Tag Archives: Yonge & Bloor

Nicholas & FIVE condos making big visual impact on Yonge Street; 1 Bloor tower set to follow suit

north downtown Yonge Street

November 14 2013: Construction of FIVE Condos (left) and Nicholas Residences (center rear) is dramatically changing the landscape of north downtown Yonge Street. This is a view from the east side of Yonge just below Maitland Street, one block south of Wellesley Street.

 

 

Shifting landscape: Two condo tower construction projects are rapidly changing the look of Yonge Street’s west side, between College and Bloor Streets, while a third new building will soon make a dramatic impact on views up the east side of Yonge Street.

The steadily rising concrete frames for FIVE Condos and Nicholas Residences now dominate the views up Yonge from as far south as its intersection with Carlton and College Streets. Depending upon your particular vantage point along the 10-block stretch of what city planners call “north downtown Yonge,” FIVE and Nicholas already obscure or partially block from sight several skyscrapers in the Yorkville neighbourhood — including the 51-storey Manulife Centre tower, which has been a familiar landmark indicating the intersection of Bloor & Bay Streets since 1972.

But with a long way still to go before construction of FIVE and Nicholas is complete, it’s already obvious that both new buildings will exude an even more powerful presence on the landscape once they have attained their full height. As of this weekend, construction of Nicholas has reached the 27th level on the way to 35, with cladding and windows installed up to the 13th floor so far. Two blocks down the street, construction of FIVE Condos has climbed to the 16th storey — exactly one-third of its way to the building’s final 48 floors. Installation of that tower’s cladding has not yet begun.

Meanwhile, the One Bloor condo project is poised to begin an equally remarkable transformation of views up the east side of Yonge Street. Rising at the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor Streets, One Bloor will ultimately top off at 75 floors, completely reshaping the Yorkville skyline and one of the country’s most famous crossroads in the process.

 

One Bloor condos

November 27 2013: Looking toward the One Bloor condo construction site from one block to the south, at the intersection of Yonge and Charles Streets.

 

 

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Earth moving at Yonge & Bloor as excavation crews keep digging deeper on One Bloor condo tower site

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: Excavation has progressed to roughly one level below grade at the One Bloor condo site, a dramatic change from exactly one year ago …

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

… when the property was still just a snow-covered empty lot. This is a view of the southern third of the One Bloor site, looking west from the Yonge-Bloor TTC subway entrance at the adjacent Xerox tower on January 10 2011 …

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

… while this is a view of the northern two-thirds of the property, also taken from the west side of the Xerox building on January 10 last year

 

Digging deeper: Exactly one year ago, the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor Streets was just a large, empty, snow-covered lot, bisected by a pedestrian entrance to the Yonge-Bloor subway station. Now it’s a bustling construction site where an enormous excavation is taking shape for the 70-storey One Bloor condo tower.  So far crews have dug deeper than one level below grade, making steady progress on moving earth out of what will ultimately become a five-level underground parking garage. One Bloor is a project of Great Gulf Homes. The tower was designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, with interior design by Cecconi Simone Inc. Below are photos I have shot of One Bloor’s excavation progress in the past two weeks. Renderings and illustrations of the tower can be viewed on the One Bloor East project page of the Hariri Pontarini website.

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

December 30 2011: Looking to the northwest across the construction site

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

December 30 2011: Digging still hasn’t started at the southwest corner

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

December 30 2011: Excavation at the north side of the site, along Bloor Street

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

December 30 2011: Construction equipment near the northwest corner

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

 December 30 2011: Idle excavating machines on the south end of the lot

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: An excavating machine digs near the southwest corner of the lot, as seen here from the west side of Yonge Street

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: The One Bloor excavation, viewed from the southeast corner of Yonge & Hayden Streets

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: Looking from Hayden Street toward The Bay’s 44 Bloor Street East department store at the Hudson’s Bay Centre

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: Overlooking excavation activity from the southeast

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

 January 11 2012: Two red dump trucks stand by for loads of dirt

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: Excavation progress near the northeast corner along Bloor

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: Excavation crews working near the northeast corner

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: Construction entrance ramp off Bloor Street

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: Excavation appears to be deepest at the northwest corner

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: An excavating machine digs near the southwest corner

 

One Bloor condos Toronto

January 11 2012: In less than two weeks, several feet of soil has been excavated from virtually the entire site

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A look at the One Bloor condo construction site

One Bloor Toronto condo construction site

November 6 2011: Looking north from Hayden Street across the One Bloor condo construction site at the SE corner of Yonge & Bloor

 

One Bloor Toronto condo construction site

November 6 2011: Looking northeast across the site from Hayden Street

 

Site preparation: Drilling and shoring work continues at the construction site for the One Bloor condo tower at the southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor Streets. The work, which prepares the site for excavation, has been underway for over four months now.

