Tag Archives: Toronto Reference Library

April 30 2011: The Crystal Blu condo tower (left) and Uptown Residences Condo tower (right) soar skyward above Balmuto Street

High neighbours: As residents gradually move into the new 35-storey Crystal Blu condo tower at 21 Balmuto Street, buyers of luxury condos at The Uptown Residences anxiously await their own move-in dates. Exterior construction activity on the 48-floor Uptown Residences tower at 35 Balmuto has been finished for a few months, but finishing touches are underway and the front entrance is still being built. Information and photos of The Uptown Residences are provided in my March 2 2011 post about the project; below are several more pics I took of it and Crystal Blu last month.

April 7 2011: A work crew applies finishing touches halfway up the west side of The Uptown Residences condo tower

April 7 2011: A closer view of the workers on their swing stage

April 22 2011: The Uptown Residences front entrance at 35 Balmuto Street

April 22 2011: The Uptown Residences front entrance features a revolving door

April 22 2011: The Crystal Blu Condos front entrance isn’t 100% finished yet

April 30 2011: The Manulife Centre across the street reflects in The Uptown’s shiny black and grey granite podium…

…while a worker performs finishing touches on the lower southwest corner

April 30 2011: A long look up the north side of The Uptown Residences

April 23 2011: The 36Hazelton luxury condo project location and presentation centre opening this month at 36 Hazelton Avenue

Exclusive enclave: The presentation centre for 36Hazelton is being readied for an opening expected sometime this month. Only 18 residences will be available in the boutique condo development, which will rise seven storeys above the historic St Basil’s Catholic School at 36 Hazelton Avenue. Prices for the posh condominium suites, which will boast spacious outdoor terraces overlooking the quiet tree-lined street, range from $1.6 million to more than $10 million. See my March 26 2011 post for further information about 36Hazelton as well as numerous photos of the project site.

April 23 2011: 36 Hazelton will incorporate the facade of the 83-year-old St Basil’s schoolhouse into the boutique condo building

April 23 2011: Exterior brickwork and window installation on the east side of The Florian Residences of Upper Yorkville condo tower on Davenport Road

Florian facade fills out: Brickwork and window installation at The Florian Residences of Upper Yorkville continues to climb higher up the 25-storey condo tower. My February 12 2011 post describes The Florian project and includes numerous building photos, while my March 18 2011 post provides further construction pics. Below are several more photos from last month, along with a pic showing The Florian’s location before construction of the condo tower commenced.

April 23 2011: Another view of The Florian’s brick and glass exterior

April 23 2011: A view of the western point of The Florian’s long curved podium along Davenport Road (at the top of Bay Street)

August 14 2008: An Infinity car dealership and a Premier Fitness gym previously occupied the site where The Florian is presently under construction

April 23 2011: Toronto Reference Library new main entrance construction

Corner cube: The dramatic new entrance “cube” for the Toronto Reference Library is gradually taking form on the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue. That, plus an expansion of the library’s Yonge Street facade, are among the highlights of a five-year, $34 million makeover scheduled for completion next year. Construction photos and an architectural rendering of what the library will look like post-renovation can be viewed in my January 27 2011 post; additional photos and another rendering are provided in my March 24 2011 update post. Below are several recent photos of a construction worker atop the giant steel frame for the cube.

April 23 2011: The steel frame for the library’s glass entrance cube

April 23 2011: A construction worker sits astride one of the steel beams

April 23 2011: The entrance cube will stand about three storeys tall

April 23 2011: The library’s website explains that the bold glass entrance is intended to encourage “a dynamic interface” between the library and the community, “connecting the interior more directly to the street.”

April 30 2011: A billboard advertising the One Bloor condo tower sales centre

Number One: I’m still waiting on tenterhooks, figuratively speaking, for shovels to hit the ground at the One Bloor condo tower site on the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor. Since my January 10 2011 post, the project developer has opened a new sales centre for the much-anticipated condo skyscraper right next door to the building site, at 33 Bloor Street East. But I haven’t yet seen any preliminary construction activity on the property, which remains a rubble-strewn vacant lot. Below are some pics of it from earlier this week.

