Tag Archives: Lifetime Developments

The Yorkville Condominiums on the rise

November 19 2013: A view of construction progress on The Yorkville Condominiums, rising at the corner of Davenport Road and McMurrich Street

Climbing higher: Reconstruction of the Davenport Road & Bay Street intersection isn’t the only distraction for motorists driving through Yorkville these days — construction of The Yorkville Condominiums tower is changing the look and feel of the landscape, too.

Work on the building’s concrete frame has passed the 10 floor mark, bringing the structure nearly one-third of the way to its 31-storey final floorcount. Even with completion still a long ways off, the building already exerts a strong presence on Davenport Road, and is drawing some attention away from The Florian, a recently-finished condominium right next door to the west.

A project of Lifetime Developments, The Yorkville Condominiums was designed by Toronto’s Wallman Architects. The 233-suite project includes tower suites as well as six luxury townhomes along the McMurrich Street side of the property. The building interiors have been designed by Tomas Pearce Interior Design Consulting Inc., and renderings of their work for The Yorkville can be viewed on the firm’s website.

More photos of The Yorkville can be seen on page 2 of this post and in The Yorkville Condominiums album on thetorontoblog.com’s Flickr page.

This was how The Yorkville Condominiums site appeared only three years ago (November 1 2010, to be precise), before construction had commenced. The Florian condo tower next door was just halfway up, and several low-rise buildings still occupied The Yorkville’s prime corner site. Those buildings had formerly housed offices for the firm of Moriyama and Teshima Architects.

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X2 Condos turning heads at Jarvis & Charles

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April 17 2013: Construction of the X2 Condominium tower has climbed 5 floors on the way to 49, as seen in this view from the northwest on Charles Street. Click on the picture to view a larger-size image.

Eye catcher: When 2012 drew to a close, construction of the X2 Condos at the southwest corner of Jarvis & Charles Streets was just beginning to rise above the hoarding that blocked most of the site from the view of passing motorists and pedestrians. As New Year’s approached, a couple of support columns for the 49-storey tower’s ground floor were taking shape near the west end of the building site — the first signs of construction progress visible from street level.

With construction now up to five floors, passersby can’t help but notice the building — and get an early sense of the tremendous visual impact it will have in the Bloor-Jarvis neighbourhood once construction is complete.

I have walked past the X2 Condos site three times in the past two weeks, and on each occasion have noticed that the building is commanding considerable attention from people passing by both on foot and in vehicles. I saw pedestrians pause to watch the construction work, and noticed dozens of vehicle drivers and passengers checking out the site while waiting for traffic lights to change at the busy Jarvis-Charles-Mt Pleasant intersection.

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Former Alice Fazooli restaurant razed to make way for construction of The Bond condo tower

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October 4 2012: Hoarding protects the sidewalk alongside the former Entertainment District location of an Alice Fazooli’s restaurant at 294 Adelaide Street West …

… seen here on February 17 2011 before part of the restaurant building was converted into a presentation centre for The Bond Condominiums tower, which will be built on the site

October 1 2012: Demolition of the one-time restaurant building as seen from a parking lot next to the northwest side of the site …

… and through one of the building`s front windows, before the installation of protective hoarding blocked views of demolition work from the street

This building illustration appears on The Bond Condominiums website. Click on the image to view the rendering in a larger format.

This illustration, also from the project website, depicts a street-level view of The Bond’s podium. The building was designed by Toronto’s Core Architects Inc. Click on the illustration to view a larger-size image.

Adieu, Alice: I still recall fun times with family and friends at the former Alice Fazooli’s restaurant in the Entertainment District nearly a decade ago, so I wasn`t surprised to feel a tad nostalgic when I saw the building being smashed to smithereens this week, clearing the space for construction of a yet another condominium tower.

The once-popular restaurant site at 294 Adelaide Street West is being razed as preliminary construction work kicks off for The Bond Condominiums, a 40-storey condo tower that will take its place. Designed by Toronto’s Core Architects, The Bond is a project of Lifetime Developments. It will have 369 condos in studio plus 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom configurations, along with a collection of penthouse suites, an outdoor private terrace, and extensive indoor amenity spaces.

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Pit stop: X2 Condos parking floors filling in

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September 9 2012: Another underground parking level takes shape at the X2 Condos construction site at the southwest corner of Jarvis & Charles Streets. Nearly three of the building’s six below-grade levels have been constructed so far.

