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from the Star:
Luxurious project reflects prestigious neighbourhood
Refinement and understated elegance planned for 16-storey building in Forest Hill
October 18, 2008
Tracy Hanes
TORONTO STAR
A new condominium in Toronto's Forest Hill will emulate the prestige of its exclusive neighbourhood.
Berkley Development's 16-storey Wentworth, at Avenue Rd. and Lonsdale Rd., will offer just 53 suites, ranging from 1,600 square feet to 6,000 square feet in size and priced from $1.4 million to $8 million.
It will occupy a site that formerly accommodated an old six-storey co-operative building and is next door to the Lonsdale, a high-end condo conversion.
It's the adage of "location, location, location," says Patrick Iaboni of Berkley Developments. "It's such a sought-after spot and the whole area is built up, so there are few opportunities for development. The building will be ultra luxurious. Once you have this type of location, you don't go halfway."
With that in mind, Berkley hired Kirkor Architects and Planners and interior designer Brian Gluckstein of Gluckstein Design to bring the sense of refinement and understated elegance the project dictated.
"Every suite will have 10-foot ceilings, every suite will be a corner suite and every suite will have its own direct access elevator, which I don't know of any other project in Toronto offering," Iaboni says. "There will be heated floors in the ensuite bathrooms, which you find in high-end custom homes, but rarely in condos. The closets will come with built-in organizers and the foyers will have inlaid marble flooring."
Other features include crown moldings, coffered ceilings, gas fireplaces and large balconies or terraces.
Iaboni says although the city wanted a modern glass building on the site, "we dug our heels in, as we felt the community and future residents were not going to want that. They are going to want something that will be equally fashionable 50 years from now."
The classic, New York-style exterior will be of limestone and precast stone, with embossed metalwork, tinted windows and custom-cast balconies, with a bricked driveway, reflective fountain and glass faceted canopy.
As well as concierge and valet parking, amenities include a fitness room and swimming pool, with granite and quartz stonework inspired by European spas, views of the outdoor landscaped terrace and men's and women's change facilities and steam rooms. A caterer's kitchen and adjoining formal dining room with access to the terrace and guest suite round out the offered amenities.
Iaboni says a shift in the attitude towards condo living started about 10 years ago, when people stopped thinking of it as a second-rate choice to a detached home.
"There are lots of people who can afford a house but don't want to live in a house," he says. "Developers started identifying a market for people who want a truly luxurious condo. It's like Starbucks – for those who take coffee seriously, they don't mind paying a higher price."
Iaboni believes "the Toronto condo market still has a lot of legs" and that in tougher times, there tends to be a "flight to quality."
"A hundred years ago, Forest Hill was the most exclusive neighbourhood in Toronto and it still is," Iaboni says.
He anticipates most buyers will come from the immediate neighbourhood, though there has been interest from those "who always wanted to live in Forest Hill but couldn't afford a $5 million house."
The Wentworth will be set at the top of the Avenue Rd. hill with views of Upper Canada College, and will be steps to St. Clair Ave. to the south, and close to the restaurants and boutiques of Yorkville and Bloor St. Construction will start in spring 2009 with anticipated occupancy in 2011.
Previews begin today. Visit the Wentworth website to register.
Luxurious project reflects prestigious neighbourhood
Refinement and understated elegance planned for 16-storey building in Forest Hill
October 18, 2008
Tracy Hanes
TORONTO STAR
A new condominium in Toronto's Forest Hill will emulate the prestige of its exclusive neighbourhood.
Berkley Development's 16-storey Wentworth, at Avenue Rd. and Lonsdale Rd., will offer just 53 suites, ranging from 1,600 square feet to 6,000 square feet in size and priced from $1.4 million to $8 million.
It will occupy a site that formerly accommodated an old six-storey co-operative building and is next door to the Lonsdale, a high-end condo conversion.
It's the adage of "location, location, location," says Patrick Iaboni of Berkley Developments. "It's such a sought-after spot and the whole area is built up, so there are few opportunities for development. The building will be ultra luxurious. Once you have this type of location, you don't go halfway."
With that in mind, Berkley hired Kirkor Architects and Planners and interior designer Brian Gluckstein of Gluckstein Design to bring the sense of refinement and understated elegance the project dictated.
"Every suite will have 10-foot ceilings, every suite will be a corner suite and every suite will have its own direct access elevator, which I don't know of any other project in Toronto offering," Iaboni says. "There will be heated floors in the ensuite bathrooms, which you find in high-end custom homes, but rarely in condos. The closets will come with built-in organizers and the foyers will have inlaid marble flooring."
Other features include crown moldings, coffered ceilings, gas fireplaces and large balconies or terraces.
Iaboni says although the city wanted a modern glass building on the site, "we dug our heels in, as we felt the community and future residents were not going to want that. They are going to want something that will be equally fashionable 50 years from now."
The classic, New York-style exterior will be of limestone and precast stone, with embossed metalwork, tinted windows and custom-cast balconies, with a bricked driveway, reflective fountain and glass faceted canopy.
As well as concierge and valet parking, amenities include a fitness room and swimming pool, with granite and quartz stonework inspired by European spas, views of the outdoor landscaped terrace and men's and women's change facilities and steam rooms. A caterer's kitchen and adjoining formal dining room with access to the terrace and guest suite round out the offered amenities.
Iaboni says a shift in the attitude towards condo living started about 10 years ago, when people stopped thinking of it as a second-rate choice to a detached home.
"There are lots of people who can afford a house but don't want to live in a house," he says. "Developers started identifying a market for people who want a truly luxurious condo. It's like Starbucks – for those who take coffee seriously, they don't mind paying a higher price."
Iaboni believes "the Toronto condo market still has a lot of legs" and that in tougher times, there tends to be a "flight to quality."
"A hundred years ago, Forest Hill was the most exclusive neighbourhood in Toronto and it still is," Iaboni says.
He anticipates most buyers will come from the immediate neighbourhood, though there has been interest from those "who always wanted to live in Forest Hill but couldn't afford a $5 million house."
The Wentworth will be set at the top of the Avenue Rd. hill with views of Upper Canada College, and will be steps to St. Clair Ave. to the south, and close to the restaurants and boutiques of Yorkville and Bloor St. Construction will start in spring 2009 with anticipated occupancy in 2011.
Previews begin today. Visit the Wentworth website to register.