A project of Great Gulf Homes, One Bloor was designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto. Information about the building site and design, along with a selection of tower renderings and illustrations, is available at the One Bloor East profile page on the Hariri Pontarini website.

Below is an illustration of the 70-storey tower that appears on the One Bloor website, along with some of my recent photos of the construction site. Earlier photos can be viewed in my posts on August 13 2011, July 15 2011 and January 10 2011.

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower rendering

From the One Bloor website, an illustration of the 70-storey tower designed by Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects.

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

November 6 2011: North view of the One Bloor site and towers at Yonge & Bloor

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

November 6 2011: Hoarding protects the Yonge Street sidewalk at the west end of the One Bloor construction site

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

November 6 2011: A shoring rig on the south edge of the property

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

November 6 2011: Hayden Street view of the One Bloor site and its office building neighbour to the east, the Xerox Centre at 33 Bloor Street East

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

November 6 2011: An idle excavating machine near Hayden Street

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: Looking south across the One Bloor site. The tower will soar above the 46-storey Casa condominium at rear left.

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: Another view of the One Bloor site from the north side of Bloor Street, outside the RBC bank branch

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: Drilling rigs and concrete trucks on the building site

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: Site viewed from the corner of Yonge & Hayden Streets

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: Crews working near the site’s northeast corner

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: Overlooking the One Bloor site from the southeast

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: View toward the southwest corner of the site at the intersection of Yonge & Hayden Streets

 

One Bloor East Toronto condo construction site

September 27 2011: Drilling rigs and concrete trucks in the center of the site

 



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At last! Great Gulf breaking ground today for its 70-storey One Bloor condo tower at Yonge & Bloor

One Bloor Toronto condo tower construction site

July 13 2011:  Construction equipment rises above the One Bloor condo tower construction site, viewed here from the west side of Yonge Street

 

Shovels ready: It only felt like it was taking forever, but it’s finally going to happen: According to a July 14 2011 article posted on the Toronto Star website, Great Gulf Homes will break ground tomorrow to officially launch construction of its 70-storey One Bloor condo tower at the southeast corner of at Yonge and Bloor Streets.

Frankly, it’s about time. Seven months ago — in a January 10 2011 post, to be exact — I publicly wondered when Great Gulf was going to get shovels in the ground and start building the One Bloor tower on what is often referred to as the “premier” piece of real estate in Canada. During the months that followed, heavy machines rolled on and off of the One Bloor site, hinting that a construction start was imminent. But they didn’t stay for long, and nothing appeared to change on the property. But after foundation building equipment arrived on the site in June, it seemed clear that preliminary construction work for the tower was set to start.

Initially, One Bloor was slated to be a 65-storey condo building with two floors of retail space fronting on the prestigious Yonge & Bloor intersection. However, thanks to strong buyer demand (the Star says 85% of the units in the 732-suite tower have been sold), One Bloor will now soar five storeys taller — topping off at 70 floors. Construction is expected to cost $450 million and last until the end of 2014.

Below are several One Bloor website renderings that suggest how the skyscraper, designed by Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects, will look, along with photos I’ve taken of the project site in recent months.

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower

Condo tower rendering from the One Bloor project website

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower podium rendering

Condo tower podium rendering from the One Bloor project website   

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower

Another tower rendering seen in this screen capture from the One Bloor website


One Bloor condo tower Toronto

May 1 2011: Trailers on the otherwise vacant south side of the One Bloor condo tower construction site, viewed from the west side of the Xerox Tower

 

One Bloor condo tower Toronto

May 1 2011: Looking west across the vacant One Bloor site

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower site

May 1 2011: Looking northwest toward the corner of Yonge & Bloor

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower construction site

June 22 2011: A shoring rig on the northern half of the One Bloor site

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower site

June 22 2011: Yonge Street view of the shoring rig on the One Bloor property

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower construction site

June 22 2011: Bloor Street view of the shoring rig

One Bloor Toronto condo tower construction site

July 6 2011: Two shoring rigs ready for action on the building site

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower construction site

July 6 2011: A closer look at the two rigs sitting idle on the site

 

One Bloor Toronto condo tower construction site

July 13 2011: More construction equipment and a tent have been brought in for the groundbreaking ceremony

 

Skyscrapers at Yonge & Bloor Streets in Toronto

July 14 2011: My balcony view at sunset of skyscrapers near Yonge & Bloor Streets. The 45-storey Casa condominium tower (center) currently dominates the skyline; however, in three or four years’ time, One Bloor — which will rise just to the right rear of Casa — will be the tallest building in the area

 

 

Will Bloor Street transformation project finally finish before June 16 “red carpet” opening party?

