January 9 2012: Morning sunshine glints off windows on the southeast corner of the Casa Condominium near Yonge & Bloor Streets. The 46-storey tower at 33 Charles Street East was designed by architectsAlliance and built by Cresford.
January 2 2012: A Rumble Foundations drilling rig has little room to maneuver on the narrow 224 King Street West construction site for Theatre Park condos. Below is a photo of the property exactly one year ago, when it was still a parking lot.
Ready to Rumble: Construction activity has commenced on the Entertainment District’s much-anticipated Theatre Park condos, a slender 47-storey glass and steel point tower that will rise right next door to Toronto’s historic Royal Alexandra Theatre.
A Rumble Foundations drilling rig recently arrived on the construction site, which for decades had been occupied by a pay parking lot. The rig stands more than four storeys tall and is so big, it barely fits into the tight, narrow space from which the 234-unit condo skyscraper will eventually soar.
Lofty 10-foot ceilings
Designed by Toronto’s architectsAlliance, Theatre Park boasts a variety of condominium configurations with lofty 10-foot ceilings, including 1 bedroom, 1 bedroom + den, 2 bedroom, 2 bedroom + den, 3 bedroom and penthouse-level suites.
The Theatre Park project website shows that 1 bedrooms are available in four sizes from 530 to 920 square feet; the largest is a loft-style “Palace Theatre” unit on the tower’s fourth and fifth levels. Two of the 1 bedroom designs, the “Rudolfinum” and the “Musikverein,” have small (43 to 57 square foot) balconies. The 1 bedroom + den range from 625 to 920 square feet; the “Mariinsky Theatre” and “Festival Theatre” styles have balconies either 115 or 151 square feet.
The 2 bedroom units range from 815 to 1,145 square feet; the smallest, the “Teatro La Fenice,” has already sold out, but the other sizes are still available, including 7 of the 985-square-foot “Princes of Wales” model. The 2 bedroom + den “Moulin Rouge” offers a roomy 1,375 square feet, but no balcony, while the the 3 bedroom suites vary from 1,140 to 2,480 spacious square feet, and all come with generously-sized balconies. Two of the layouts, the “Radio City Music Hall” and the “Gershwin Theatre,” boast 397-square foot balconies.
Enormous penthouse already sold
The smallest unit in the “Penthouse Collection” is 850-square foot “Abbey Theatre” on floors 36 to 41, while the biggest is the 1,360-square-foot “Carnegie Hall” on the same floors. The “Sky Penthouse Collection” includes the aforementioned “Radio City Music Hall” at 1,990 square feet, and the “Gershwin” at 2,480 square feet. But the 47th-floor “Royal Alexandra” penthouse, with 3 bedrooms, a library and den in 3,270 square feet of interior space, plus a massive 2,026 square foot terrace, is already sold.
Theatre Park is a project of Lamb Development Corp, Niche Development and Harhay Construction Management Ltd.
Below is another photo of the Theatre Park construction site from this past Monday, along with a rendering of the tower from the project website. Additional photos and renderings can be viewed in my February 19 2011 post.
January 2 2011: The Theatre Park condo construction site, seen from the south side of King Street West. When complete, the 47-floor tower will block views of the 66-storey Living Shangri-La Toronto hotel + condo tower which is approaching the end of construction just one and a half blocks away, to the northeast.
From the Theatre Park website, a rendering of the sleek 47-storey glass and steel point tower designed by architectsAlliance of Toronto
One of the development proposal signs that has been posted on each side of the 501 block of Yonge Street since last spring
November 6 2011: The 501 Yonge Street block seen from the southwest
November 6 2011: The 501 Yonge Street block viewed from the northwest
Glass wall: Toronto residents get their chance tonight to tell city planners what they think of a controversial proposal to build two 58-storey condo point towers atop a 7-storey rectangular glass podium on the east side of Yonge Street, between Alexander and Maitland Streets.
The community consultation is the second meeting city officials scheduled for this week to get public input on a major condo tower development plan by Lanterra Developments, a 10-year-old Canadian company that boasts sales of more than 6,000 condo units in downtown Toronto.
At the first, held two nights ago, Lanterra and architect Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance were on the hot seat during a community consultation over Lanterra’s ambitious plans for a massive 4-tower condo complex that would revitalize three blocks of long-neglected property along Bloor and Howard Streets in North St James Town. During that meeting (which I’m planning to report soon in TheTorontoBlog), at least 30 people stood up to speak their mind with overwhelmingly negative comments and observations. Tonight, city planners and Lanterra’s team face Toronto residents again at a session that many people expect will be equally raucous and critical.
Tonight’s community consultation was requested by Toronto and East York Community Council, one of four groups of city councillors that make recommendations and decisions about local planning and development, as well as neighbourhood-specific issues within their jurisdiction. The session will give city residents an opportunity to review, ask questions about and express their opinions on Lanterra’s application to redevelop the low-rise 501 block of Yonge Street with a condo project that is vastly taller and denser than present zoning bylaws permit.
As noted in a May 30 2011 background report by city planners, Lanterra wants to build two 58-storey residential towers that would rise from one 7-storey podium. The podium would include two levels of retail space with five floors of parking above them (parking must be built above grade because the Yonge subway line runs diagonally beneath the entire 501 Yonge site). Each tower would contain 480 condo units and have its own lobby entrance; the north tower’s would be off Maitland Street, while the south tower lobby would be accessed from Alexander Street. The towers would soar 192 meters (including mechanical penthouse) and would be constructed in two phases, with the podium and south tower being built first.
Under current zoning regulations for the 501 Yonge site, the maximum permitted density is 3 times the lot area, with 2 times the lot area for commercial uses and 3 times the lot area for residential uses,” the city planners’ report notes. “The maximum height permitted is 18 metres.” However, Lanterra’s proposed condo complex would be 20 times the permitted density, with the height “significantly” exceeding what is presently allowed.
The size and height of the project horrifies many area residents, who fear that the podium’s enormous glass wall and the soaring towers above it will ruin the historic low-rise character of north Yonge Street (the section between College and Bloor Streets), destroy the pedestrian ambience on the street, and wreck what they consider to be “gateways” to the nearby Church-Wellesley Village neighbourhood — the tree-shaded outdoor dining and bar patios on the Alexander and Maitland ends of the block.
The consultation starts at 6.30 pm in the 2nd-floor auditorium at the Grosvenor Street YMCA.
Below are drawings, from the city planners’ report, that show the proposed elevations for the 501 Yonge complex, along with some photos and a video I have taken of the project site.
This illustration, from city planning documents, depicts a west elevation for the proposed two-tower complex
From the city planners’ report, this drawing depicts a south elevation for the rectangular 7-storey podium and 58-storey point towers
A view of Yonge Street looking north from Alexander Street on June 30 2011. Many neighbourhood residents fear the Lanterra project would overwhelm and destroy the historic low-rise character of Yonge Street.
The tree-shaded outdoor patios for Kokyo Sushi and Pi-Tom’s Thai Restaurant on Alexander Street would be replaced with the south tower’s lobby.
Two more patios would be lost at the north end of the block …
… including the Cocina Lucero restaurant patio at the corner of Yonge & Maitland …
… and the terrace for Lo’La martini bar to the east, at the corner of Maitland Street and Maitland Terrace
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From a City of Toronto planning department background report, this illustration outlines the various parcels of land that Lanterra Developments is proposing to redevelop into a condo complex featuring four tall towers
Feedback forum: A daring proposal to dramatically redevelop the scruffy North St James Town neighbourhood with four new condo skyscrapers, several low-rise buildings and seven restored heritage houses is headed for a showdown with the public tonight at a community consultation meeting being held by Toronto’s City Planning Division.
