Toronto Library District Condominiums + Toronto's 99th Library | ?m | 29s | Context Development | KPMB

www.librarydistrictcondos.com/

Not sure about the name. Yes, it will share space with the city's 100th library, but the name suggests we have a district of libraries

Found this on kijiji:

Date Listed 14-Apr-10
Price Please contact
Address Fort York, 100 Garrison Rd, Toronto, ON M5V 3K9, Canada
View map
INVESTMENT – (VIP)AGENT Pre Construction SALE for New Condo – LIBRARY DISTRICT CONDOS

SALE DATE(s): TBA. Call (647) 367-5442 to Register for Priority Status
Project Name: Library District Condominiums
Location: Adjacent to Historic Fort York, Toronto
Builder/Developer: Context
Tentative Occupancy: November, 2013

DETAILS
Adjacent to Historic Fort York, the 29 storey tower will share a privileged position on the future Mouth of the Creek park with the City of Toronto’s 100th Public Library. Minutes on foot to King Street Entertainment District, downtown core, Lake Ontario and the martin Goodman trail, library District Condos is in the heart of it all. Features include a party room, outdoor amenity terraces, soaring double height fitness room with the latest cardio and strength training equipment, locker rooms with steam saunas, a yoga room, board room, two TV lounges, and two guest suites.

Suites 2-7 feature 8’ high floor to ceiling glass with smooth plaster ceilings; floors 8-29 are 9’ in height; kitchen feature modern European style cabinetry with horizontal flip-up upper cabinets with a fronted glass cabinet feature and granite countertops, under mount sink, and stainless steel appliances. Bathrooms also have a horizontal flip up cabinet feature, stone counter top, under mount sink, custom framed mirror and choice of single or dual flush toilets. Flooring features include porcelain tiled foyers, kitchens and bathrooms, with choice of porcelain or pre-engineered hardwood flooring in living and dining areas and carpet in bedrooms.

There are links to the Baker Real Estate info and website for this project on Urbanation's Twitter feed:

www.twitter.com/urbanation

We kind of have a district of libraries along College near St. George and again near Bloor and Yorkville, but neither of those is near Fort York.

Agreed, I don't like the name. I do like "Mouth of the Creek park". Is this an official name, or just some creative copywriting?

Based on that logo, I'm guessing it's going to have a shape similar to Sapphire.

I hope they'll do something special in terms of architecture for the 100th library. It helps that it will be a downtown, where the investment would be seen.

My guess was that the library was going to be housed in the tower's podium. Maybe the lobby of the condo will have that smell that all libraries have.

The smell of brand new ipads and other e-readers? I seriously wonder if libraries have a future....

They definitely do for several reasons:

1) the huge majority of books in libraries are not available in an electronic version, and probably never will be, due to the current ridiculous copyright laws.

2) the whole point of libraries is that they provide books that can be read (for a set time) for FREE, whereas many e-books cost almost as much as, or even more than, their paper versions, if they are available at all -- and since most books are under copyright, I don't see that changing any time soon.

3) you can read e-books in your home, but you don't generally have large numbers of honeys surrounding you as you do so, unlike in every library I've been in.

Libraries are starting to loan out e-books, they're on the bandwagon.

And besides, there are still many people who just prefer to hold a real paper 'n' pages book in their hands, instead of staring at a giant light bulb. I find reading long documents and books online to be far more fatiguing, and less comfortable than a proper book.

urbandreamer said:

The smell of brand new ipads and other e-readers? I seriously wonder if libraries have a future....

Click to expand...

and with the invention of the treadmill, public parks shall become obsolete

Whaaa? Is this a City of Toronto contribution to CityPlace?

It seems that Context has some piece of either Block 32 or Block 36.

Mike in TO posted these images for those blocks back in August 2008:

Mike in TO said:

These are some conceptual drawings of that block. Please note these are not final - just conceptual.

Click to expand...

So, the Library is indicated to be at the northeast corner of Fort York Blvd & Bathurst. The question is, will Context's condo be the building that actually houses the library in its podium? Or is the library more likely to be in the podium of one of the TCHC buildings? In the concept plans above, the tower above the library is only shown as 20 storeys tall, whereas the tower behind is 30 storeys, much closer to the 29 proposed by Context.

Meanwhile, in the map below, recently posted by Solaris in the CityPlace: next phases thread, that 30 storey tower is shown to be south of Garrison Road, which is the unbuilt future address for the Context project...



... so there, that's my best guess: this building will be built in Block 32. And if not, then everything has changed.

42

I think the library is going in Block 36, as shown in the Concept Plan. Block 32/36 was always going to have some TCHC housing and market rate housing, with a development partner building the latter. The heights and building locations are a bit confusing with this being 29 storeys and the site plan application submitted for 510 Bremner (Block 32/36 thread) indicating 41 storeys. Neither of these match the heights in the concept and block plans.