Bloor Street transformation project banner

September 21 2008: A Bloor Street transformation project banner on security fencing along a construction area near the corner of Bloor & Church Street

 

Bloor Street transformation project sidewalk construction

May 13 2009:  Sidewalk construction outside the Hudson’s Bay Centre

 

Bloor Street transformation construction activity

May 13 2009: Bloor Street traffic is squeezed down to two lanes during construction activity outside the Holt Renfrew Centre

 

new Bloor Street sidewalk outside the Hudsons Bay Centre

November 22 2009: The transformed streetscape outside the Hudson’s Bay Centre

 

New Bloor Street sidewalks trees and flowers near Church Street

July 25 2010: Bloor Street East looks beautiful with new sidewalks, trees, lush plants and gorgeous flowers between Park Road and Church Street…

 

Bloor Street construction activity outside Holt Renfrew Centre

… but on the same day, it’s a different story west of Yonge Street, where there is still a huge construction zone in front of the Holt Renfrew Centre

 

looking east along Bloor Street from south side of street near the Colonnade

October 3 2010: Construction between Bellair Street and Avenue Road

 

future tree planting location on south side of Bloor street outside the Manulife Centre

December 21 2010: This tongue-in-cheek sign at a tree planting location got only one thing right: The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But as of May 1, there still weren’t any new “leafs” on Bloor Street

 

new tree installation location on Bloor Street at the Manulife Centre

April 30 2011: Trees should soon be planted outside the Manulife Centre

 

New plants and sidewalks outside Xerox Centre at 33 Bloor East

April 30 2011: The cheery spring flowers brighten the south side of Bloor between Yonge and Church, but some trees still haven’t been planted…

 

Old sidewalk on Bloor Street outside the One Bloor condo tower future building location

…while the long stretch of sidewalk adjacent to the site of the future One Bloor condo tower won’t be replaced until construction is finished. That means a few more years of waiting before the Bloor Street transformation is complete…

 

Sidewalk installation outside 120 Bloor Street East office building

…but at least the long-overdue sidewalk replacement outside 120 Bloor Street East, seen here on May 1, will be finished soon

 

Mink Mile Makeover: After four long years of digging, delays and detours, controversy, cost-overruns and even courtroom drama, the $25 million Bloor Street Transformation Project is nearing completion. With luck, the Mink Mile will look marvellous during the big “red carpet” street party that the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area (BIA) will be throwing on June 19 to celebrate the new streetscape. I will be among countless Torontonians breathing a collective huge sigh of relief when the City and the BIA confirm that the project is finally finished. After all, it’s about time!

The upscale shopping section of Bloor Street has desperately needed a major makeover for years. The drab streetscape with its narrow white concrete curbs and pavement looked cheap, not chic, and totally lacked any sense of importance, elegance or sophistication — characteristics one would expect for an area that’s often described as Canada’s “premiere” shopping street. Its banal appearance didn’t complement the beautiful luxury goods and fashion boutiques lining both sides of the boulevard. And it certainly didn’t suggest that Toronto is the world-class city it constantly claims and aims to be. I almost felt embarrassed telling visitors from other countries that Bloor Street was the city’s go-to destination for Prada, Cartier, Louis Vuitton and other high-end luxury retail purveyors. Apart from the expensive shops, there was nothing noteworthy or special about Bloor — it was just a typical, tired-looking downtown Toronto street.

So I was thrilled when I heard that the City and the Bloor-Yorkville BIA were teaming up to revitalize part of the Bloor Street strip, and even happier to see the $20 million project break ground in July 2008. Designed by Peter Clewes of Toronto’s architectsAlliance (in joint venture with Brown + Storey Architects), the two-year project promised to give the City a sophisticated streetscape that would finally match its Mink Mile moniker. I looked forward to seeing the wide granite sidewalks with raised planting beds for trees, flowers and shrubs, the new street furnishings and lighting, and the new public art. I felt it was just what Toronto needed to do to transform Bloor Street into a stylish shopping destination on par with high-end shopping districts in major cities around the world.

The project was scheduled for completion in phases over a two-and-a-half-year period, concluding by the end of 2010. However, in typical Toronto fashion, the transformation work got mired in delays, cost overruns and controversy. The project made headlines early on when several Bloor Street businesses launched a lawsuit against the City and the BIA, claiming in part that the project lacked proper prior community consultation and environment assessments. But as was reported in an October 30 2008 article on insidetoronto.com, the Ontario Divisional Court found no improprieties and ruled the project could proceed. Then construction delays started to drag things out considerably. As the Toronto Star reported on May 12 2010, “unforeseen construction problems” put the project months behind schedule and 23% over budget ($4.5 million). More than half of the cost overrun was blamed on Toronto Hydro, which encountered problems and delays burying hydro chambers under the street.