The meeting, the second to be held this year, will give the public an opportunity to hear revised plans for the massive condo project that Lanterra Developments has proposed for three blocks of a long wedge-shaped area bounded by Bloor, Parliament, Howard and Sherbourne Streets. In a rezoning application filed with the City on August 25 2010, Lanterra outlined bold development plans that would revitalize three separate blocks of land at the northern perimeter of the St James Town district with four towers designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
Block 1: Northeast corner of Sherbourne and Howard Streets
For this area, the developer proposed a 390-unit condo complex featuring a 50-storey tower, 7-storey podium and 5 levels of underground parking with 288 spaces. The tower would rise next to the Anson Jones House, a Queen Anne-style heritage building designed by Edmund Burke that sits on the corner of Sherbourne and Howard at 603 Sherbourne. The podium would include retail space along Sherbourne Street, while a 3-story mixed use building located along Howard Street would be linked to the complex. The plan would require the demolition of three heritage properties: two semidetached houses at 605 and 607 Sherbourne, next to the Anson House, along with a standalone house at 4 Howard Street. Vehicular access to the complex would be off Red Rocket Lane, which runs north-south between Howard and Bloor Streets one block east of Sherbourne.
Block 2: Glen Road between Howard and Bloor Streets
The west side of this leafy one-block-long section of Glen Road is noteworthy for six semidetached brick houses which have been boarded and bricked up for decades. Under Lanterra’s proposal, these homes would be restored for residential use, though rear portions of the buildings would be demolished to allow for construction of a 5-storey apartment building with 41 units along with 15 above-ground parking spots and 17 below-ground spaces.
Block 3: From Edgedale Road to Parliament Street
This long stretch of land between Howard and Bloor Streets would feature three condo towers on the eastern end of the property along with a 2-storey amenity and service building at the site’s southwest corner at Edgedale and Howard. The west tower would be 56 storeys tall with 630 units; the middle tower would be 46 floors with 425 units, and the east tower would rise 53 stories and contain 348 units. The complex would have 5 levels of underground parking with 869 spaces. A heritage building at 76 Howard Street would have to be demolished to make way for the three skyscrapers.
Public consultation and working group meetings
In a December 8 2010 background report, city planners said they could not support Lanterra’s proposal “in its current form.” They wrote: “Of considerable concern to staff is the appropriateness of the proposed land use redesignation, along with the proposal’s significant scale, density, massing and transition towards the existing adjacent Neighbourhoods in the centre of the North St. James Town neighbourhood and Apartment Neighbourhoods to the south, as well as the provision of open space.” They also identified 26 specific planning issues that would have to be considered and addressed before they could give their blessing to the condo plan.
As mentioned previously, city planners then held a public community consultation session to gather feedback about Lanterra’s proposal. The first meeting, attended by more than 150 people on April 5, drew sharp and overwhelmingly negative criticism from the audience, which objected to the proposed project’s height and density in particular, as well as to the impact that 1,840 new condo units could have on the heavily-populated low-income St James Town neighbourhood to the south.
The proposal was subsequently considered during an April 19 meeting of the city’s Design Review Panel, and during a series of working group meetings that city planners organized between neighbourhood representatives, professional advisors for the developer, and staff from the city’s planning and transportation departments. (Draft minutes from the meetings held on May 24, May 31, June 7 and October 5 can be viewed online at the links provided from the community group-run Smart Development in North St James Town website.)
Tonight’s meeting, from 7 to 9 pm at St Simon-the-Apostle Anglican Church on Bloor Street, is being held to update the public on the status of the rezoning application, and give the community a change to review and ask questions about revised project plans.
Below are some of my photos showing how the three development sites currently look, along with three videoclips showing each of the three blocks proposed for development and revitalization. (Note: The photo captions describe the original development proposal, not the revised plans which will be unveiled at tonight’s meeting.)
The 50-storey tower proposed for Block 1 would rise to the right of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sherbourne Street
From left: 607, 605 and 603 Sherbourne Street. The two buildings on the left would be demolished and only the corner building, the Anson Jones House, would be kept and incorporated into the new tower project.
607 and 605 Sherbourne Street, which would be destroyed to make room for the proposed 50-storey condo tower
The Anson Jones House at 603 Sherbourne Street, which would be restored and incorporated into the condo development
The Anson Jones House at 603 Sherbourne viewed from Howard Street
This heritage building at 4 Howard Street would be demolished and replaced with a 3-storey mixed-use building
The east side of 4 Howard Street, viewed from Red Rocket Lane
Looking northwest from Bleecker Street to the site for which a 50-storey condo tower had been proposed. The Filipono food store building visible at right is not part of the redevelopment plan.
The proposed tower site is less than a minute’s walking distance from Bloor Street and the Sherbourne subway station
Another view of the site, off Red Rocket Lane, where the developer has proposed building a 50-storey tower
Southeasterly view down Red Rocket Lane of the site for the proposed tower
This architectsAlliance illustration of the proposed 50-storey tower for Sherbourne & Howard appears in documents filed with the city planning department
Looking north along Glen Road. The six semidetached houses that would be restored sit on the left side of the street.
The houses that would be restored at 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Glen Road
A view of the rear of the houses at 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Glen Road
The proposal called for part of the back of these buildings to be demolished. A 5-storey apartment building would be constructed in the area behind the houses, along with above- and below-ground parking.
Bloor Street view of Glen Road, looking south toward Howard Street
This architectsAlliance illustration of the Block 3 tower elevations appears in application documents filed with city planners. These towers would stand between Edgedale Road at the west and Parliament Street to the east.
Edgedale Road, looking north from Howard Street toward Bloor Street
Looking west along Howard Street toward Edgedale Road. The amenities and service building for the towers would be situated near this spot.
This illustration, from a planning rationale report filed with the city planning department by Bousfields Inc., shows how the view west along Howard Street could appear once the towers are constructed
This house at 76 Howard Street was built in 1887. It sits near the middle of the proposed site for the three towers, and would have to be demolished to permit construction.
Bloor Street view of the heritage house at 76 Howard Street
A view of the 3-tower site, looking east along Bloor Street toward Parliament Street from behind the house at 76 Howard.
Looking east toward the Bloor-Parliament intersection, from the field next to 76 Howard Street.Two of the towers would be built here.
View toward Bloor Street and the Rosedale ravine from the field next to 76 Howard Street
West view from Parliament Street of the development site along Howard Street
The property between Parliament Street and 76 Howard Street currently is home to trees, a grassy lawn, billboards and dozens of squirrels
Looking west toward the development site from the Bloor-Parliament intersection
Looking west along Bloor Street from the sidewalk opposite the Castle Frank subway station. If built, the four condo towers would dominate this view.
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October 30 2011: Market Wharf condo tower construction viewed from the northeast corner of Jarvis Street and Lake Shore Boulevard.
From the Market Wharf website, an illustration of the floorplan for the condo’s curvaceous Market Club amenities facility
Making waves: Construction of the 25-storey Market Wharf tower is attracting more attention these days as the condo building’s distinctively curved amenities floor and wavy “curvilinear” balconies continue to take shape while the newly-opened Shoppers Drug Mart draws traffic to the northeast street-level corner of the complex’s 8-storey podium. Occupying an entire city block near the bottom of Jarvis Street, between the railway tracks and Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence Market, Market Wharf will keep making waves as the tower climbs more prominently into view on the skyline.
Designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance, Market Wharf is a project of Context Development. The complex features a variety of suite sizes and styles, ranging from a 570-square-foot 1-bedroom 1-bath to a 1039-square-foot 2-bedroom + den + 2 baths to a 1276-square-foot 2-bedroom + 2.5 bath “duplex penthouse.” The building also boasts townhomes, in six different layouts, that have private terraces with gas barbecue hookups. Townhome prices start from $718,900, and include parking and a storage locker. The project is 70% sold to date.
Below are some of my recent photos of Market Wharf’s construction progress, along with two illustrations of the building that appear on the Market Wharf website.
