5 Projects That Are Giving Yorkville A Fresh New Look
Phantom Developments and Great Gulf yesterday unveiled plans for a condo tower at Yonge and Cumberland that’ll create a new gateway for Yorkville, one of several projects transforming the tony TO enclave.
1. 8 Cumberland
Location: Yonge and Cumberland streets
Developers: Phantom Developments, Great Gulf, The Kadima Group, MM Realty Ventures
Details: The tower trumpeted yesterday will incorporate a preserved block of heritage buildings along Yonge, for retail use. Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, the condo (64 storeys, 531 units) will create a strong contrast of old and new, appearing to float above the existing properties, the developers note. Just down the road, Great Gulf built 18 Yorkville 15 years ago.
2. 1 Yorkville
Location: Yonge Street and Yorkville Avenue
Developers: Plaza Corp, Bazis Inc
Details: The soon-to-be-iconic 58-storey tower, designed by Bazis’ brilliant Roy Varacalli (Exhibit, E Condos), will feature a bent steel facade, which its designer dubbed “3D wallpaper.” The pattern, creating dramatic changes in light, shadow and colour, depending on the vista point, “is inspired by Yorkville itself,” a community that’s seen “tremendous change” in its lifetime, Roy told the Toronto Star.
3. Yorkville Plaza
Location: Avenue Road and Yorkville Avenue
Developer: Camrost-Felcorp
Details: It started off with the gutting and overhaul of the old Four Seasons hotel into a 500-unit luxury condo, New Residences of Yorkville Plaza, followed by a 40-storey tower behind it, Cumberland Tower. Last year we told you about Phase 3, 135 Yorkville, an 11-storey office-condo. And steakhouse STK is in the midst of building out an 8,800 SF space at Yorkville Plaza, its first Canadian location.
4. 7 St. Thomas
Location: St. Thomas and Sultan streets
Developers: St. Thomas Developments, Lee Development Group (unit of Hong Kong-based National Electronics Holdings)
Details: Downtown’s first new purely office-condo project, it includes a nine-storey fritted glass tower with 93k SF, and six three-storey preserved Victorian townhomes housing retail. 7 St. Thomas shares its site with the developer’s other project, One St. Thomas, a 29-storey Art Deco-revival tower designed by Robert Stern. (St. Thomas just unveiled plans for a multi-tower mixed-use community at 88 Queen St E.)
5. Yorkville Village
Location: Avenue Road and Yorkville Avenue
Developer: First Capital Realty
Details: With its $100M overhaul of Hazelton Lanes, First Capital’s created a “new mall within a mall,” SVP Jodi Shpigel told us. The revamp includes the addition of 5k of SF high-end retail to the existing 210k SF. Equinox Fitness is on the second floor, and a double-height glass facade was built along Avenue Road, plus a new entrance from Yorkville Avenue, better connecting the mall with the community.
