Berczy condo construction reaches 5th floor

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August 15 2012: Construction of The Berczy condo building viewed from the south at the intersection of Church Street and The Esplanade

August 15 2012: Construction has reached four levels at the south end of the complex …

… five floors in the building’s midsection …

… and two floors along Front Street, across from the iconic Flatiron Building

August 15 2012: Construction progress viewed from the northeast on Front Street

This artistic illustration from The Berczy website shows how the 13-storey building will look once construction is completed sometime early next year

Catching glances: While Toronto’s iconic Flatiron Building continues to attract strong interest from tourists exploring the St Lawrence Market neighbourhood, The Berczy condo building across the street seems to be catching more attention from locals — especially now that construction has climbed several levels above grade.

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Fly condo highrise climbs into its element in crowded tower cluster on Front Street West

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August 15 2012: Construction of Fly Condos viewed from Bathurst Street to the southwest. From this perspective, there appears to be considerable wide open space on the condo building’s north and west sides …

… thanks to a large surface parking lot on Fly’s west flank …

… and another large parking lot to its immediate north and northwest …

… however on its south side, Fly shares close quarters with three CityPlace condo towers, including the east Apex building, left, and the two oval Matrix towers on Front Street …

… while Fly’s east side rises almost smack against the Element condo highrise to its east

Close quarters: At this time last summer, the underground parking levels of Fly Condos were still in the early stages of construction, with months to go before the building reached grade. As of this week, the building has climbed 23 stories above the street — just one level shy of its final floor count. In the process, Fly has made a mini condo tower canyon on Front Street West look and feel even more cramped and crowded than it had been before.

Right now, there’s lots of open space to the north and west of Fly, since the surrounding land is occupied by large surface-level parking lots (who knows for how much longer before they’re redeveloped into condos, too). But it’s a completely different story on Fly’s other two sides.

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Ripley’s aquarium shaping up & filling in fast

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August 15 2012: The sharply angled roof of the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is quickly taking shape at the foot of the CN Tower, left

This rendering provided to the media shows how the distinctive roof will appear when viewed from the entrance plaza to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

August 15 2012: Another view of the iron and steel frame of the aquarium roof

August 15 2012: Construction viewed from the southeast on Bremner Boulevard

This rendering shows how the aquarium will appear when viewed from the southeast …

… while this illustration shows the aquarium viewed from the south

This model shows the layout of the aquarium interior

Gone fishing: It was exactly one year ago I reported that construction had commenced at the foot of the CN Tower for the $130 million, 135,000-square foot Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada — Toronto’s first major new tourist attraction in years.

Last week I was amazed to learn that, less than a year after construction shovels had hit the ground, the aquarium had already begun hydro-testing its 750,000-gallon Shark Lagoon, filling the acrylic tanks with water to ensure there are no leaks. I had not seen the construction site since early May, at which time it looked like the building still had a long way to go, so I was surprised to hear that water testing was underway on the tanks that will become home to more than 13,500 fish and other sea creatures. (Also last week, the Toronto Star reported that marine biologists and shark experts started hunting for sand sharks for the aquarium back in April.)

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Topping off in sight as L Tower climbs to 55 floors

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August 15 2012: West view of The L Tower, where construction crews were busy pouring concrete for the 55th floor of the Daniel Libeskind-designed skyscraper.

August 15 2012: The L Tower viewed from the south on Yonge Street below Harbour Street

Bending up: Construction of the 57-storey L Tower is close to topping off.

Yesterday, construction crews were pouring a concrete slab on The L Tower’s 55th floor, and today they are scheduled to pour concrete for walls and columns on levels 55 and 56. Meanwhile, cladding and laminated glass windows have been installed on much of the lower third of the tower.

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Aura condo construction climbs to 33 floors

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August 13 2012: Aura at College Park condo tower construction viewed from my window to the northeast. The building behind it, with the green-hued windows, is the new SickKids Centre for Research and Learning at Bay & Gerrard Streets.

August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the east on Gerrard Street, next to Ryerson University

August 11 2012: Aura seen from the southwest on Gerrard Street beside the Delta Chelsea

August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the west, in the green space at College Park

August 11 2012: Aura viewed from the north, outside the entrance to the College Park shopping mall

Looming large: The Aura condo tower under construction at College Park already has a formidable and massive presence in central downtown Toronto — and the building has reached only 33 floors so far. I’m still trying to imagine the impact the tower is going to have on both its immediate area, and on the city skyline, when construction tops off at 78 stories. And from a purely personal perspective, I’m curious and anxious to see how the tower will affect the daylight and sunshine that pours through the windows of my condo six blocks away to the northeast.

