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
This large sign, one of three posted around the site, outlines a proposal filed with the City to redevelop the 587-599 block of Yonge Street between Gloucester & Dundonald Streets. (Click on photo to view a larger image and read the details.)
A developer’s plan to build a 49-storey condo tower with 513 units and 2 floors of retail space would completely transform this block of Yonge Street, viewed here from the northwest …
… and here, from the southwest. The development would include two townhouses on Gloucester Street as well as a restaurant building on Dundonald Street.
Tower talk: City planners are asking Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC) to convene a community consultation meeting so they can get public feedback on a condo tower development plan that would transform an entire block on the east side of Yonge Street, between Dundonald and Gloucester Streets.
The planners’ request, a routine step in the city’s development review process, is an agenda item for tomorrow’s (October 10) monthly meeting of the TEYCC.
As I reported in my August 28 2012 post, an application has been filed with the City for zoning amendments that would allow construction of a 49-storey condo tower on the 587-599 block of Yonge Street. At that time, few details about the proposal were available. More information is now in the public domain, thanks to a September 17 2012 preliminary report that city planners have prepared for TEYCC’s consideration.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
40 Wellesley East presently is occupied by this 5-storey office and retail complex, formerly known as the Orthopedic and Arthritic Sciences building
This illustration, from a September 17 2012 city planning department report, depicts the south elevation for a 37-storey condo tower proposed for the 40 Wellesley site …
… while this illustration depicts the tower`s north elevation. City planning documents say the building`s architect is Sweeney Sterling Finlayson & Co. Architects of Toronto
Wall on Wellesley: City planners are urging Toronto City Council to oppose an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) appeal in which developer 862015 Ontario Inc. is seeking approval to build a 37-storey condo tower at 40 Wellesley Street East.
Although a 44-storey tower originally had been proposed for the site seven years ago, planners object to the revised plan for a highrise with seven fewer floors on the ground it still represents “overdevelopment of the site,” does not “provide adequate transition” to the low-rise residential neighbourhood to its north, and “creates significant issues regarding shadow impact, overlook and privacy for the mid-rise and low-rise buildings in the area.” Those and other formal objections are explained in full detail in a September 17 2012 “request for direction report” the planners prepared for Toronto and East York Community Council (TEYCC).
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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 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.)
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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 …
… 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 …
… 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 …
… 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 ….
… 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 …
… 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.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
The 11 Wellesley Street West site, viewed from the northeast last year …
… and viewed today from the northwest on Wellesley Street near Bay Street
This image, from a flyer on the CBRE Limited website, shows an aerial view of the property now listed for sale for redevelopment
This illustration, also from the CBRE Limited online flyer, suggests the highrise development potential for the 2-acre Ontario Government property
Park plans deep-sixed?: Downtown residents who were hoping a new public park would be created on provincial government property that has sat vacant near Yonge & Wellesley for years will be dismayed to learn that the land has instead been listed for sale for potential highrise redevelopment. Nevertheless, a city councillor plans to seek City Council approval to direct municipal real estate officials to negotiate acquisition of the property “for parkland purposes.”
A commercial real estate advertisement in today’s Globe and Mail newspaper touts the 2-acre “East of Bay” lands at 11 Wellesley Street West as a “downtown Toronto development opportunity.” The ad, published by real estate brokerage CBRE Limited, says the land “is located in a prime downtown residential development corridor,” and is “centrally positioned” between the city’s financial core and its tony Bloor-Yorkville district.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
April 27 2012: This Toronto Parking Authority surface parking lot at 15 Wellesley Street East, seen here looking south from outside the Wellesley subway station …
… and seen here, looking north from Maitland Street, is presently being marketed for sale as “an outstanding development opportunity” …
… along with these two adjacent properties on the east side of the lot: the large brown brick mansion at 20 Maitland (now housing office space) and the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto building at 26 Maitland Street
This illustration of the potential for the site appears in a marketing flyer that says CBRE Limited is “exclusive listing agent” for all three properties, each of which is subject to “separate offering requirements” for development.
Another illustration from the CBRE marketing flyer shows an aerial view, from the northeast, of the site being touted as the Wellesley Development Lands
Tower trio: The Church-Wellesley neighbourhood is buzzing over news that a large Wellesley Street parking lot, plus two adjacent properties on Maitland Street, are being jointly marketed as as an “outstanding development opportunity” in the downtown core, offering a massive 1.3 million square feet of redevelopment space in up to three separate condo towers.
The three properties being offered for sale include the Toronto Parking Authority surface lot at 15 Wellesley Street East, which extends from Wellesley at the north to Maitland Street at the south, as well as a large brick mansion used as office space at 20 Maitland and the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto building at 26 Maitland.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
April 27 2012: The excavation for the One Bloor condo at Yonge & Bloor Streets keeps getting deeper along the site’s north and west sides …
… while three blocks south at St Mary & St Nicholas Streets, the excavation is deepest at the east and south ends of the Nicholas Residences condo tower site …
… ande just two blocks farther south at Yonge & St Joseph Streets, the excavation for FIVE Condos is deepest at the northeast corner of the property
Digging deeper: Excavation work is continuing apace for three condo tower projects that will substantially change the look and height of Yonge Street between Bloor and Wellesley Streets. Below are photos showing how excavations have progressed in recent months at the One Bloor, Nicholas Residences and FIVE Condos construction sites.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2