In November 2010, word went out that the work on Bloor Street had finally finished. In a November 23 2010 story, the online publication Building said the transformation project had been finished just in time for the Christmas shopping season, while in a November 29 2010 press release published on its website, Tourism Toronto stated that “Bloor-Yorkville has enhanced its reputation as Canada’s premiere shopping district with the completion of the Bloor Street Transformation Project.” That news struck me as odd, since I had walked along Bloor Street several times in November and noticed that much work remained to be done. Tree and plant installation had not even started west of Yonge Street, and signs said that wouldn’t happen before spring 2011; meanwhile,  a big unrenovated stretch of sidewalk remained as a tremendous eyesore outside the office building at 120 Bloor Street East.

It’s now spring 2011 and there are signs the long-awaited tree and flower planting west of Yonge Street will take place very soon; apparently the BIA is aiming to get all the greenery in the ground by the end of this month. And over at Bloor and Church, crews are finally tackling the ugly section of sidewalk that wasn’t renovated along with the rest of the block.

Though the June 26 street party might suggest the transformation is a done deal, it won’t truly be over for a long time yet. A long section of sidewalk at the southeast corner of Bloor and Yonge hasn’t been touched because that’s where construction is supposed to start sometime later this year or next on the One Bloor condo skyscraper. There’s no point renovating that sidewalk, I suppose, if it’s just going to be covered by hoarding for years and possibly even damaged by construction vehicles and equipment.

Notwithstanding that one missing piece, was the Bloor Street renovation effort really worth the time, trouble, aggravation and pricetag? While I’m sure many frustrated and construction-weary Bloor-Yorkville-area business owners and residents don’t believe so, I think the new streetscape is a wonderful civic investment that will eventually pay off many times over. And even though I don’t patronize those über-expensive designer boutiques, I love walking along the renovated street, and can’t wait to see how it looks and feels this summer once all the trees, plants and flowers are in full bloom.

The only thing I’m not happy to see is the abrupt end of the beautiful streetscape a few dozen meters east of the intersection of Bloor and Church Streets. From there to Jarvis Street and farther east to Sherbourne Street, the street looks dull and, in places, downright tawdry and tacky. The City replaced some dead and dying trees on the south side of Bloor Street with paving stones instead of replacement saplings, and though a few new park benches have been installed on the sidewalks between Church and Sherbourne, ugly and rusting metal planter boxes bring a trailer park trashiness to the eastern end of Bloor. The City should have extended the streetscape improvements all the way to Sherbourne; after all, that intersection is one of the gateways to the exclusive Rosedale residential district. But the City’s failure to do so is typical of its usual half-assed approach to civic improvement. I suppose we’re lucky we wound up with even just a few blocks of attractive, world-class streetscape. We could use a lot more, but this is Toronto, after all.

Below are several more recent photos of Bloor Street.

 

Bloor Street construction zone outside of Holt Renfrew

July 25 2010: Many Bloor Street merchants were furious with the construction delays, but at least Holt Renfrew took matters in stride.

 

north sidewalk on Bloor Street just west of Yonge Street

May 13 2009: This photo shows how awful the sidewalk looked before renovations reached the north side of Bloor Street at Yonge Street, outside the CIBC  tower.

 

unrenovated Bloor Street sidewalk outside 120 Bloor Street East

November 22 2009: Only half of the block between Park Road and Church Street was renovated in 2009; the broken and missing paving stones were left untouched on this wide stretch of sidewalk outside 120 Bloor Street East

 

Sidewalk construction outside 120 Bloor Street East

April 30 2011: At long last, the eyesore stretch of sidewalk outside 120 Bloor Street East has finally been ripped up, and will be replaced with granite pavers

 

Bloor Street sidewalk outside the Marriott Hotel

May 1 2011: The Bloor Street transformation looks wonderful — except outside the Toronto Marriott Bloor-Yorkville Hotel at 90 Bloor East, where a long section of the old concrete sidewalk remains and completely spoils the new streetscape.

 

Bloor Street sidewalk outside the Marriott Hotel

May 1 2011: This strip of sidewalk outside the Bloor Street Marriott hotel is a prime example of the City of Toronto’s half-assed approach to civic improvement

 

Bloor Street planter box on sidewalk east of Church Street

April 30 2011: Yellow pansies brighten the southeast corner of Bloor and Church Streets, but the street transformation ends here. From just a few meters past this planter box all the way to Sherbourne Street, the east end of Bloor looks blah.

 

South side of Bloor Street between Church Street and Jarvis Street

May 1 2011: Sidewalk renovations didn’t continue along the south side of Bloor Street to either Jarvis or Sherbourne Streets. Instead, the city merely uprooted some dead and dying trees and replaced them with paving bricks, like those seen here outside St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican Church at 227 Bloor East.

 

Bloor Street planter box near Jarvis Street

May 1 2011: A rusting metal planter box on the south side of Bloor Street near Jarvis Street contrasts sharply with the gorgeous granite planters two blocks west