A light layer of snow covers the sharply-angled east side of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal on January 21 2012. Designed by “starchitect” Daniel Libeskind, the glass and aluminum-clad extension to the Royal Ontario Museum slices into the sky above Bloor Street. Below are several more wintertime views of the Crystal.
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July 3 2011: The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) on Bloor Street sports a giant rainbow flag to celebrate Toronto Pride
Architectural rendering supplied by Exhibit Residences suggests how the condo tower will appear when viewed from Philosopher’s Walk south of Bloor Street
Culture, condos and controversy: During the past 10 years, major building projects for cultural institutions and condos have captured public attention and sparked considerable controversy and criticism on the Bloor Street block between Avenue Road and Bedford Road. Now, a stunning new highrise condo project, Exhibit Residences, is set to keep the busy east-west corridor in the public eye — and quite possibly stir up some more civic consternation in the process. Essentially four stacked cubes, three of which rotate slightly from the base, the 32-storey Exhibit Residences condo tower resembles a skyscraper version of a shimmering glass Rubic’s Cube. Though the condo project is still in the sales phase (its presentation centre has just opened in Yorkville), the tower’s distinctive design means Exhibit Residences is destined to turn heads on Bloor Street both during construction and long after afterwards. That’s no mean feat, considering the stiff architectural “competition” nearby, especially the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal directly across the street.
This particular block of Bloor has been a busy hub of building activity for a decade. But the growth, and some of the architectural design, has drawn mixed and sometimes highly-charged negative reaction from the public. Change started on the south side of the street when the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) launched its “Renaissance ROM renovation and expansion project” and hired internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind to design the Crystal — a building addition featuring spectacular new gallery space and a dramatic Bloor Street entrance. Evocative of giant ice crystals bursting through the brown brick façade of the original 1914 neo-Romanesque museum’s north wall, The Crystal celebrated its official opening during a massive street party on June 2 2007. Controversial from the start, the Crystal has become one of the city’s top “either love it or hate it” buildings, its design derided by many Toronto residents and visitors while lauded by others, including Conde Nast Traveler magazine, which named it one of “The new seven wonders of the world” in April 2008.
Meanwhile, right next door, the venerable Royal Conservatory of Music engaged in an extensive renovation and expansion project of its own, building its Telus Centre for Performance and Learning. Designed by Toronto’s Kuwabara, Payne, McKenna, Blumberg Architects, the Telus Centre gave the RCM two brand-new performance venues as well as new academic classroom and studio facilities. The academic wing opened in September 2008, while the grand 1,135-seat Koerner concert hall debuted to wide critical acclaim in 2009.
On the north side of Bloor, eyes have focussed on highrise condo construction rather than cultural icons. The first residential tower to rise on the block was another Kuwabara, Payne, McKenna, Blumberg-designed building — One Bedford, at the northeast corner of Bloor and Bedford Road. Like the ROM’s Crystal, the One Bedford project encountered controversy from the start. Many Annex residents initially opposed the 32-storey luxury condo tower in part because they believed its height and size were simply too big for the area. Now partially occupied after more than three years of construction, One Bedford seems, to me at least, to fit quite nicely into the neighbourhood; it will enhance the Annex gateway even more once work finishes on its exterior landscaping and Bedford Road courtyard entrance. In the middle of the block, the slender 19-storey Museum House on Bloor luxury condo highrise has topped off, and looks more complete each day as window installation approaches the penthouse level. By the time Museum House is finished construction and its exclusive, posh suites are fully occupied, preliminary construction work could be ready to start on Exhibit Residences.
A development project by the Bazis, Metropia and Plaza corporations, Exhibit will rise immediately to the east of Museum House, occupying several adjacent sites currently home to retail shops and restaurants, including a popular McDonald’s outlet. That particular property has a history of controversy, too. Once owned by the City of Toronto, the site was sold to McDonald’s for a bargain price of $3.38 million; the restaurant chain re-sold the land to Bazis International Inc., the developer of Exhibit. Details of the dispute over that contentious real estate transaction are outlined in a March 6 2008 story in the Toronto Star.