Website illustration of the Market Wharf complex, viewed from the northeast along Jarvis Street, next to the St. Lawrence Market
Also from the project website, this illustration suggests how the Market Wharf complex will appear when viewed looking south along Market Street
October 30 2011: South side of the Market Wharf tower
October 30 2011: The Market Club amenities facility adds a striking curve to the tower, designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance
October 30 2011: The Market Club throws an eye-catching curve above Lower Jarvis Street
October 30 2011: Another Jarvis Street view of the curved Market Club amenities floor above the building’s block-long, 8-storey podium
October 30 2011: Part of the “phasing” section between the tower and podium
August 17 2011 The curved Market Club amenities floor takes shape above the railway tracks near the foot of Jarvis Street
July 20 2011: The Market Club floor begins taking shape atop the podium
July 20 2011: The condo complex occupies an entire block on the north side of the railway tracks, just south of the St Lawrence Market
July 20 2011: The tower rises above the Jarvis Street railway underpass
July 20 2011: Round conrete support pillars atop the podium’s east side
July 20 2011: Market Wharf’s red and white construction crane
July 20 2011 To the south of Market Wharf is the Jarvis Street railway underpass (left); the CN Tower is visible to the west
July 20 2011: Jarvis Street view of the building’s southeast corner
July 20 2011: Jarvis Street view of the building’s southeast side
July 20 2011: Construction forms jutting above Jarvis Street
July 20 2011: Market Street reflects in the building’s street-level windows
July 20 2011: Trees were planted several weeks after I took these photos, further complimenting the building’s presence on Market Street
July 20 2011: Market Street view of construction progress on the tower base
July 20 2011: The tower is rising at the south end of the complex
July 20 2011: A construction worker watches activity at street level
July 20 2011: The south end of the complex, viewed from the foot of Market Street next to the railway tracks
July 20 2011: Another view of the west side of the tower base
July 20 2011: The curved Market Club takes shape atop the tower base
July 20 2011: Looking north along Market Street at the project’s ongoing Phase 2 work (right) and the completed Phase 1 in the background
September 13 2011: Construction crews arrange forms for first-floor walls at the northeast corner of The Residences of Pier 27 condo project site on Queen’s Quay East, just a stone’s throw from the Redpath Sugar Refinery
August 30 2011: A Toronto Islands view of four cranes towering above the Pier 27 condo building site and sales centre (white structure at bottom middle of photo). This view of the waterfront will look markedly different by this time next year …
... once substantial progress has been made on construction of the East Bayfront condo complex’s distinctive design, seen in this artistic illustration …
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… and in this video screen capture, both from the Pier 27 website
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Redpath’s neighbour ready to rise: Toronto’s eastern waterfront is about to get an exciting new look now that Phase 1 construction of The Residences of Pier 27 has reached grade along Queen’s Quay Boulevard East. The first condominium complex to be built on Toronto’s East Bayfront, Pier 27 will transform a prime piece of property at the foot of Yonge Street from a large dusty parking lot into a gleaming glass and steel midrise residential community with publicly-accessible waterfront green space and parkland. I’ll be thrilled to watch these condo buildings rise; their sleek modern architecture should vastly improve the appearance of what I consider to be one of downtown’s most dismal streets — a gritty stretch of landscape presently dominated by the huge, hulking Redpath Sugar Refinery.
Construction has made the most progress at the northeast corner of the Pier 27 property, right next to the refinery, where pedestrians and passing motorists can now see crews working at street level, just a few meters from the security fence running along the south side of Queen’s Quay Boulevard. In late July, you couldn’t see the workers unless you walked right up to the fence to peer into the giant excavation; at that time, the crews were still well below grade, gradually filling in the underground parking levels for the Phase 1 construction on the easterly half of the site. The Phase 2 construction zone to the west isn’t visible from the street at all, but work has been steadily progressing on the foundation there, and a fourth construction crane was erected on the site last month. According to a July 25 2011 post on the Cityzen Urban Lifestyle blog, crews had been pouring 3,000 cubic meters of concrete per month just for Phase 1 construction — that’s equivalent to the load carried by 333 concrete trucks. Once Phase 2 construction gets going full steam, the pour is expected to increase to 5,000 cubic meters (555 truckloads) per month, the Cityzen blog says.
A project of Cityzen Developments and Fernbrook Homes, The Residences of Pier 27 was designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
Below are some of my photos of Pier 27’s recent construction progress. Photos of earlier building activity can be viewed in my posts on July 21 2011, April 22 2011, February 18 2011, and January 4 2011.
July 17 2011: Underground level construction on the east side (Phase 1) of the Pier 27 site, seen through the security fence on Queen’s Quay Boulevard
August 17 2011: A construction crew works at street level at the northeast corner of the Pier 27 site, mere steps from the Queen’s Quay Boulevard sidewalk
August 17 2011: Pier 27’s midrise towers, each topped by a distinctive multi-level “SkyBridge,” are depicted on this promotional billboard outside the project sales centre on Queen’s Quay Boulevard
August 17 2011: Billboard illustration of the SkyBridge spanning the top of Pier 27’s Phase 1 towers on the east side of the project site
August 30 3011: A Toronto Islands view toward the Pier 27 site
August 30 3011: Toronto Islands view of cranes above the Pier 27 building site
August 30 3011: Ward’s Island ferry view of cranes at the Pier 27 site adjacent to the Redpath Sugar Refinery (right)
September 12 2011: Construction moves above street level as seen in this view of the Phase 1 site from the sidewalk on Queen’s Quay Boulevard
September 12 2011: Building forms along the eastern perimeter of the Pier 27 site, next to the Redpath Sugar Refinery
September 12 2011: Building forms begin to rise above street level next to the construction crane near the northeast corner of the Pier 27 site
September 12 2011: Three construction cranes are visible in this view of wall forms rising toward the center of the Pier 27 building site
September 12 2011: Looking up at the four cranes working the Pier 27 project
August 19 2011: This office building at 17 Dundonald Street was built in 1956. Included on the City’s inventory of heritage properties, it is considered culturally significant as an early example of the Modern style of architecture.
Tall “cube” coming? A developer is planning a condo highrise for 17 Dundonald Street in the Yonge & Wellesley area — but the tower’s projected floor count apparently is up in the air.
People living on and near Dundonald Street say various sources — including their city councillor — have told them a new development is in the works for the property, currently the site of a 2.5-storey office building situated just a stone’s throw from the Wellesley subway station. Constructed in 1956 as the Commercial Travellers’ Association of Canada Building, the low-rise office structure was designed by the Toronto architecture firm Weir Cripps and Associates.
The building is included on the city’s inventory of heritage properties; in fact, on June 8 2010, Toronto City Council adopted an “Intention to Designate” for the property. In an April 21 2010 background report presented to city councillors and the Toronto Preservation Board, city planners stated that 17 Dundonald had “cultural heritage value” worthy of designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. “As a small-scaled office building, the Commercial Travellers’ Association of Canada Building (1956) is an early and representative example of the Modern style with design merit that through its scale supports and maintains the prevailing character of Dundonald Street as the location of low-rise buildings,” the report explained.
The report, along with a notice of intention to designate published on the City’s website, said some of 17 Dundonald’s heritage attributes include: its “scale, form and massing”; “the near-square plan under a flat roof”; “the cladding, employing concrete, turquoise-hued glazed brick, travertine, aluminium and glass”; the organization of the building’s north facade into four bays; and the placement of the building itself, with a “small landscaped forecourt” separating it from the street. (The report provides extensive interesting information about the history and design of the building; it’s well worth a read.)
At present, 17 Dundonald is surrounded by residential properties, including the Terrace Court townhouses and low-rise condominium complex on its east side, the 24-storey Continental Tower apartment building on its west flank, and 22 Condominiums, a tower rising 23-storeys to its immediate south at 22 Wellesley Street East.
Area residents say Ward 27 City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam has told meetings of neighbourhood condo owners that a developer has been discussing redevelopment proposals for 17 Dundonald with city planners. Their intention, apparently, is to construct a highrise condo building in a Cubist style intended to emulate the Modernist architecture of the office building it will replace. But I’ve heard conflicting information about just how tall the building might be: 18, 19, 25 and 30 storeys are the floor counts people have mentioned. Word on the street is that a tower taller than the nearby 22 Condominiums and Continental Tower (23 and 24 storeys, respectively) doesn’t sit well with city planners, who feel too much height would be out of character for Dundonald Street. So far there has been no word on the identity of either the proposed building’s developer or the architectural firm designing it.