Aura started climbing into the view from the window next to my computer desk in late May, when construction had reached about 15 floors. By July, it had blocked nearly all my view of the new 21-storey SickKids Centre for Research and Learning tower, which is approaching the end of construction two blocks to Aura’s southwest. As Aura continues its ascent, it will fill in much of the sky that I see between the two Radio City condominium towers on Mutual Street near my home.

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The Milan condos adding new look to landscape at Church-Yonge-Davenport corner in Yorkville

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August 6 2012: Construction of the third above-ground level of The Milan Condominium viewed from the southeast on Church Street

August 6 2012: View from the southeast corner of Yonge & Church Streets. Construction of the tower’s 4th floor gets underway as building forms are placed at the northwest corner.

July 29 2012 view of The Milan from the west along Davenport Road

New landmark: The Church-Yonge-Davenport intersection in Yorkville is taking on a whole new look as construction of The Milan Condominium commences its steady, gradual climb above street level.

For decades, the intersection was instantly identifiable by two familiar landmarks: the flagship Canadian Tire store and gas bar on the northeast corner, and the 94-year-old Masonic Temple (now production studios and offices for MTV Canada) on the northwest. But as The Milan tower makes its ascent, some pedestrians and motorists are getting a bit confused about where they are.

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Construction of 29-storey Motion on Bay rental apartment highrise passes the halfway point

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August 11 2012: Construction of the 29-storey Motion on Bay rental apartment building at Bay & Dundas Streets has reached 17 floors, with 12 more to go

Halfway there: If some of the emails I receive are a reliable indication, there’s a lot of people in Toronto who think that the Motion on Bay Street building currently under construction at Bay & Dundas Streets is going to be “yet another condo,” to borrow the words of one correspondent. After I published some construction photos on May 5, I received several private messages from people requesting information about availability and purchase prices for 1- and 2-bedroom “condos” in the building. (For some reason, a lot of people also assume I’m a condo sales rep.) With this update post, I’m already bracing for another series of similar inquiries.

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Florian condo and Four Seasons Toronto towers fast approaching podium finishes in Yorkville

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Exterior work on the new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, seen here July 29 2012, is currently focussing on the base of the soaring 55-storey condo and hotel tower, as well as on the streetscape at the northwest corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue.

August 6 2012: In the courtyard on the east side of the Four Seasons tower, a driveway of elaborately patterned paving stones is being installed in front of the porte cochère …

… while work is underway on the other half of the courtyard, where an urban garden will grace the street level in front of the 26-storey Four Seasons condo tower

Meanwhile, just one block to the north, work is nearly finished on the podium of The Florian condo tower on Davenport Road at the top of Bay Street, seen July 29 2012

Marble, glass and masonry accent provide strong angular accents to the long facade of The Florian’s podium, which gently follows the curve of Davenport Road

Exterior finishing touches, including glass panel installation on podium-level balconies, were underway during the August holiday weekend …

… while the revolving lobby entrance door and sheltered front driveway beneath the sharply pointed prow of the podium were in full view to passersby

Finishing touches: During the past three years, public attention on The Florian and the new Four Seasons Toronto condo towers in Yorkville has generally been focussed upward, as construction of the three highrise buildings climbed steadily higher. Now that wooden construction hoarding has been removed from the sidewalks outside both buildings, passersby are finally able to take a good look at architectural details closer to earth, including the exterior of the podiums and the streetscaping and landscaping elements of each project.

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Four Seasons Toronto towers getting exterior finishing touches, landscaping installation

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August 6 2012: The soaring 55-storey West Tower of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences complex at the northwest corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue

~ Continued from previous post ~

Below is a series of photos showing recent construction activity on the lower levels of the Four Seasons Toronto hotel and condo towers, along with link to a short videoclip shot during the Civic Holiday long weekend.

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Cladding & glass on new condo/loft complex brings shades of grey to Front Street West

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July 27 2012: A view from the west of construction progress on the Three Hundred Front Street West condo tower being built by Tridel at Front & John Streets

July 27 2012: Charcoal grey and silver cladding is being installed on the southwest corner of what ultimately will be a 49-storey condo tower …

… with an attached 15-storey loft building …

… both of which are seen here from the south side of Front Street last Friday

Nearly halfway there: The exterior colour of a condominium tower currently under construction on Front Street West shares two things in common with one of the year’s most popular novels. Not only do shades of grey figure prominently with the building’s cladding and the book’s title, but both have been selling exceptionally well also.

Three Hundred Front Street West, a project of Toronto’s Tridel group of real estate development and management companies, is an L-shaped condo-loft complex being built at the northwest corner of Front and John Streets, just north of the CN Tower. The condo tower will soar 49 storeys above the street, while the loft section of the building will rise just 15 floors. As of last week, the tower was approaching the halfway mark, while work on the midrise loft wing had reached the 12th level.