September 9 2012: A closer view of an underground floor taking form

September 9 2012: Rebar is being put in place to prepare for a concrete pour

September 9 201: Jarvis Street view of construction progress on the 49-storey tower.

A project of Great Gulf and Lifetime Developments, X2 Condos was designed by Toronto’s Rudy Wallman Architects Ltd. The tower will have 470 suites.

This artistic rendering, which appears on the project website, depicts a view of the 49-storey tower from the northeast.

X2 Condos will be a sister to the X Condominium tower on the north side of Charles Street (seen here in a view from the southeast on August 30 2011). The 44-storey X Condos, which opened for occupancy two years ago, was designed by architectsAlliance. Together, the developers say, X and X2 will stand as an eastern “gateway to Yorkville/Bloor.”

Pit stop: The Yorkville Condominiums tower site

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August 30 2012: North view across the excavation for The Yorkville Condominiums, a 31-storey tower being built at the NW corner of Davenport Road and McMurrich Street …

… seen here November 1 2010 when construction was just approaching the halfway mark on The Florian condo tower next door. This also was more than a year before low-rise buildings and trees were destroyed for pre-construction site preparation.

One up, one to go: Excavation work is in full swing for the second of two condo towers that will completely transform the look and feel of the curved north side of Davenport Road between Bay and McMurrich Streets in Yorkville.

As work on The Florian condos draws close to completion, crews are still digging out the adjacent site to the east where The Yorkville Condominiums, a 31-storey tower, will rise during the next two to three years. Several low-rise buildings once occupied the corner property, including the former offices of Moriyama and Teshima Architects.

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Demolition of rear half of 1873-era heritage house heralds construction start for Karma condo tower

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August 27 2012: Formerly a surface parking lot, the 9-21 Grenville Street site for the Karma condo tower has been fenced off for the past several weeks …

… and work to prepare the site for construction of the 50-storey tower has finally started with the demolition of the rear half of the heritage house at 21 Grenville …

… seen here on March 12 2011. The front half of the 139-year-old building will be relocated to the northeast corner of the property and incorporated into the condo development.

This artistic rendering, from the Karma condos website, shows how the heritage house will be positioned beside the northeast corner of the sleek glass tower …

… which will contain 495 units and soar 50 storeys near the northwest corner of Yonge and College Streets. Karma was designed by architectsAlliance.

Construction karma: Demolition work on a brick house dating back to the early 1870s has signalled the long-awaited start of construction on the Karma condo tower near the northwest corner of Yonge and College Streets.

When I passed the Karma site this afternoon, I saw that the rear half of the John Irwin House, a city-designated heritage building, has been demolished. The 2 1/2-storey house was built around 1873 as a residence for John Irwin, a local contractor and municipal politician who developed a series of properties along Grenville Street. The house was added to the city’s list of heritage properties in 2007. A city background file, prepared as part of the listing process, explained that the property has cultural heritage value “as one of the last surviving examples of a house form building in this area, and for its Second Empire stylistic features.”

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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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Crews digging deep for X2 Condos foundation

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January 1 2012: A New Year’s Day view of the deep excavation pit for X2 Condos, looking west from the sidewalk along Jarvis Street

February 5 2011: An excavating machine sits idle in the muddy soil near the western end of the deep rectangular pit…

… but in just four days it has dug several feet deeper …

… and on February 11 gets some assistance moving a mound of earth

Crane coming soon?: Every time I walk past the X2 Condos building site — which lately has been about four times a week — I expect to see a construction crane rising from the deep excavation at the southwest corner of Jarvis and Charles Streets.

In early January, one of the construction crew told me that workers had to excavate just 20 more feet of soil, after which time a 6-foot-thick slab of concrete would be poured throughout the bottom of the pit to create the base for the 49-storey building foundation. Once the concrete had cured, the crane would be installed. That would take place sometime in January, the construction worker said.

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Neighbourhood Watch: Condo construction activity in downtown’s King & Bathurst area (Part 1)

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July 17 2011: The 9-storey King Street facade of Six50 King West

Good fits?: They’re not skyscrapers, but the collection of low- and midrise condo buildings under construction on Adelaide, King and Wellington Streets, between Spadina Avenue and Bathurst Street, are significantly transforming the vibrant west downtown neighbourhood nonetheless. Rising above, between and behind the old brick warehouse buildings that are characteristic of the area, they’re adding contemporary style, colour and flair — along with expensive “to die for” designer penthouses — to the once-gritty and now hot & trendy district.