Below are some recent photos of 17 Dundonald and its neighbours.
July 8 2011: Looking west along Dundonald Street toward the office building at # 17. The Terrace Court condo townhomes (left) sit to the east, while the 24-storey Continental Tower, built in 1971, rises to the west.
July 8 2011: The north and east sides of the building
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July 8 2011: The building’s cladding includes concrete, glass, travertine, aluminium and glazed brick with a distinctive turquoise hue
July 8 2011: Two of 17 Dundonald’s neighbours include Terrace Court, an 8-storey condo and townhouse complex at 19-29 Dundonald Street (left), and the 22 Condominiums tower behind it on Wellesley Street
July 8 2011: The building was designed by Weir Cripps & Associates Architects
July 8 2011: Looking towards 17 Dundonald from the northwest, outside the Continental Tower apartment building at 15 Dundonald Street.
July 13 2011: A walkway between the two fences at the west side of the building links Dundonald Street to Wellesley Street and the Wellesley subway station
July 13 2011: The north facade and recessed front entrance to 17 Dundonald
July 13 2011: A city planning report says the placement of the main entrance in a recessed and glazed bay, with a protective angled canopy, is one of the building’s important heritage attributes
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July 13 2011: The driveway separates the office building from its Terrace Court condo and townhouse neighbours at 19 – 29 Dundonald Street
August 19 2011: The main entrance is set in one of four bays on the north facade
August 19 2011: The angled canopy above the double aluminum front doors
August 19 2011: The west wall of 17 Dundonald and the north side of 22 Condominiums, viewed from the pedestrian walkway linking Dundonald and Wellesley Streets alongside the Wellesley subway station
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August 19 2011: The west wall of 17 Dundonald Street catches some evening sun and reflects the Continental Tower apartment building next door
August 19 2011: There are five bays along the building’s west elevation
August 19 2011: The south wall has turquoise-hued brick at its southwest corner. Next door is the brown brick wall of the 8-storey Terrace Court condo.
August 19 2011: 22 Condominiums rises to the south at 22 Wellesley Street East
August 19 2011: 22 Condominiums was built by Lanterra Developments in 2007
August 19 2011: Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance designed 22 Condominiums
August 19 2011: Balconies at the northwest corner of 22 Condominiums
August 12 2011: Burano Condos, seen from the SE corner of Bay and College. The tower has climbed to 40 floors atop its 2-storey heritage building base.
Bay Street beauty: The Burano condo tower has become the newest member of Toronto’s steadily growing club of buildings taller than 40 storeys. On Friday, I counted 40 full floors of concrete, glass and steel rising from Burano’s two-storey base, a reconstructed heritage building that once was home to the Addison on Bay auto dealership. That means construction crews have only 10 more floors to build before Burano tops off: eight additional condominium levels, plus a two-storey mechanical penthouse.
Burano has looked impressive for months as the trapezoid-shaped tower has gradually climbed higher on the downtown skyline. With its angled south wall accenting Bay Street’s bend to the west at Grenville Street, and the striking, sharp points at its northeast and southwest corners, the Burano tower attracts attention from all directions. Its base will make an equally dramatic architectural statement once its three-storey glass lobby is installed on Grosvenor Street.
A project by Lanterra Developments, Burano Condos was designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
Below are several photos showing Burano’s construction progress during the summer. Additional photos can be viewed in my four previous blog posts on the project: June 11 2011, March 29 2011, February 21 2011, and January 7 2011.
June 14 2011: This view from Grenville Street shows Burano, left, and the two Murano condo towers built by the same developer and architectural team.
June 14 2011: Grenville Street view of Burano’s southwest corner
June 14 2011: The tower’s south wall is comprised entirely of windows. There are balconies only on the east and west sides of the building.
June 14 2011: One of the Murano condo towers reflects in Burano’s south windows while a construction elevator climbs the west wall
June 14 2011: A view from the south of the Burano Condos tower rising above the upper level of its two-storey restored heritage building base
June 21 2011: The former Addison on Bay auto dealership building has been completely rebuilt on the Burano site
June 21 2011: Another view of the reconstructed Addison building
June 21 2011: This billboard on the Bay Street sidewalk hoarding illustrates the dramatic glass lobby planned for Grosvenor Street
June 28 2011: A concrete pumping machine at work atop the Burano condo tower
July 1 2011: Burano condo tower viewed from SE corner of Bay & College Streets
July 13 2011: The upper south side of the Burano condo tower
July 15 2011: Condos on the tower’s north side
July 15 2011: Looking up the tower’s south and east sides
July 15 2011: The upper south side of the tower
July 15 2011: North side windows and west wall balconies
July 15 2011: Wall and floor forms on the tower’s south side
July 15 2011: Grosvenor Street view of the Murano condo towers, left, and the north side of the Burano tower
July 15 2011: Looking up the tower’s east and north sides
July 15 2011: The tower makes a strong point at its northeast corner
July 15 2011: Balconies near the tower’s northeast corner
July 15 2011: A peek inside some of the condos on the north side
July 15 2011: Windows on the north wall
July 17 2011: Burano viewed from College Street just west of University Avenue
July 22 2011: A view from my balcony of workers atop the Burano tower
July 24 2011: Looking up the south side of the tower
July 24 2011: Balconies on the west wall and windows on the south
July 24 2011: The south side of the tower is a tall wall of windows
July 24 2011: Wellesley Street view of the Murano condos, left, and Burano
July 31 2011: My balcony view of the crane atop Burano at sunset
July 27 2011: Upper floors of the tower viewed from the west
August 2 2011: My balcony view of a concrete pumper at work atop Burano
August 12 2011: Windows on the tower’s south side
August 12 2011: The Burano tower, left, its heritage building base, center, and the south Murano condo tower on the east side of Bay Street, right
August 12 2011: Looking up the tower’s west and south sides
August 12 2011: Looking up the tower’s west side
August 12 2011: Looking up the tower’s east side
August 13 2011: Newly-installed glass curtain wall cladding on the 77 Charles West luxury condo building, seen (above and below) from St Thomas Street
77 Charles West condos reaches 12 floors; cladding installation begins
Going green: Construction on the 77 Charles West luxury condo midrise could be topping off later this month, now that 12 of the building’s 13 floors have been built. Meanwhile, down at street level, the facade is beginning to reflect some of its nearby condo neighbours as its striking green-hued curtain wall cladding gradually gets installed.
I was surprised when I saw some of the first panels being put in place five days ago because the glass is turquoise green rather than blue, as renderings on the project website suggested it would be. Nevertheless, I like how it looks — and think it makes 77’s neighbours look good, too. Depending upon where I stood while looking at the new windows this morning, I saw sharp reflections of the One St Thomas Residences condo tower across the street, the Residences of the Windsor Arms at 22 St Thomas Street one block north, and other buildings in the Bloor-Yorkville area.
So far, the cladding encloses just three storeys around what will be the Charles Street entrance to the condominium homes (the 13 floors of luxury condos rise above Kintore College and Cultural Centre, a three-storey residence and educational facility for female Catholic students attending University of Toronto). I’m anxious to see how the cladding will look on the rest of the floors, especially on the curved south side of the building.
77 Charles West is a project of Aspen Ridge Homes, and was designed by Yann Weymouth of HOK.
Below are more photos of the new cladding and recent construction progress. Previous construction updates can be found in blog posts on July 5 2011, April 7 2011, and February 15 2011 — my first report on the 77 Charles West project.