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Cinema Tower adds angles, curves & colour to city skyline as condo construction climbs higher

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July 27 2012: Looking up the SW corner of Cinema Tower from Widmer Street

July 27 2012: Cinema Tower viewed from he northwest on Adelaide Street

Curves & colour: The last time I walked around the Cinema Tower construction site in late March, the highrise condominium component of the 43-storey tower had climbed about 5 floors above its sizable 6-storey podium. Although the striking curves and angles of the condo floors were already obvious at that point, I still wasn’t sure what to make of the tower’s design, since the building was basically just a massive concrete frame.

It was a completely different story when I finally got back down to take a fresh look on Friday. The tower has since climbed three-quarters of the way to its ultimate height, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how the building’s interesting angles, curves and colours make Cinema Tower stand out on the Entertainment District skyline. It’s turning out to be a much better-looking building than I had expected, based on the artistic illustrations I had seen on the Cinema Tower website and on hoarding around the construction site.

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Nathan Phillips Square revitalization inches along; construction expected to finish by end of 2013

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July 19 2011: Construction of the relocated Peace Garden continues along the western flank of Nathan Phillips Square next to Osgoode Hall (right) …

… as does work on a new live performance stage midway between City Hall and the new skate and snack bar pavilion which opened last September (rear).

Meanwhile, the reflecting pool will be a dry dustbowl throughout the summer as it receives extensive maintenance work and upgrades…

… including repairs to mechanical facilities along the pool’s entire perimeter …

… while window upgrade work continues on City Hall’s west tower, seen here July 7 2012. Hundreds of window panes on City Hall’s east tower were replaced last year.

However, a two-level restaurant that was supposed to be constructed at the square’s southwest corner won’t materialize until some unprojected future time, as part of a third phase of the revitalization project for the 40-year-old square

Slow progress: In recent months a lot of people have been wondering just how much longer downtown Toronto’s building boom is going to last. I keep wondering the same thing about the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization project at Toronto City Hall.

Like much of the downtown area, Nathan Phillips Square remains a giant construction zone for the third consecutive summer as the $40-million-plus revitalization project drags on, with work gradually progressing on a new theatre/stage facility as well as a relocated and enlarged Peace Garden along the west side of the square.

Extensive maintenance and upgrades have forced the closure of the square’s signature reflecting pool/winter skating rink and put another huge section of the square off-limits for months — although that work isn’t part of the revitalization plan.

And as if all that isn’t enough, this is the second year that work has been in progress to replace the 40-year-old window panes in the iconic City Hall towers.

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Highrise condo cluster could threaten character of leafy low-rise street near Yonge & Wellesley

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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.

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Wellesley Street site touted as potential new park now listed for sale for highrise redevelopment

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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.

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52-storey condo tower proposed for site of historic Selby Hotel on Sherbourne near Bloor

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The Clarion Hotel & Suites Selby mansion at 592 Sherbourne Street is where celebrated writer Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Hadley, lived in the 1920s while Hemingway worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star.

Tower and townhouses: A condominium complex featuring a 52-storey tower with a 4-level podium and 5 townhouses has been proposed for the site of an historic 130-year-old Victorian mansion on Sherbourne Street near Bloor Street.

Designed by architect David Roberts and constructed in 1882 for the founder of Toronto’s Gooderham and Worts Distillery, the mansion is perhaps best known as the residential hotel where Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ernest Hemingway lived in the 1920s while working as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star.

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Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.

www.TheTorontoBlog.com

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing Building Boom.

Berczy condo construction reaches 5th floor

Fly condo highrise climbs into its element in crowded tower cluster on Front Street West

Ripley’s aquarium shaping up & filling in fast

Topping off in sight as L Tower climbs to 55 floors

Aura condo construction climbs to 33 floors

The Milan condos adding new look to landscape at Church-Yonge-Davenport corner in Yorkville

Construction of 29-storey Motion on Bay rental apartment highrise passes the halfway point

Florian condo and Four Seasons Toronto towers fast approaching podium finishes in Yorkville

Four Seasons Toronto towers getting exterior finishing touches, landscaping installation

Cladding & glass on new condo/loft complex brings shades of grey to Front Street West

Cinema Tower adds angles, curves & colour to city skyline as condo construction climbs higher

Nathan Phillips Square revitalization inches along; construction expected to finish by end of 2013

Highrise condo cluster could threaten character of leafy low-rise street near Yonge & Wellesley

Wellesley Street site touted as potential new park now listed for sale for highrise redevelopment

52-storey condo tower proposed for site of historic Selby Hotel on Sherbourne near Bloor

Tracking Downtown Toronto's AmazingBuilding Boom.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.