I manage to visit what some call the “Central King West” area about once or twice a season. I still enjoy its general look and and atmosphere, and find it’s still a comfortable area to walk around. Although some of the new buildings do appear to loom rather large next to their neighbours, they don’t seem overwhelming or out of scale for the streets. So far, at least, the area hasn’t developed the sterile and impersonal “condo canyon” feel or annoying wind tunnel conditions of Bay Street and other downtown streets that keep sprouting skyscrapers. But since some of the projects are only in early stages of construction (three are still below grade, while one is just beginning to break ground), and just as many more are in the development pipeline, it’s possible my impressions of the neighbourhood could change significantly in several years’ time. Until then, I’m sure I’ll find it interesting to keep tracking the progress with each changing season. Below are photos I’ve taken recently of several different condo projects. Photos of additional neighbourhood projects will appear in Part 2.

Lofts 399 at 399 Adelaide Street West

A project of Cresford Developments, Lofts 399 is being built on the south side of Adelaide Street between the two Quad Lofts condos, and will sit back-to-back to the new Victory Condos on King West. My February 20 2011 post has several photos showing earlier construction progress at Lofts 399 and its proximity to the other condos.

From the Lofts 399 project website, an artistic rendering of how the 10-storey, 173-unit building will look when viewed from Adelaide Street.

July 17 2011: Looking from west to east across the Lofts 399 site

July 17 2011: The Lofts 399 foundation begins to take shape

July 17 2011: Looking along the south wall of the Lofts 399 site

July 17 2011: A closer view of the bottom underground level. Lofts 399 will have four floors of below-grade parking.

July 17 2011: Looking across the site toward Adelaide Street West

Victory Condominiums on King

This project by BLVD Developments is approaching completion on the north side of King Street just west of Spadina Avenue. Designed by Rudy Wallman of Toronto’s Wallman Architects, the L-shaped building is 12 storeys tall and has 175 units. My March 13 2011 post and my January 15 2011 post both include photos of Victory during earlier stages of construction.

From the Lifetime Developments website, an artistic rendering of the Victory Condominiums on King West building designed by Toronto architect Rudy Wallman

July 17 2011 : A street-level view of Victory Condos on King West

July 17 2011: The south side of Victory Condos, viewed from across King Street

July 17 2011: Balconies, windows and brickwork on the south facade

July 17 2011: Victory viewed from the southwest on King Street

July 17 2011: Victory Condos offers six penthouse suites. The smallest is an 800-square-foot 2-bedroom unit with 80-square-foot balcony; it was priced at $706,900. The largest is a 2,545-square-foot residence with a 530-square-foot balcony. It carried the eye-popping pricetag of $2,219,900.

July 17 2011: Victory rises behind the brick building at 500 King Street West

July 17 2011: Victory viewed from the intersection of King & Brant Streets

July 17 2011: Another view of Victory from Brant & King

July 17 2011: The upper four floors of south-facing balconies

Fashion House Condos on King West

One of several Freed Developments projects in the popular Central King West neighbourhood, Fashion House Condos was designed by Toronto’s Core Architects Inc. Its red colour accents and striking design are definitely going to make a bold architectural fashion statement on the street. As described on the project website: “a stunning 12-storey glass and steel staircase tower, the intricate platform design sets the stage for large terraces and balconies, while the glass showcases the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.” The 334-unit building is 85% sold. Photos of earlier construction progress at Fashion House can be seen in my April 2 2011 post and in my January 24 2011 post.

From the Fashion House Condos website, an artistic rendering of how the building will look when viewed from the south side of King Street

July 17 2011: King Street view of excavation progress at the Fashion House site

July 17 2011: Looking down on the southeast corner of the construction site

July 17 2011: Looking northwest across the construction site

July 20 2011: Excavation progress viewed from Morrison Street to the northeast

July 17 2011: Overlooking the excavation from the northeast corner of the site

July 20 2011: Morrison Street view toward the south side of the excavation

July 20 2011: A construction worker takes a rest on a woodpile in the pit

Six50 King West Condominiums at King & Bathurst

Another successful (80% sold) project by Freed Developments, Six50 King West is a 236-unit two-building complex with frontage on both King Street and Bathurst Street. The Bathurst wing will be the tallest, rising 15 floors, while the King section will have nine storeys. Like Fashion House, Six50 was designed by Core Architects Inc. Photos of earlier stages of construction can be viewed in my March 30 2011 post and in my January 20 2011 post.