August 6 2011: 77 Charles West condo construction viewed from St Thomas Street
August 6 2011: New promotional signage on the building’s north side
August 6 2011: Floors on the northwest corner of the building
August 6 2011: St Mary Street view of the building’s curved southwest corner
August 8 2011: Crews install the first 3-storey section of glass cladding
August 8 2011: Workers put the green-hued glass curtain wall panels in place
August 8 2011: A closer look at the cladding over the second and third storeys
August 13 2011: New cladding viewed from Charles Street, looking west
August 13 2011: Cladding above the entrance that faces north up St Thomas Street
August 13 2011: The cladding reflects several nearby buildings including the Residences at the Windsor Arms, the One St Thomas Residences, 155 Cumberland Street condos, and The Colonnade apartment building on Bloor Street
August 13 2011: Street-level view of the cladding’s neighbourhood reflection
August 16 2011: Reflection of the nearby Residences of the Windsor Arms
August 13 2011: One of the construction entrances on Charles Street
August 13 2011: A closer look at a corner section of the glass curtain wall
August 13 2011: New cladding viewed from the west end of the building
August 13 2011: Cladding reflects the One St Thomas Residences across the street
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Enormous excavation for U Condominiums keeps getting deeper & wider
August 6 2011: Excavation progress along the Bay Street side of the U Condos site, where the 50-storey east tower will rise
Digging down: Whenever I checked out excavation activity at the U Condominiums site back in the spring, it always seemed like the earth was moving at a snail’s pace. I thought it might take until the end of the year before the digging would reach anywhere near the 15-metre depth required for construction of the foundation for the project’s two condo towers, which will rise 45 and 50 storeys tall. Excavation work appeared to be moving well along the east, south and west perimeters of the property, but a vast amount of earth remained in the center and along the north perimeter. Since June, however, the excavation has progressed at an amazing pace, and the big hole in the ground at Bay and St Mary Streets is now more than two levels deep across most of the property.
U Condos is a project by The Pemberton Group. Its two condo towers, along with 3-storey townhouses that will flank the north, east and south sides of the development, were designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
Below are photos showing summer excavation progress at the U Condos location. Earlier construction photos can be viewed in my blog posts on May 7 2011, April 2 2011, March 18 2011, and February 4 2011 — my first report on the U Condos project.
June 21 2011: Looking southeast toward Bay Street from the U Condos construction entrance off St Mary Street
June 21 2011: Looking towards the eastern side of the site along Bay Street
June 21 2011: A construction supervisor watches excavation activity about 20 feet below. Bay Street is on the other side of the hoarding behind him.
June 21 2011: The southeastern corner where the 50-storey condo tower will rise
June 21 2011: Excavation on the south side of the site next to St Basil’s Church
July 3 2011: Excavation progress at the location for the east condo tower
July 3 2011: Excavation equipment and machines near the ramp off Bay Street
July 3 2011: An excavator on the south side of the site near St Basil’s Church. A row of 3-storey townhouses will be built along that edge of the U Condos property.
July 3 2011: The southwest corner of the U Condos property near Brennan Hall on the University of Toronto campus
July 24 2011: A substantially wider and deeper area has been excavated at the southwest corner in the past three weeks
July 24 2011: An excavator sits roughly where the east tower will be constructed
July 24 2011: Another view of the excavator from the St Mary Street entrance
July 24 2011: Looking toward the southeast corner of the property from a security fence along St Mary Street
August 6 2011: Significant excavation progress on the eastern third of the site
August 6 2011: Looking toward St Basil’s Church across the center of the site
August 6 2011: The 45-storey west tower will be built at this location
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Foundation work begins on north section of the One Bloor site
August 6 2011: Foundation drilling equipment on the One Bloor condo tower site
Drilling starts: One of Toronto’s biggest construction events took place in the middle of July when the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the much-awaited One Bloor condo tower at the southeast corner of the city’s premier Yonge & Bloor intersection. Drilling equipment had arrived on the site weeks earlier, but it wasn’t until July 15 that executive shovels turned soil to officially kick off construction of the 70-storey tower.
A project of Great Gulf Homes, One Bloor was designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto. My previous coverage of this condo project includes posts on July 15 2011, May 4 2011, and January 10 2011 — my first report on One Bloor.
Below are several recent photos of construction equipment on the One Bloor property. Numerous tower renderings and a full architectural description of the building can be viewed at this page on the Hariri Pontarini website.
July 13 2011: Pedestrians walk on Yonge Street south of Bloor Street, passing foundation drilling machines on the One Bloor site
July 13 2011: Yonge Street view of the One Bloor site, looking east toward the Xerox Tower at 33 Bloor Street East
July 13 2011: A man walks along the temporary subway station access path next to the north side of the One Bloor condo tower location
August 6 2011: Foundation building equipment on the One Bloor site
August 6 2011: A ground level view of the north half of the tower site
August 6 2011: The two Four Seasons Hotel + Private Residences Toronto towers viewed from the northeast on Church Street near Yonge Street
Looking sharp: Glass cladding installation is nearly finished as construction of the Four Seasons Hotel + Private Residences Toronto moves closer to completion.
Designed by Toronto’s architectsAlliance, the five-star hotel/condo project features two sleek and slender glass towers — one 26 storeys, the other 55 floors — that soar above Yorkville from the northeast corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue.
The west tower firmly established itself as a new Yorkville landmark several months ago when it became the tallest building in the upscale shopping and residential neighbourhood. It will boast a lavish 253-suite Four Seasons Hotel in its shiny glass base, with posh condominiums rising from floor 24 to the 55th-floor penthouse, which recently sold for a record $28 million. The website shows six available floorplans, ranging in size from a spacious 1,956-square-foot 2-bedroom suite to a palatial 3,914-square-foot two-bedroom estate with two 12 x 12-foot terraces. Floorplans for the East Residence range from a 1,100-square foot 1-bedroom suite to an 1,815-square-foot 2-bedroom home. The towers’ 204 condos were designed by Gluckstein Design Planning.
The east tower will be connected to the west by an elevated bridge, giving its privileged residents easy access to the hotel amenities. “They will enjoy a pampered lifestyle, with all the luxurious amenities of the hotel at their doorstep, including 24-hour concierge, doorman and valet parking,” the project website promises.
The hotel’s main entrance on Bay Street will open into a Grand Lobby extending the full width of the building (from Scollard Street south to Yorkville Avenue). The hotel will have a lobby bar, a second-floor restaurant, ballroom and banquet facilities, and a luxurious 28,000-square-foot spa with a fitness club, indoor lap pool, whirlpools and an outdoor terrace. The lobby and amenities areas were designed by Yabu Pushelberg, while a central landscaped courtyard park fronting onto Yorkville Avenue was designed by Claude Cormier.
The Four Seasons Hotel + Private Residences Toronto is a joint venture project of Menkes Developments Ltd. and Lifetime Developments.
Below is a series of photos I’ve shot of the Four Seasons complex over the course of the summer.