April 30 2011: Colourful marketing banners adorn security fencing around the One Bloor condo tower location at Yonge & Bloor

May 1 2011: The One Bloor Condo tower site, looking southwest toward the corner of Yonge and Hayden Streets

May 1 2011: The One Bloor site viewed from the west entrance to the Xerox building at 33 Bloor Street East

May 1 2011: Northwest view of the One Bloor condo tower site

Reference library’s new entrance taking shape

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The frame for the Toronto Reference Library’s new entrance cube takes shape at the corner of Yonge St. and Asquith Ave. on March 24 2011

Steel frame installation for the library’s dramatic new glass cube entrance

Architectural rendering by Toronto’s Moriyama and Teshima shows how the new glass cube entrance and improvements to the building’sYonge Street facade will enhance the library’s look and streetscape presence.

Cube construction: External work on the Toronto Reference Library’s $34 million revitalization program has become a lot more noticeable now that the building’s new entrance is taking shape. Most of the renovation work has been hidden by hoarding for months, and progress on the library’s dramatic glass entrance cube at the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace during the winter. But this week crews have been busy building the steel frame for the cube; today, Asquith was closed to vehicular traffic while a crane hoisted steel beams into place. More details about the renovations can be found in my January 17 post about the library’s renewal and expansion project. Below are photos from February and from this afternoon showing the ongoing renovation work on the Yonge Street side of the library building.

February 23 2011: No sign of progress yet on construction of the new entrance

February 23 2011: A three-storey glass cube entrance at this corner will be the star attraction of the library’s five-year renewal and expansion project

February 23 2011: Hoarding blocks views of street-level renovations to the facade, but work on the3rd-floor roof above Yonge Street is more apparent.

February 23 2011: Renovation activity is taking place along the full length of the narrow third-floor roof on the Reference Library’s Yonge Street facade

February 23 2011: Yorkville Avenue view of the Toronto Reference Library.

March 24 2011: A crane lifts long steel bars being used to construct the frame for the three-storey entrance cube

March 24 2011: The new glass entrance and windows along the Yonge Street facade will improve the building’s appearance as well as its relation to the streetscape

March 24 2011: Sections of the entrance cube’s frame are hoisted into place

March 24 2011: The steel frames are lowered behind a rendering of the entrance

Will entrance cube, street-level windows and café improve facade for Toronto Reference Library?

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A new three-storey glass entrance cube will welcome library visitors

One for the books: I love books, but I have never liked the 34-year-old Toronto Reference Library on Yonge north of Bloor. In fact, I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve been inside the place, but for me that has been enough. The library’s soaring central atrium always impresses me at first, but within minutes something about the look and feel of the interior makes me uncomfortable and downright depressed. I can’t put a finger on what bothers me, but once I’m inside I can’t wait to get out.

I’m not a big fan of the library’s vast brick fortress-like exterior, either. Although the building looks interesting and cool from some angles, it looms over a full block of Yonge Street with a hulking, brooding presence. I’ve never enjoyed walking past what feels to me like a prison for books; at street level, the facade is unwelcoming — dark and dreary, with nothing inviting to encourage passersby to enter and explore the literary treasures inside. But I’m hoping that will soon change with ambitious renovations currently underway to the entrance and facade — part of a five-year, $34-million “revitalization” program that’s supposed to finish in 2012.

Revitalization will connect the library to the street

According to a library website announcement detailing all the renovations and changes, the revitalization aims to create “a dynamic interface between the library and its community, connecting the library’s interior more directly to the street, and the public to the services inside.” The three biggest changes to the building exterior will include construction of a three-storey glass entrance “cube,” a glass wall running the full length of the library’s facade along Yonge, and a street-level library retail store and cafe.

Opening up that dark facade to let light into the library while adding some life and energy to the sidewalk sounds terrific to me; those renovations should address my biggest beefs about the building. Many significant changes are happening inside, too; they’re all outlined at the website link above. Will they improve the atmosphere I find so oppressing? Guess I’ll have to wait and see.

As for the exterior, I was happy to see hoarding erected around the library’s ground level in late 2010, a sign that the facade improvements were finally beginning. However, I have walked past at least three times since it went up, and haven’t yet heard any construction noise. The first time, a friend and I were halfway down the block before we realized we were walking under scaffolding; sadly, it didn’t feel much different than before the facade was boarded up. I have noticed that brickwork on some parts of the facade has been removed, though, so I’m hoping the project is proceeding on schedule. And you can bet I’ll be looking forward to the day the hoarding comes down and the new facade is revealed.

The architect behind the project is Ajon Moriyama of Toronto’s Moriyama and Teshima architects. Since Ajon is the son of Raymond Moriyama, the library’s original architect, it will be interesting to see how he improves on his dad’s design. Below is an architects’ rendering of the entrance cube and street-level glass facade, along with some photos I took recently of the building exterior.