From the Six50 King West condo project website, an artistic rendering of the two-building complex that will front on both Bathurst (left) and King Streets (right)

July 17 2011: Street-level view of the King side of the two-building complex

July 17 2011: The glass-fronted upper floors of the King Street building

July 17 2011: Northeast view of the building during streetcar track replacement work on King Street West

July 17 2011: Northeasterly view of the upper levels of the King Street wing

July 20 2011: Bathurst Street view of construction progress on the west wing

July 20 2011: West sides of the complex viewed from Bathurst Street

July 20 2011: The west wing will rise 15 storeys above Bathurst Street

July 20 2011: Adelaide Street view of the north and east sides of Six50 King West

July 17 2011: Balconies on the northeast side of the Six50 King complex

July 20 2011: Another view of balconies on the east side of the condo complex

July 20 2011: Balconies and windows at the northeast corner of the building

Thompson Residences on King Street West

Freed strikes condo gold — again. Thompson Residences is yet another Freed Developments project on the Central King West strip, just a stone’s throw from its hip Thompson Hotel & condo complex that opened at 550 Wellington Street West in 2010 (and scored a coveted spot on Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s Hot List Hotels 2011). According to the project website, Thompson Residences will offer “hotel inspired living” in 314 luxury condos, lofts and penthouses “loaded with the amenities and services of a top-tier hotel” — along with access to the Thompson Hotel on the other side of Stewart Street to the south. As such, it will be the polar opposite to the former motor hotel that once occupied the site at 621 King Street West.

For this project, Freed chose Saucier + Perrotte Architectes of Montreal, whose design for the 12-storey Residences (actually, two separate buildings situated parallel to each other) is described at length in a February 18 2010 Globe and Mail column by John Bentley Mays. But Freed had to battle the City for approval to build as high as it planned. City zoning permitted a maximum height of 20 meters for the site, but the Thompson Residences buildings will stand 36 and 40 meters tall, respectively. The height dispute wound up at the Ontario Municipal Board, which sided with Freed, and now the project is proceeding. (A short online story in the Toronto Star described the dispute and its outcome, as did a more extensive February 25 2011 Globe and Mail article available to online subscribers.)

Below are several photos showing the Thompson Residences site while the property was occupied by the condo project sales centre after the motel was demolished, and with recent pictures showing some preliminary site preparation and excavation activity.

From the Thompson Residences project website, an artistic rendering of the condominium, designed by Montreal’s Saucier + Perrotte Architectes

March 11 2010: The Thompson Residences site on King east of Bathurst Street. The Thompson Hotel complex at 550 Wellington Street stands at rear left.

November 23 2010: Sandwich board sign outside the showroom

January 14 2011: The Thompson Residences showroom reflects buildings on the north side of King Street in this view, looking east along King

January 14 2011: The old motel sign was re-purposed for the condo project

June 21 2011: Looking west along King Street at the Thompson Residences site

June 21 2011: Preliminary site preparation work is underway

June 21 2011: An excavating machine digging at the west end of site

June 21 2011: Marketing signs on hoarding along the east end of the property

July 17 2011: Looking across King Street toward the Thompson Residences site

July 17 2011: Looking toward the west half of the construction site

July 17 2011: Excavation work continuing at the west end of the property

July 17 2011: Two excavation machines at work on the site

July 17 2011: The Thompson hotel and condo complex on Stewart Street is visible across the Thompson Residences site

July 17 2011: A mound of demolition rubble at the east end of the property

52-storey condo tower proposed for Grenville St. parking lot site near Yonge & College Streets

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A northwest view of the proposed condo tower site at 9 – 21 Grenville Street on March 12 2011. Toronto police headquarters is the blue-domed building at left. In the middle background is the 35-storey Murano north condo tower.

The condo development site viewed from Grenville Street, looking southeast, on March 12 2011. At left is the 2 Carlton Street office building; in the middle background are The Met condo towers on Carlton Street.

Grenville Street view of the development site, looking south on January 10 2011. The College Park office, condo and retail complex is just half a block to the south.

The proposed 52-storey condo building would tower above the northwest corner of Yonge and College Streets, seen here March 12 2011. The beige building at the left is The Gallery, a 27-storey apartment highrise at 25 Grenville Street.

Will Grenville Street grow up? What is now a side street parking lot near police headquarters could become the second-highest building in the Yonge & College area if Lifetime Developments gets City approval for its latest condo tower development proposal.

Lifetime wants to construct a 52-storey condo on the south side of Grenville Street, just a stone’s throw west of Yonge Street. The development is planned for properties at 9 – 21 Grenville Street, currently occupied by a parking lot and a three-storey brick heritage house.