May 5 2011: Construction of the 55-storey Four Seasons Hotel + Private Residences west tower viewed from Church Street near Park Road
May 6 2011: Balmuto Street view of the Four Seasons towers rising above Yorkville
May 6 2011: West tower viewed from Bloor Street near Yonge Street
June 22 2011: Fog surrounds the 55th floor $28 million penthouse
July 13 2011: Four Seasons viewed from the SW corner of Bay & Yorkville
July 13 2011: The west tower’s ground floor and lower levels seen from the northeast corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue
July 13 2011: The hotel spa, ballroom and banquet facilities are housed in this 8-storey wing at the corner of Bay and Scollard Streets
July 13 2011: Bay Street view of the hotel section of the west tower
July 13 2011: Clouds reflect in the exterior of the hotel amenities wing
July 13 2011: Ground-level view of the amenities wing at Bay & Scollard Streets
July 13 2011: Looking up from the NW corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue
July 13 2011: Cladding has been installed, but the balconies haven’t yet been completed on the East Residence tower
July 13 2011: Looking up the northwest corner of the west tower
July 13 2011: The sleek glass midsection of the 55-storey west tower
July 13 2011: Four Seasons towers viewed from the northwest on Davenport Road
July 24 2011: Roof fin installation underway on the west tower
July 24 2011: Balconies and construction elevator on the hotel tower’s SE corner
July 24 2011: Crane and upper six floors of the East Residence tower
July 24 2011: The soaring west tower viewed from Bloor Street near Yonge Street
July 24 2011: West tower viewed from the University of Toronto campus
July 24 2011: Hotel tower penthouse floors viewed from the southwest
August 6 2011: Yorkville Avenue view of the two towers
August 6 2011: Looking up the south side of the East Residence tower
August 6 2011: A pedestrian bridge links the East Residence tower to the amenities wing of the hotel building
August 6 2011: Reflections on windows of the East Residence tower
August 6 2011: The base of the East Residence tower
August 6 2011: This area will become a showpiece courtyard garden + hotel/condo entrance driveway designed by Claude Cormier
August 6 2011: The hotel tower base at Yorkville Avenue & Bay Street
August 6 2011: The hotel tower base awaits its exterior cladding
August 6 201: Yorkville Avenue view of what will become the driveway entrance to both the hotel and condo towers
August 6 2011: The condo floors rise from the slightly broader hotel base
August 6 2011: The Four Seasons west tower looks short from this angle, but actually rises high above the office towers at Yonge & Bloor Streets
August 6 2011: Four Seasons complex viewed from Yonge Street
July 17 2011: A view of the Cinema Tower construction site, looking south from Adelaide Street West. Cinema Tower is a project of The Daniels Corporation.
From the Cinema Tower project website, an artistic rendering of the 43-storey condo designed by Toronto’s Kirkor Architects & Planners
July 17 2011: Looking across the east side of the Cinema Tower site at the corner of Widmer & Adelaide Streets. Construction is fast approaching grade.
July 17 2011: Cinema Tower is rising behind the TIFF Bell Lightbox (left) and the Hyatt Regency Toronto (right). Earlier construction photos can be seen in my February 17 2011 post about the project.
July 17 2011: Construction progress at the southwest corner of the site
July 17 2011: Along the east side of the property, the foundation has climbed close to little more than 1 meter below street level
July 17 2011: A white and orange crane rises from the excavation for the Three Hundred Front West condo tower. For earlier construction photos and information about this Tridel project, see my April 16 2011 post.
From the Tridel website, an artistic rendering depicting a night view of the 49-storey Three Hundred Front West condo tower designed by Rudy Wallman of Toronto’s Wallman Architects
July 17 2011: Foundation work observed from above the site’s southwest corner
July 17 2011: Looking to the northeast toward John Street
July 17 2011: A view of underground levels taking shape between the two construction cranes working the site
July 17 2011: Foundation progress on the east side of Fly Condos, a project by Empire Communities. Earlier construction photos appeared in my March 30 2011 post and my January 23 2011 post.
A rendering of the 24-storey tower appeared on this Front Street billboard. Fly Condos was designed by Toronto’s Graziani + Corazza Architects Inc.
July 17 2011: Overlooking the southeast corner of the construction site
July 17 2011: Looking toward the crane near the center of the site
July 17 2011: The bottom underground level is starting to take shape in the northeast corner of the excavation
July 17 2011: Looking toward the northwest corner of the property
July 17 2011: Machinery in the northwest corner of the excavation
July 17 2011: Wall forms on the south side of the site next to the crane
July 17 2011: Looking toward the northeast corner of the excavation from the west construction entrance on Front Street
July 17 2011: Excavation continues on the west side of the site
July 17 2011: Forms for supporting walls near the construction crane base
June 21 2011: Looking south from Queen’s Quay Boulevard across The Residences of Pier 27 waterside construction site, a project of Cityzen Developments and Fernbrook Homes
From the project website, a rendering of one of the buildings being constructed at The Residences of Pier 27 complex on the waterfront. The condos were designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance.
June 21 2011: Construction progress in the Pier 27 site’s southeast corner. Photos of earlier stages of construction can be viewed in my April 22 2011 post, my February 18 2011 post, and my January 4 2011 post.
June 21 2011: Construction progress on the east side of the massive building site
July 17 2011: Looking south from Queen’s Quay Boulevard as the foundation continues filling in the east side of the Pier 27 site
July 17 2011: Underground levels are fast taking shape on the east side of the site, but excavation work still continues on the west end of the Pier 27 property.
July 17 2011: The supporting wall in the foreground rises close to street level
July 1 2011: Clear Spirit condo tower construction at the Distillery District viewed from Cherry Street looking west toward the CN Tower (rear left)
July 1 2011: Looking from the Queen Street bridge above the Don Valley towards the Distillery District (upper right). Clear Spirit (with crane) will rise 40 floors to overtake the 32-storey Pure Spirit condo tower (top right). The construction zone in the foreground is where the River City condominium complex is being built.
June 21 2011: Clear Spirit rises above the Gardiner Expressway in this view from the bike trail along Cherry Street near the Keating Channel in the port lands.
Rising higher: As the Clear Spirit condominium tower soars taller, it’s becoming a lot easier to spot Toronto’s historic Distillery District on the city skyline. Nearly one-third of the way toward its 40-storey peak height, the condo tower frame and construction crane are now clearly visible from many different parts of downtown and Riverdale. Clear Spirit is the second condo tower that Toronto’s architects Alliance has designed for the Distillery District. The first, Pure Spirit, was built at the northwestern corner of the district in 2009, and stands 32 storeys tall. The Distillery District’s master plan calls for yet another condo tower — the 35-storey Gooderham condominiums — to be constructed on the northeast corner of the property, right next to Clear Spirit, along with what the architects Alliance website describes as “a low ‘ribbon building’ with a planted roof.” Renderings of the various buildings can be viewed at the link I’ve provided to the aA website. Photos of recent Clear Spirit construction progress can be viewed below, while earlier photos can be seen in my March 20 2011 post and in my February 16 2011 post.
June 21 2011: Clear Spirit seen from the bike path along Cherry Street
June 21 2011: The south side of the Clear Spirit tower
June 21 2011: Supervisors checking out the construction
June 21 2011: Clear Spirit viewed from the parking lot along the southwest side of the Distillery District. The building in the foreground is the Pump House; the one in the middle is the Case Goods Warehouse, home of Artscape Studios
June 21 2011: Construction of the Clear Spirit condo tower climbs above The Case Goods Warehouse building
June 21 2011: Looking up the SE corner of the tower
June 21 2011: Distinctively angled floorplates on the tower’s south side
June 21 2011: Clear Spirit and the Gooderham tower will transform a site that is approximately one-fifth the size of the entire Distillery District
June 21 2011: Construction forms protruding from the Clear Spirit tower
June 21 2011: Entrance to the condo’s underground parking garage
June 21 2011 Clear Spirit condo tower construction viewed from Tank House lane near Trinity Street in the Distillery District
June 21 2011: Clear Spirit viewed from outside the Distillery District entrance at Mill and Trinity Streets
July 1 2011: Clear Spirit (left) and Pure Spirit (right) viewed from the intersection of Cherry & Mill Streets. The 35-storey Gooderham condo tower will be built near the left of the area shown in this photo.
July 1 2011: The low-rise building on the corner is one of three Tank Houses now home to the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The Gooderham tower will be built immediately south of the Young Centre.