Designed by Rosario Varacalli of Toronto’s r. Varacalli Architect, Exhibit will cut a striking figure with its stacked cube shape, wrap-around windows and fritted-glass balcony panels. But the dramatic design isn’t the only intriguing element of the tower. Since it’s going up next to the Bloor subway line, the tower’s parking area must be built above-ground. Since the parking floors will be situated in Cube One (the bottom cube), residents in the lower tower section will enjoy “the unique convenience of above-ground parking on the same level as their suite,” the Exhibit Residences website notes. For some residents, it might actually be easier to leave the building by car than by foot! Although that’s bound to please some condo purchasers, some people are quite unhappy about the tower’s height; namely, heritage groups and activists who have been fighting to preserve vistas of the Ontario Legislature building at Queen’s Park to the south. They fear that, when seen from as far south as Queen Street, the Exhibit tower will appear to loom largely behind the Queen’s Park silhouette, spoiling northward views of the historic government building. Whether or not their fears are justified will become apparent in a couple of years once construction approaches the tower’s top cube.
Below are some photos of the Exhibit Residences location on Bloor, along with a tower rendering that appears on the project website.
April 1 2011: Exhibit Residences on Bloor condo tower development site
April 1 2011: The Exhibit Residences billboard was installed earlier this month after signs for the building’s prior retail occupants were removed.
April 1 2011: The McDonald’s property was owned by the City of Toronto until 2008, when it was sold to the restaurant company for $3.38 million.
April 1 2011: A view toward the Exhibit Residences development site from one block north on Prince Arthur Avenue in the East Annex. Exhibit will rise to the left of the Museum House on Bloor condo tower currently under construction.
January 9 2011: Bloor Street at Avenue Road view of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, left, One Bedford condo tower, rear right, and Museum House on Bloor condo construction, center right.
February 12 2011: Bloor Street view toward the Exhibit Residences site
February 12 2011: The controversial McDonald’s property and adjacent sites on which the Exhibit Residences tower will be built
November 1 2010: The main Royal Conservatory of Music building and its new Telus Centre on Bloor Street. The RCM sits next door to the Royal Ontario Museum, and directly across the street from the One Bedford condo tower.
January 19 2011: A view of Queen’s Park and towers on Bloor Street. One Bedford looms 32 storeys to the left of the historic Ontario Legislature building, while the construction crane indicates where Museum House on Bloor will reach 19 stories. Exhibit Residences will soar 32 stories in between. Heritage activists worry that tall towers planned for Bloor Street will ruin views of Queen’s Park.
From the Exhibit Residences website, an illustration depicting how the stacked cube condo tower will appear from Avenue Road, looking west along Bloor Street.
Mirror image: Windows in the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal (above) reflect an image of the Museum House on Bloor condo tower under construction across Bloor Street. Below is a view of the Museum House condos building from Philosopher’s Walk to its south, on the University of Toronto campus. Both photos were taken on April 1, 2011.
March 24 2011: Construction workers are now focussed on building the two-storey 6,770-square-foot penthouse condo at Museum House on Bloor.
Condo building rendering from the Museum House on Bloor project website suggests how the glass-walled penthouse will appear once construction is complete
Puttin’ up the penthouse: Museum House on Bloor is getting its crowning jewel — a sprawling two-storey, 5,618-square-foot penthouse with an 1,152-square-foot terrace. The posh pad, now under construction, will occupy the 18th and 19th floors of the slender midrise condo building that has been rising on the north side of Bloor Street just west of Avenue Road. While I was watching workers assemble forms to prepare for a concrete pour on the penthouse levels this afternoon (from the street, unfortunately; I doubt they’d allow me onto the construction site), a line from the “Green Acres” TV show theme song kept repeating in my mind. I know that Eva Gabor was referring to New York City when she sang, “I just adore a penthouse view,” but I’m sure she would have enjoyed the skyline and scenery from the top of Museum House almost as much. Its expansive — and highly expensive — penthouse suite will overlook The Royal Ontario Museum and the Royal Conservatory of Music on Bloor Street, as well as tree-shaded Philosopher’s Walk, the University of Toronto campus, Queen’s Park and the provincial Legislature buildings. Views extend to the Financial District and CN Tower in the south. But while its occupants will no doubt savour the panoramic sightlines from their glittering glass box in the sky, they might not get to enjoy it privately once the 32-storey Exhibit Residences condo tower is constructed next door. And I’m sure there will be plenty of curious people living at Exhibit who will enjoy their prime views into the Museum House penthouse just as much as the downtown skyline. Below are pics I snapped of Museum House this afternoon. Additional photos can be viewed on my January 9 2011 post about Museum House.