Lifetime’s tower would rise 167 meters to the top of its penthouse-level mechanical facility, and would have 438 residential units in bachelor, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom configurations. Part of the heritage building would be incorporated into the condo complex and would hold 120 square meters of retail space. There would be five levels of underground parking for vehicles and bicycles.

The condo would rise in a prime downtown location less than a block from the Carlton streetcar route and the College station on the Yonge subway line. At 167 meters, it would become the neighbourhood’s second-tallest tower (the 75-storey Aura condo, currently under construction just one block to the south at College Park, will stand 264 meters).

9 Grenville’s height, which is more than 3.5 times as tall as city zoning presently allows for the area, is just one element of the proposal with which municipal planning officials and neighbourhood groups take issue. A background file prepared for the Toronto and East York Community Council lists 15 different concerns with the proposal, including height, density, parking, heritage and traffic impacts, mix of unit sizes and the building’s relation to the streetscape.

Meanwhile, the neighbourhood’s Bay Cloverhill Community Association identified numerous practical issues that it planned to raise at a community consultation meeting last month.

Below are building elevation and site plan drawings that had been submitted to the City planning department, along with recent photos I’ve taken of the proposed tower site and surrounding area.

Condo tower development proposal sign posted at 9 Grenville Street

North and east elevation drawings for the proposed condo tower

Site plan drawing for proposed 9 Grenville Street condo tower

Grenville Street view of the proposed tower site on November 15 2010

Grenville Street southeast view of the site on November 15 2010

The eastern half of the site, seen here on January 10 2011. The historic College Park building is visible on College Street just half a block south.

A January 10 2011 view of the heritage building at 21 Grenville St.

The designated heritage building at 21 Grenville Street, the John Irwin House, was built in 1873. The front half would be kept as part of the condo complex.

The development site viewed from the north side of Grenville St.

The parking lot where the tower would rise, seen here on January 10 2011

Wood Street westerly view toward the proposed condo site on March 12 2011. The 52-storey tower would rise directly in front of the beige apartment building, which has no windows on either its east or left walls.

Yonge Street view down Grenville Street on March 12 2011. From left are an office tower at College Park, a two-storey office building with an RBC bank branch, The Gallery apartment building, the 45-storey Murano South condo tower, the 16- storey Peregrine Co-Op apartments, and the 21-storey George Drew Building (the Ontario Coroner’s headquarters on Grosvenor Street).

Another view from Yonge Street toward the proposed development site

Looking west from the corner of Yonge and Grenville Streets

The 9 Grenville site viewed from the corner of Grenville Street and St Luke Laneway on March 12 2011

St Luke Laneway view of the proposed condo tower site, looking northwest

St Luke Laneway view of the site, looking to the west

The three-storey half of the heritage building would be incorporated into the condo development, but the rear half would be demolished.

Northeast view from the back corner of the parking lot at 9 Grenville.

The Peregrine Co-Op apartment building on the north side of Grenville St.

Keeping tabs on … M5V condos on King West

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M5V condo tower viewed from Clarence Square Park January 14 2011

Big Red Box: I have to be honest: I keep confusing the M5V Condominium tower on King Street West with Boutique Condo at the corner of Simcoe and Nelson Streets, a few blocks to the east. In fact, I have nearly mislabelled photos of the two towers while organizing my pictures. Though they’re products of completely different designers, builders and developers, they’re both tall glass boxes with what I consider quite similar designs — particularly up top.

What does distinguish them, however, are the splashes of colour on the north and west facades of M5V’s tower and podium. And I never mistake M5V when viewing the tower from the north or the west: there’s just no way to miss the distinctive big red box that sits nearly halfway up the 34-storey tower’s northwest corner. (It houses the building’s mechanical room and rainwater retrieval system.)

M5V is drawing closer to completion, and the project website says that building occupancy is scheduled for June. I’m anxious to see the hoarding come down from the front of the tower, so I can see and feel how the building contributes to the King West streetscape. Shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for that.

M5V is a project of Lifetime Developments and TAS DesignBuild. There’s more information and photos of M5V on the project website as well as on the M5V section of the TAS website.

Below are some photos I’ve taken of M5V at different stages of construction in recent months; there are more pics in the M5V album on the Photo Sets page of the blog.

