Above is a link to my February 2013 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album directly on Flickr and see full-size photos and captions.
Above is a link to my December 2012 Flickr album of building and construction photos I shot during walks in the downtown area. Click once on the image to view a small-format slideshow of the pictures, or click twice to access the album and see full-size photos and captions.
December 30 2012: Church Street view of construction progress on The Milan Condominium, which has climbed more than 15 floors near the northeast corner of the Church Street-Yonge Street-Davenport Road intersection. Only 8 months ago …
… construction was just beginning to approach ground level at the east end of the project site, formerly occupied by a parking lot for the Canadian Tire flagship store on Yonge Street (white building at rear left)
May 6 2012: Looking toward the Church-Yonge-Davenport intersection of Yorkville from the east end of The Milan Condominium construction site
Steady climb: The Milan Condominium continues to make its mark in Yorkville. As the tower steadily climbs taller on a former parking lot site near the northeast corner of Yonge and Church Streets, it is completely changing the look and feel of the area in the process.
Construction was still below grade last May, but during the summer the building began making its presence felt as The Milan’s podium reached three levels on its way to eight. The tower has since passed 15 floors, and now commands attention from the east, north and west. I have crossed the Church-Yonge-Davenport intersection several times in the past two weeks, and on each occasion have overheard other pedestrians making positive comments about how different the corner looks with The Milan on the rise. (I haven’t heard any negative feedback about the building, but have heard passersby remark that it’s a huge improvement over the unsightly parking facility that previously occupied the site.)
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August 6 2012: Construction of the third above-ground level of The Milan Condominium viewed from the southeast on Church Street
August 6 2012: View from the southeast corner of Yonge & Church Streets. Construction of the tower’s 4th floor gets underway as building forms are placed at the northwest corner.
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July 29 2012 view of The Milan from the west along Davenport Road
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New landmark: The Church-Yonge-Davenport intersection in Yorkville is taking on a whole new look as construction of The Milan Condominium commences its steady, gradual climb above street level.
For decades, the intersection was instantly identifiable by two familiar landmarks: the flagship Canadian Tire store and gas bar on the northeast corner, and the 94-year-old Masonic Temple (now production studios and offices for MTV Canada) on the northwest. But as The Milan tower makes its ascent, some pedestrians and motorists are getting a bit confused about where they are.
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May 5 2011: The 46-storey Casa condo on Charles Street West, viewed from a driveway between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo (left) and the St Charles Court apartment building (right)
May 5 2011: looking up at the L-shaped Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower
May 5 2011: Balconies on the west side of Bloor Street Neighbourhood
May 5 2011: South view toward the Casa condo tower from a driveway linking Hayden Street and Charles Street between the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower and Charles Court apartments
May 5 2011: Pedestrians take a short-cut north to Hayden Street along the driveway between the Charles Court apartments (left) and the Bloor Street Neighbourhood condo tower
May 6 2011: A driveway just two vehicles wide is all that separates The Uptown Residences (left) and Crystal Blu Condos, new condo towers on Balmuto Street
May 6 2011: Construction on the exterior of The Uptown Residences is complete — except for the condo tower’s main entrance on Balmuto Street
May 6 2011: Construction of the Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences, viewed from outside The Uptown Residences
May 6 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences viewed from Balmuto Street
April 30 2011: Four Seasons Toronto Hotel + Residences tower viewed from the northwest corner of Bloor and St Thomas Streets
May 5 2011: Four Seasons Hotel + Residences Toronto construction viewed from Church Street near Park Road
April 23 2011: Looking south at the excavation progress for the Milan condo tower under construction at Yonge & Church
April 23 2011: View toward the southeast corner of the Milan condo tower excavation site, from the Canadian Tire store parking lot next door
April 23 2011: Deep excavation in the site’s southeast corner on Church Street
April 23 2011: Excavation activity near the Yonge subway line at the north side of the Milan condo tower construction site
April 23 2011: The Milan condo tower excavation entrance ramp off Church Street
May 5 2011: A view of the Milan excavation from the site’s southeast corner on Church Street, as a subway train passes the east side of the construction area.
May 5 2011: Church Street view through security fencing toward the northeast corner of the Milan condo tower construction site
May 5 2011: Looking north from Church Street toward the Canadian Tire store next to the Milan condo construction zone
May 5 2011: view toward the east side of the Milan site from the Church Street construction entrance ramp
May 5 2011: Church Street view of the Milan site, looking northeast
April 30 2011: Construction progress at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from Charles Street
April 30 2011: Seventy Seven Charles West condos viewed from the corner of St Thomas and Charles Streets
April 30 2011: Looking south on St Thomas Street at the Seventy Seven Charles West condos
April 22 2011: A window washer descends the south side of the 29-storey One St Thomas condo tower, which sits directly across Charles Street from the Seventy Seven Charles west condo construction site
April 22 2011: The cleaner works his way down the limestone-clad wall
April 22 2011: His job perk is a view inside some of the city’s most exclusive luxury condos
April 22 2011: The tower, which evokes highrise buildings from 1920s and 1930s-era New York City, was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects
May 6 2011: Hoarding is installed along St Nicholas Street and heavy machinery positioned on St Mary Street as crews prepare to demolish buildings where the Nicholas Residences condo tower will be constructed
May 6 2011: This building was formerly home to Regis College, the Jesuit Graduate Faculty of Theology at the University of Toronto. The interior has been gutted, and demolition of the brick exterior is imminent
May 6 2011: Nicholas will rise 35 storeys next to the Church of Scientology Toronto building, left, at the corner of Yonge & St Mary Streets
April 30 2011: Bay Street view of excavation progress at the U Condos construction site, looking northwest toward hoarding along St Mary Street. The construction crane for the Seventy Seven Charles West condo building rises behind Loretto College, the 6-storey brick building toward the upper left of the photo.