July 1 2011: Clear Spirit soaring above the Distillery District’s Tank House Lane entrance off Cherry Street
July 1 2011: Looking up from Cherry Street at the Clear Spirit and its crane
July 1 2011: Construction entrance off Cherry Street
July 1 2011: Project team poster and site plan map
July 1 2011: Looking up at the east side of the building
July 1 2011: The east side of the tower and its podium
July 1 2011: Tall support pillars on the tower’s east side
July 1 2011: One of the support pillars stands at a slight angle
September 21 2008: A Bloor Street transformation project banner on security fencing along a construction area near the corner of Bloor & Church Street
May 13 2009: Sidewalk construction outside the Hudson’s Bay Centre
May 13 2009: Bloor Street traffic is squeezed down to two lanes during construction activity outside the Holt Renfrew Centre
November 22 2009: The transformed streetscape outside the Hudson’s Bay Centre
July 25 2010: Bloor Street East looks beautiful with new sidewalks, trees, lush plants and gorgeous flowers between Park Road and Church Street…
… but on the same day, it’s a different story west of Yonge Street, where there is still a huge construction zone in front of the Holt Renfrew Centre
October 3 2010: Construction between Bellair Street and Avenue Road
December 21 2010: This tongue-in-cheek sign at a tree planting location got only one thing right: The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But as of May 1, there still weren’t any new “leafs” on Bloor Street
April 30 2011: Trees should soon be planted outside the Manulife Centre
April 30 2011: The cheery spring flowers brighten the south side of Bloor between Yonge and Church, but some trees still haven’t been planted…
…while the long stretch of sidewalk adjacent to the site of the future One Bloor condo tower won’t be replaced until construction is finished. That means a few more years of waiting before the Bloor Street transformation is complete…
…but at least the long-overdue sidewalk replacement outside 120 Bloor Street East, seen here on May 1, will be finished soon
Mink Mile Makeover: After four long years of digging, delays and detours, controversy, cost-overruns and even courtroom drama, the $25 million Bloor Street Transformation Project is nearing completion. With luck, the Mink Mile will look marvellous during the big “red carpet” street party that the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area (BIA) will be throwing on June 19 to celebrate the new streetscape. I will be among countless Torontonians breathing a collective huge sigh of relief when the City and the BIA confirm that the project is finally finished. After all, it’s about time!
The upscale shopping section of Bloor Street has desperately needed a major makeover for years. The drab streetscape with its narrow white concrete curbs and pavement looked cheap, not chic, and totally lacked any sense of importance, elegance or sophistication — characteristics one would expect for an area that’s often described as Canada’s “premiere” shopping street. Its banal appearance didn’t complement the beautiful luxury goods and fashion boutiques lining both sides of the boulevard. And it certainly didn’t suggest that Toronto is the world-class city it constantly claims and aims to be. I almost felt embarrassed telling visitors from other countries that Bloor Street was the city’s go-to destination for Prada, Cartier, Louis Vuitton and other high-end luxury retail purveyors. Apart from the expensive shops, there was nothing noteworthy or special about Bloor — it was just a typical, tired-looking downtown Toronto street.
So I was thrilled when I heard that the City and the Bloor-Yorkville BIA were teaming up to revitalize part of the Bloor Street strip, and even happier to see the $20 million project break ground in July 2008. Designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance (in joint venture with Brown + Storey Architects), the two-year project promised to give the City a sophisticated streetscape that would finally match its Mink Mile moniker. I looked forward to seeing the wide granite sidewalks with raised planting beds for trees, flowers and shrubs, the new street furnishings and lighting, and the new public art. I felt it was just what Toronto needed to do to transform Bloor Street into a stylish shopping destination on par with high-end shopping districts in major cities around the world.
The project was scheduled for completion in phases over a two-and-a-half-year period, concluding by the end of 2010. However, in typical Toronto fashion, the transformation work got mired in delays, cost overruns and controversy. The project made headlines early on when several Bloor Street businesses launched a lawsuit against the City and the BIA, claiming in part that the project lacked proper prior community consultation and environment assessments. But as was reported in an October 30 2008 article on insidetoronto.com, the Ontario Divisional Court found no improprieties and ruled the project could proceed. Then construction delays started to drag things out considerably. As the Toronto Star reported on May 12 2010, “unforeseen construction problems” put the project months behind schedule and 23% over budget ($4.5 million). More than half of the cost overrun was blamed on Toronto Hydro, which encountered problems and delays burying hydro chambers under the street.
In November 2010, word went out that the work on Bloor Street had finally finished. In a November 23 2010 story, the online publication Building said the transformation project had been finished just in time for the Christmas shopping season, while in a November 29 2010 press release published on its website, Tourism Toronto stated that “Bloor-Yorkville has enhanced its reputation as Canada’s premiere shopping district with the completion of the Bloor Street Transformation Project.” That news struck me as odd, since I had walked along Bloor Street several times in November and noticed that much work remained to be done. Tree and plant installation had not even started west of Yonge Street, and signs said that wouldn’t happen before spring 2011; meanwhile, a big unrenovated stretch of sidewalk remained as a tremendous eyesore outside the office building at 120 Bloor Street East.
It’s now spring 2011 and there are signs the long-awaited tree and flower planting west of Yonge Street will take place very soon; apparently the BIA is aiming to get all the greenery in the ground by the end of this month. And over at Bloor and Church, crews are finally tackling the ugly section of sidewalk that wasn’t renovated along with the rest of the block.
Though the June 26 street party might suggest the transformation is a done deal, it won’t truly be over for a long time yet. A long section of sidewalk at the southeast corner of Bloor and Yonge hasn’t been touched because that’s where construction is supposed to start sometime later this year or next on the One Bloor condo skyscraper. There’s no point renovating that sidewalk, I suppose, if it’s just going to be covered by hoarding for years and possibly even damaged by construction vehicles and equipment.
Notwithstanding that one missing piece, was the Bloor Street renovation effort really worth the time, trouble, aggravation and pricetag? While I’m sure many frustrated and construction-weary Bloor-Yorkville-area business owners and residents don’t believe so, I think the new streetscape is a wonderful civic investment that will eventually pay off many times over. And even though I don’t patronize those über-expensive designer boutiques, I love walking along the renovated street, and can’t wait to see how it looks and feels this summer once all the trees, plants and flowers are in full bloom.
The only thing I’m not happy to see is the abrupt end of the beautiful streetscape a few dozen meters east of the intersection of Bloor and Church Streets. From there to Jarvis Street and farther east to Sherbourne Street, the street looks dull and, in places, downright tawdry and tacky. The City replaced some dead and dying trees on the south side of Bloor Street with paving stones instead of replacement saplings, and though a few new park benches have been installed on the sidewalks between Church and Sherbourne, ugly and rusting metal planter boxes bring a trailer park trashiness to the eastern end of Bloor. The City should have extended the streetscape improvements all the way to Sherbourne; after all, that intersection is one of the gateways to the exclusive Rosedale residential district. But the City’s failure to do so is typical of its usual half-assed approach to civic improvement. I suppose we’re lucky we wound up with even just a few blocks of attractive, world-class streetscape. We could use a lot more, but this is Toronto, after all.
Below are several more recent photos of Bloor Street.
July 25 2010: Many Bloor Street merchants were furious with the construction delays, but at least Holt Renfrew took matters in stride.
May 13 2009: This photo shows how awful the sidewalk looked before renovations reached the north side of Bloor Street at Yonge Street, outside the CIBC tower.
November 22 2009: Only half of the block between Park Road and Church Street was renovated in 2009; the broken and missing paving stones were left untouched on this wide stretch of sidewalk outside 120 Bloor Street East
April 30 2011: At long last, the eyesore stretch of sidewalk outside 120 Bloor Street East has finally been ripped up, and will be replaced with granite pavers
May 1 2011: The Bloor Street transformation looks wonderful — except outside the Toronto Marriott Bloor-Yorkville Hotel at 90 Bloor East, where a long section of the old concrete sidewalk remains and completely spoils the new streetscape.
May 1 2011: This strip of sidewalk outside the Bloor Street Marriott hotel is a prime example of the City of Toronto’s half-assed approach to civic improvement
April 30 2011: Yellow pansies brighten the southeast corner of Bloor and Church Streets, but the street transformation ends here. From just a few meters past this planter box all the way to Sherbourne Street, the east end of Bloor looks blah.
May 1 2011: Sidewalk renovations didn’t continue along the south side of Bloor Street to either Jarvis or Sherbourne Streets. Instead, the city merely uprooted some dead and dying trees and replaced them with paving bricks, like those seen here outside St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican Church at 227 Bloor East.