The big red box that houses the M5V condo tower’s mechanical room

November 2 2010: CN Tower view of M5V Condominium building

November 2 2010: CN Tower view of M5V’s upper floors and roof

November 29 2010: Charlotte Street view of the CN Tower and M5V Condo tower

November 29 2010: Coloured window panels on north wall of M5V condo tower

November 29 2011: Another Charlotte Street view of M5V

November 29 2011: Looking up from corner of King & Charlotte Streets

November 29 2011: Tower viewed from the north side of King Street

November 29 2011: A view of the 8-storey podium above King Street

November 29 2011: Looking up at the big red box mechanical room

January 14 2011: M5V viewed through the bare trees at Clarence Square park

January 14 2011: The upper floors of the tower’s west side

January 14 2011: M5V condo tower viewed from the southwest on Front Street

February 17 2011: The street level hoarding I can’t wait to see dismantled

February 17 2011: Another view of M5V, this time looking west along King Street

February 17 2011: The M5V tower on a dull, overcast afternoon

31-storey copper-toned condo tower aims to draw Yorkville district’s golden glow to Davenport Road

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Artistic rendering of The Yorkville Condominiums, a 31-storey luxury tower proposed for the corner of Davenport Road and McMurrich Street.

More new digs for Dav: The drab two-block stretch of Davenport Road between Yonge and Bay Streets keeps improving, slowly but surely.

At Yonge, the wedge-shaped parcel of land dividing Davenport from Scollard Street brightened up a bit when the Lotus condominium opened in 2008. Sadly, it took more than two years before work finally finished on a new public square in the awkward triangle at the front of the condo highrise. Paving stones, landscaping, lighting and benches weren’t installed until late summer 2010, but the narrow, long parkette instantly became a huge hit with the local pigeon population.

Meanwhile, The Florian luxury condo has been under construction just a short distance away, where Davenport twists to the northwest at its intersection with Bay. Once the location of an Infinity dealership and a Premier fitness club, the elegant 90-suite Florian promises to class up the corner with its gracefully curved brick and glass facade.

Now, Lifetime Developments has proposed a new neighbour for the site immediately east of The Florian, currently the offices of Moriyama and Teshima Architects. Lifetime’s latest venture, The Yorkville Condominiums, will be a 31-storey glass condo tower with six “executive” townhouses at the corner of Davenport and McMurrich Street. The project is being designed by Rudy Wallman of Wallman Architects, who also designed the Victory Condos development on King Street West that I profiled in a post several days ago.

So far, I’m ambivalent about his design for The Yorkville, though I admit the only drawing I’ve seen is the one displayed on its website and marketing materials (and shown at the top of this post). First time I saw it, I loved the building … but the more I look at it, the more I wonder if it’s just the artist’s choice of colours that appeal to me. At times, I think some elements of the tower — particularly the roof, the five floors that angle out from the south face of the tower, and the long rectangular gold stripe of glass down the east wall — are merely bold, attention-seeking design gimmicks that scream “Look at me!” Other times, I think those very same features look cool, and give the tower a distinctive appearance.

Maybe I’ll make up my mind once I see more renderings or models. Most likely, this is a building I’ll have to see in finished form before I can tell if I truly like it or not. Either way, I do think The Yorkville will improve this part of Davenport Road and enhance the neighbourhood, so I’ll be happy to see it go up.

Below are some photos I snapped of the proposed development site recently, along with a pic of the pigeon parkette at Lotus.

Development proposal sign outside the Moriyama and Teshima building

November 1 2010 view of The Yorkville Condominiums project site

November 1 2010 view of the corner of Davenport Road & McMurrich Street

January 9 2011 view of The Yorkville Condominiums proposed site

The Florian under construction next to The Yorkville site on Davenport Road

Pigeons enjoying the new parkette at Lotus condominium

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Building Boom.

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Tag Archives: Lifetime Developments

The Yorkville Condominiums on the rise

X2 Condos turning heads at Jarvis & Charles

Former Alice Fazooli restaurant razed to make way for construction of The Bond condo tower

Pit stop: X2 Condos parking floors filling in

Pit stop: The Yorkville Condominiums tower site

Demolition of rear half of 1873-era heritage house heralds construction start for Karma condo tower

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

Crews digging deep for X2 Condos foundation

Neighbourhood Watch: Condo construction activity in downtown’s King & Bathurst area (Part 1)

52-storey condo tower proposed for Grenville St. parking lot site near Yonge & College Streets

Keeping tabs on … M5V condos on King West

31-storey copper-toned condo tower aims to draw Yorkville district’s golden glow to Davenport Road

Tracking Downtown Toronto's AmazingBuilding Boom.

Tracking Downtown Toronto's Amazing
Building Boom.