April 30 2011: Looking from Bay Street toward excavation machinery at the northwest corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011: A shoring machine on the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 A steel I-beam sunk into the ground to help shore up the huge U Condos site for excavation and foundation construction
April 30 2011: Southward view from St Mary Street of excavation progress on the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southeast corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011 St Mary Street view toward the southwest corner of the U Condos construction site
April 30 2011: A shoring machine in the SW corner of the U Condos site
Earth mover in the muck at the Milan condo tower excavation
Church Street view of the Milan condo excavation, looking northeast
Canadian Tire parking lot view of the Milan condo excavation, looking south
Messy mass of muck: At a property on the north end of Church Street, where the road makes a long sweeping curve to the northwest as it approaches Yonge Street, crews spent the entire winter digging out — literally. And they’re nowhere near finished yet. But it isn’t snow they’ve been shovelling; Toronto didn’t get much of the white stuff over the winter. Instead, the workers have been moving muddy brown earth by the truckload as they excavate the site where the Conservatory Group’s 37-storey Milan condominium tower will be built.
Designed by E.I. Richmond Architects Inc., the condo complex will occupy a wedge-shaped parcel of land bordered by the Canadian Tire store to the north and west, Church Street to the south, and the Yonge subway line to the east.
Below is a tower rendering from a billboard outside the Milan condo sales centre, along with another rendering — from the Milan website — suggesting how the condo’s podium rooftop terrace will look. There’s also a series of photos I’ve taken at the Milan site over the past three years, along with recent pics of some of Milan’s neighbours.
This rendering of the Milan condo tower appears on the exterior of the sales centre on Yonge Street. The condo tower will rise from a long podium that will stretch along the north side of Church Street.
Architectural rendering of Milan’s podium rooftop terrace
December 3 2008: Milan condo site viewed from Church Street looking north
December 3 2008: Milan billboard on the condo tower site
December 3 2008: Milan condo location viewed from Church Street looking north. A pay parking lot occupied the site until construction commenced
This notice, seen in September 2008, was posted next to the Milan site on Church Street for several years. If I recall correctly, stiff neighbourhood opposition to the two buildings originally proposed by a developer led city council to approve construction of only one taller tower instead
This sign also stood on Church Street next to the Milan site. My understanding is that, in the early 2000s, developers proposed building a complex of several condo towers and townhouses on the lands occupied by the big Canadian Tire store as well as on the parking area where Milan currently is under construction. However, Canadian Tire ultimately decided to retain and renovate its Yonge Street store instead, and sold off the parking lot property. Now only one tower is being built
December 3 2008: The Milan condo sales office in the two-storey building at left, and the Canadian Tire gas bar at the corner of Yonge & Church
December 3 2008: Milan will rise on the gas depot’s right side
July 25 2010: The parking lot has been closed and fenced off so the site can be prepared for excavation and construction of the condo tower
July 25 2010: Rubble remaining from structures demolished on the condo site. The Canadian Tire store and its parking lot are visible to the north
July 25 2010: Northeast view of demolition activity. A subway train can be seen passing the property (upper middle of the photo) along the Yonge subway line
November 1 2010: Preliminary site excavation work has begun
November 1 2010: Preliminary excavation work at the site’s northeast corner
November 1 2010: Pile driving and excavation equipment at work
November 1 2010: Eastward view toward the Milan site from a new parkette in front of the Lotus condo tower on Davenport Road at Yonge Street
January 9 2011: Eastward view of the Milan condo tower excavation
January 9 2011: Southeasterly view of the Milan condo excavation
January 9 2011: Snow-covered excavation at the west end of the site
March 16 2011: Excavation progress at the southeast corner of the site
March 16 2011: Excavation progress at the southeast corner of the site
March 16 2011: A sea of mud stretches all the way to the west end of the site next to the gas bar on Yonge Street, visible at the top left
March 16 2011: From Church Street, the Milan property slopes toward the TTC subway tracks and Aylmer Avenue in the Rosedale ravine
March 16 2011: The excavation is deepest on the north edge of the site
March 16 2011: The subway tracks run along on the other side of the wall
March 16 2011: Milan site looking northeast toward Rosedale
March 16 2011: Truck ramp from Church Street to the bottom of the pit
March 16 2011: Boots box in a muddy pit
March 16 2011: The ramp from the Church Street construction entrance
March 16 2011: Machines and equipment at the bottom of the ramp
March 16 2011: The deep pit below the Canadian Tire gas station
March 16 2011: The Milan excavation, looking south toward Church Street
March 16 2011: Foundation building machine at the bottom of the pit
March 16 2011: An earth mover in a muddy pool of water in the pit
March 16 2011: The entrance to the subway tunnel leading to the Bloor-Yonge subway station can be seen at the top left corner
March 16 2011: Canadian Tire view toward the Milan location
Milan’s neighbours to the south and east include several condo and apartment buildings, as well as The Bay and CIBC office towers at Yonge & Bloor (rear right)
March 16 2011: Canadian Tire southeast view of the Milan location
The Toronto Reference Library is situated directly across Church Street from Milan; the office towers at Bloor & Yonge are just a short walk south
March 16 2011: Davenport Road view toward the Milan site. The 37-storey condo tower will dominate this view once construction is complete
March 16 2011: One of Milan’s neighbours will be the MTV studios in the historic Masonic Temple building on the corner of Yonge Street and Davenport Road
Milan’s neighbours to the west are the two Four Seasons Toronto hotel and condo towers currently under construction (left), and the Lotus condos (right)