May 1 2011: A rusting metal planter box on the south side of Bloor Street near Jarvis Street contrasts sharply with the gorgeous granite planters two blocks west
April 21 2011: View toward the southeast corner of the enormous excavation for phase one of The Residences of Pier 27 waterfront condos
April 21 2011: Floors and walls take shape along the east side of the site
April 21 2011: The Pier 27 foundation is four levels deep
April 21 2011: A closer view of progress in the center of the construction site
April 21 2011: Two construction cranes are operating on the site at present; this one is situated near the southeast corner of the excavation
April 21 2011: A closer view of the southeast corner of the excavation
Big basement: The excavation for Phase One of The Residences of Pier 27 is finished and the bottom underground level for the eastern half of the waterfront condo complex is quickly taking shape. Meanwhile, the excavation on the west side of the site (Phase Two) is roughly two-thirds complete and proceeding on schedule, according to an April 8 entry in a blog published by the condo developer, Cityzen Developments.
Below are two illustrations, from the project website, that suggest how The Residences of Pier 27 buildings — designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architects Alliance — will look once completed. Also below are several more photos I shot of construction activity at the massive Pier 27 building site yesterday afternoon. Earlier construction photos can be viewed in my February 18 2011 post about The Residences of Pier 27 condo project.
From The Residences of Pier 27 project website, this illustration suggests how the condo development will appear on the Toronto waterfront.
Also from the project website, this illustration suggests how the condo complex will appear when viewed from Toronto harbour at dusk.
April 21 2011: Foundation construction at the north end of the excavation
April 21 2011: A glimpse through the fence at the NE corner of the site
April 21 2011: Building activity at the southeast corner of the excavation
April 21 2011: Surveying the construction activity four levels below grade
April 21 2011: A crane in the east (Phase 1) excavation, and an excavating machine at the west end (Phase 2) of the Pier 27 condo construction site
April 21 2011: Piles of rebar at street level high above the east (Phase 1) side of the Pier 27 construction site
April 21 2011: South view of one of the cranes and foundation construction progress on the east side of the Pier 27 site
April 21 2011 Looking southeast at the enormous excavation. Digging is finished for Phase 1 and is about 60% finished for Phase 2
April 21 2011: Building activity in Pier 27’s southeast corner
April 21 2011: The long retaining wall along the south perimeter of the property
April 21 2011: Lower-level foundation forms in the southeast corner
April 21 2011: Construction workers and support columns four levels below grade
April 21 2011: Support columns in the southeast corner of the Pier 27 excavation
April 21 2011: Construction activity in the center of the building site
April 21 2011: An excavator above the west (Phase 2) excavation
April 21 2011: East view of the Pier 27 construction site
April 21 2011: Southeast view of the Phase 1 excavation
April 21 2011: Construction progress in the southeast corner
April 21 2011: One of the two construction cranes working on the project
A rendering, from the King Charlotte condo project website, of the 32-storey tower proposed for Charlotte Street in the Entertainment District.
Another jewel in Clewes’ crown: It’s only two blocks long, but Charlotte Street has been getting more than its share of attention from architects and condo developers. The little north-south street, which links Adelaide and King Street in the Entertainment District, already boasts two condo buildings — Glas Condominiums and The Charlotte — and is getting a third, with Charlie Condos currently under construction. The sales centre for a fourth — Langston Hall — has been open several years; however, that development seems to have stalled, with no signs that construction might start anytime soon. Now, Lamb Development Corp. and Niche Development have proposed a fifth condo project for the street — King Charlotte.
Designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance, King Charlotte would rise at 11 Charlotte Street, a three-storey brick warehouse building that has been converted into offices. A 32-storey point tower (including six-storey podium) soaring 114 metres high, King Charlotte would offer 232 residential units in 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom configurations, plus four levels of underground parking. Part of the ground-floor level would be used for “community space.” A 33rd floor rooftop terrace will be an “entertainment oasis” with an outdoor pool and all-day sun “that will blow your mind,” Lamb Development CEO Brad Lamb promises. The tower design is basically a series of different-sized boxes stacked playfully atop each other. “The retail box protrudes from the podium box, the tower box appears to teeter and overhang the podium box, and the oversized rooftop amenity box actually does overhang the tower box,” Lamb explains on the King Charlotte website.
Full details of the proposed project are provided in a February 28 2011 city planning department preliminary report which recommended a community consultation meeting be held to gather local input. That recommendation was approved in a March 22 2011 motion by the Toronto and East York Community Council; that public meeting should take place sometime later this spring. (Local councillor Adam Vaughan has already held one constituency meeting, in January, to discuss the project with area residents.) If approved by the City (which appears highly likely), King Charlotte would match Charlie Condos in floor count (32) and tower above the street’s existing condo buildings: Glas, a 16-storey midrise at 25 Oxley Street on the southwest corner of Oxley and Charlotte, and The Charlotte, a 14-storey condo completed in 2002 on the northwest corner of Oxley and Charlotte. (If Langston Hall ever proceeds, it will have 12 storeys plus a penthouse.)
Meanwhile, the King Charlotte website has been launched, signs advertising the project have been affixed to the exterior of 11 Charlotte, and a marketing sales campaign is in full swing. A “coming soon to King & Spadina” King Charlotte Condos flyer I received in the mail this week says prices start at $241,900 for a 1-bedroom unit, $327,900 for a 1-bedroom with den, $435,900 for a 2-bedroom, and $558,900 for a 3-bedroom suite.
Looks to me like Lamb and Clewes have another winner on their hands. Charlotte Street is an in-demand area for condo buyers (a friend of mine sold his condo on the street in mere days, for a hefty profit), and I’m sure this project will be another Entertainment District sales success. Below are photos, taken at various times over the past three years, of the King Charlotte site and its neighbours.
King Charlotte Condos development proposal sign
King Charlotte Condos website rendering of the outdoor swimming pool and terrace on the tower’s 33rd floor amenities area
November 29 2010: A view of 11 Charlotte Street; the CN Tower and the new condo M5V condo tower stand in the background. The King Charlotte building would, of course, block this Charlotte Street view of the CN Tower.
March 29 2011: A view of 11 Charlotte from the west side of the street
March 29 2011: The Mountain Equipment Co-Op store on King Street West will be King Charlotte’s next-door neighbour to the south.
March 29 2011: King Street view of the 11 Charlotte Street condo development site; the Mountain Equipment Co-Op store on King is the brick building at right.
March 11 2010: King Street West view toward Charlotte Street. The King Charlotte condo site is the white building with the turquoise sign on its roof (in the middle of the photo). The construction crane is building Charlie Condos at the corner of Charlotte and King; the Glas condominium midrise stands to its immediate north.
November 23 2010: Charlie Condos construction site and Glas Condos
March 29 2011: The Charlie Condos construction site, left, Glas condos, center, and The Charlotte condos on the west side of Charlotte Street north of King.
March 29 2011: Looking north on Charlotte Street toward Adelaide Street from outside the King Charlotte condo development site (right).
September 26 2008: The Langston Hall condo sales centre at the northwest corner of Charlotte Street and Adelaide Street West
September 26 2008: Adelaide Street West view down Charlotte Street towards the Langston Hall condo sales centre, The Charlotte Condos, and Glas Condos.
March 29 2011: The Capitol Building at 366 Adelaide Street West (also known as the Hobberlin Building, from 1920) faces directly down Charlotte Street.
March 29 2011: Adelaide Street view of the east side of Charlotte Street. The 8-storey brick building at left is the MacLean Building at 345 Adelaide Street West, a city-listed heritage property dating from 1914.
March 29 2011: This 4-storey brick warehouse building sits at 19 Charlotte, next to the King Charlotte site. It’s home to a billiard hall, restaurant and offices.
March 29 2011: 19 and 11 Charlotte Street, viewed from across the road
March 29 2011: Front view of the King Charlotte development site
March 29 2011: South side of the King Charlotte development site. A laneway runs between the building and the Mountain Equipment Co-Op store to the south.