Museum House on Bloor condo construction viewed from the southwest corner of Avenue Road and Bloor Street on March 24 2011. At left is the Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal of the Royal Ontario Museum
The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal of the Royal Ontario Museum, left, the One Bedford condominium tower at Bloor Street and Bedford Road, center, and Museum House
Southwest view of Museum House from the Bloor Street sidewalk outside the Royal Conservatory of Music. When the Exhibit Residences condo tower is built, it will soar 32 storeys on the east (right) side of Museum House
Southwest view of Museum House from Bloor Street. I haven’t seen any renderings that show how the solid concrete west wall will be clad
The palatial two-storey penthouse is now being constructed atop the tower
Direct view of the Museum House building from the south side of Bloor Street
Upper levels of Museum House; all suites have spacious south-view terraces
Southeast view of the upper floors of Museum House
Upper east side luxury condos
Safety nets along the east side of the penthouse levels
A construction worker in a perilous position high above Bloor Street
Getting forms in place to prepare for more concrete pouring
Westerly view of Museum House from the sidewalk in front of the Royal Ontario Museum. The Exhibit Residences tower ultimately will rise where on the site of the two-storey commercial buildings next to Museum House.
Looking west on Bloor Street from Avenue Road on February 12 2011
New kids on the block: The north side of Bloor Street from Avenue Road to Bedford Road keeps filling in and growing taller. Museum House condos is close to topping off and has nearly all its windows installed, while the One Bedford condo tower to its west is partly occupied and almost finished construction. Yet another condo tower — Exhibit Residences — is poised to join them. Their residents will only have to walk across the street to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (left) and the Royal Conservatory of Music, while the Yorkville neighbourhood is just around the corner.
Snow and ice on the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal
Snowy crystal: Until earlier this month, I had never seen the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal after a snowfall. Toronto didn’t get much snow last winter or in 2009, so whenever I was in the ROM’s vicinity, the Daniel Libeskind-designed Crystal looked the same as it does in summer. But I finally got to see a very wintry-looking Crystal when I passed the ROM on January 9. Here’s several pics from that afternoon.
The Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal appears to point at the Museum House condo under construction across Bloor St.
Nearly there: With only three storeys left to build, and windows already installed on more than half its floors, Museum House on Bloor is drawing some attention away from its famous namesake across Bloor Street — the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The slender luxury condo tower will top off soon at its full 19-storey height, offering a mere 26 “discerning residences” to its very well-heeled buyers (fully detailed descriptions of the building and its suites are provided on the Museum House website.) Below are some fresh Museum House construction pics I shot this afternoon, along with a slideshow of other photos taken since 2008. I hope Museum House enjoys its moments in the limelight, while they last, because a much taller condo project is waiting in the wings to steal its thunder. Right next door is the site for the proposed Exhibit Residences condo tower, which is currently accepting registrations from interested potential purchasers. Sales for that project haven’t been launched yet, but its website does give some sneak peeks at the dramatic design being considered for Exhibit, as you’ll see in the three images at the bottom of this post.
January 9 2011 view of construction progress at Museum House on Bloor
January 9 2011 view of construction progress at Museum House on Bloor
January 9 2011 View of newly installed windows in Museum House
January 9 2011 view of Museum House (right) and One Bedford condos
January 9 2011 view of construction progress at Museum House on Bloor
Museum House construction crane reflects in the ROM’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal
Bloor Street West site for proposed Exhibit Residences Condo Tower
Artistic rendering of proposed Exhibit Residences condo tower
Artistic rendering of proposed Exhibit Residences condo tower
Artistic rendering of proposed Exhibit Residences condo tower