Tag Archives: U Condominiums

Here’s the latest dirt on U Condos construction

U Condos construction site

March 16 2011: Huge mounds of earth at the U Condos construction site block parts of St. Basil’s Church from view along St. Mary Street. Construction crews are in the early stages of excavation work for the two-tower condo project.

 

Prepping the perimeter: Piles of earth keep growing bigger on the U Condos construction site, as crews continue to prepare the property’s perimeter for site excavation and foundation building. Below are photos I’ve taken during the past month of the vast condo construction site at the corner of Bay and St. Mary Streets near Yorkville. Additional photos and a description of the project are provided in my February 4 post about U Condos.

 

U Condos construction site

February 12 2011: The U Condos site after a light dusting of snow

 

U Condos construction site

February 15 2011: Pile drivers preparing the U Condos Bay Street perimeter

 

U Condos construction site

February 15 2011: St. Mary Street view of U Condos site

 

U Condos construction site

February 15 2011: Activity at the northeastern corner of the U Condos site

 

U Condos construction site

February 15 2011: Activity at the northeastern corner of the U Condos site

U Condos construction site

March 13 2011: Foundation building machines on the U Condos site

 

U Condos construction site

March 13 2011: Enormous mounds of earth in the middle of the property

 

U Condos construction site

March 13 2011: Foundation construction machines on the U Condos building site

 

U Condos construction site

March 13 2011: Machinery and equipment on the east side of the property

 

U Condos construction site

March 13 2011: Machinery and equipment on the east side of the property

 

U Condos construction site

March 13 2011: Mounds of earth keep piling up near St. Basil’s Church

 

U Condos construction site

March 13 2011: Pile driving equipment at the south end of the property

 U Condos construction site

March 16 2011: Equipment, machines and steel beams on the east side of the site

 

U Condos construction site

March 16 2011: The beams will strengthen the retaining walls for the excavation

 

U Condos construction site

March 16 2011: One of the excavating machines on the U Condos site. The tower at the rear right of the photo is the One Bedford condominium on Bloor Street.


Here’s looking at U, Condos

U Condos

U’s Turn: In just a few short years, things will really be looking up for the St. Michael’s College campus at the University of Toronto. Way up. From the old ivy-clad stone and brick bastions of academia to the shiny new glass and steel towers of luxury condo living 45 and 50 storeys up. That’s how high the two towers of U Condos, currently starting construction, will soar above the college campus from their perch at the southeast corner of Bay and St. Mary Streets near Yorkville. It’s going to be a huge and dramatic change for a wedge-shaped piece of property that previously contained an unremarkable asphalt parking lot and a wide field of green grass. For people who were lucky to buy in when the buildings initially went on sale, U Condos undoubtedly will prove to be an incredibly wise investment. I’m willing to bet a substantial number of buyers are real estate- and personal finance-savvy parents who scooped up suites so their kids will have accommodations when they attend U of T; after graduation day, mom and dad will sell the units at a tidy profit, perhaps even paying off the kids’ substantial university tuition bills and other education expenses in the process.  Contractors have been preparing the site for excavation since December; heavy machinery has been moving mounds of earth, while pile drivers have been punching away at several different places on the U Condos property.  Below is an architectural rendering of the U Condos podium, along with photos I’ve taken in the U Condos neighbourhood at various times since 2008.

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Architectural rendering of U Condos towers and podium


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Billboards along U Condos Bay Street location November 14 2008


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View towards Bay Street from west end of U Condos site November 1 2010


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U Condos site viewed from St. Mary Street on November 1 2010


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U Condos site viewed from Bay Street on November 11 2010


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Billboard on U Condos site November 11 2010


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View towards U Condos site from west end of St Mary Street on December 4 2010; in two years, the new towers will totally dominate this view towards Bay Street


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Idle excavation equipment on U Condos site December 4 2010


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Idle excavation equipment on U Condos site December 4 2010


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Idle excavation equipment on U Condos site December 4 2010


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Last glimpse of green: This lawn, seen December 4 2010, will soon be dug up


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All quiet on the U Condos site on Sunday January 9


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Snow-covered excavation machinery at the U Condos site January 9


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U Condos site under a blanket of snow on January 9


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Pile driving machinery on January 24 after a light snowfall


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Pile driving machinery on January 24


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U Condos billboards along Bay Street on January 29


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Early stages of excavation at U Condos on January 29


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Grass has been completely cleared from the western half of the site


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U Condos hoarding along St Mary Street January 29


U Condos

U Condos hoarding along St Mary Street January 29