Toronto Chelsea Green (was 33 Gerrard) | 297.25m | 90s | Great Eagle | a—A

Some interesting facts about the Delta Chelsea you may not know.

Source :wiki

The Delta Chelsea is the largest hotel in the commonwealth, located in Toronto, Ontario Located at 33 Gerrard Street West and part of the Delta Hotels chain, it offers 1,590 guest rooms and suites.The Delta Chelsea was originally supposed to be a co-op apartment building.

It was built in 1975 and underwent renovations in the 1990s.

Delta_Chelsea.jpg
 
The Delta Chelsea was originally supposed to be a co-op apartment building.[/CENTER]
That's interesting. There's actually a co-op apartment building right across the street. This would also explain the inaccessible balconies attached to every suite.
 
The Delta Chelsea is owned by Hong Kong's Langham Hotels International. I've said this before, but I'd like to see the Delta Chelsea turned into something like the Langham Place development in HK... a combination of a massive vertical mall, office tower and a Langham Hotel across the street.

It has always puzzled me why the Delta Chelsea, though owned by Langham, has not yet been rebranded as a Langham hotel. Perhaps the renovation will coincide with a future rebranding of the hotel.

http://www.langhamhotels.com/international.htm

Thanks for that link and images. Interesting.

I am guessing that the reason that the DC has not been rebranded as a Langham is because Delta is an established (and, I suspect, successful) brand in Canada, while Langham is unknown. From the link you provided, Langham's brands also appear to sit on the luxury end of the scale, and I can only imagine that the owner would have doubts as to whether Gerrard and Bay would be a good location for such a large luxury hotel. Not to mention the cost of the upgrade.
 
To my eye, the wing chairs and fake mahogany coffered ceiling in the Sheraton lobby are more Harlequin Romance Regency, or William IV, than Tudor.
 
Update

So I have an update on the planned renovations.

A friend who works at the hotel had a staff meeting where they explained the renovations a bit. The plans are in no way guaranteed and may not happen.

1: A convention centre situated over the current patio area off the dead end street on Yonge Street. I think its Walton St.? Apparantly a couple of floors to add some bigger ball rooms, etc.

2: Renovate the north side of the building fronting on Gerrard St. with a glass wall to eliminate the balconies, etc.
 
3. $100M projected budget
4. The entire hotel would be closed during the renovations, >1 year
5. Bye bye existing slides

Some serious deliberations required with that on your decision plate!
 
Surprisingly, considering my stance on large concrete modernist/brutalist/whatever structures such as these, I don't mind this hotel. The glass re-clad sounds nice, as those balconies do scream 1970s co-op. I also fully support creating a transparent slide section, that would be amazing. Other than that give it a clean and scrub-down, and we're on our way.
 
Surprisingly, considering my stance on large concrete modernist/brutalist/whatever structures such as these, I don't mind this hotel.

Well, even if it's concrete, it isn't that "brutal", really. Just mid-to-late-modern high-rise-hotel vernacular...
 
Why would they discuss renovations if uncertainity exists about it happening?

Are they conducting a feasibility study?

When will it be known if project is green-lit?
 
Well, even if it's concrete, it isn't that "brutal", really. Just mid-to-late-modern high-rise-hotel vernacular...

Yeah that's why I threw in the 'whatever'. I usually lump that general era of mostly concrete-finished modern architecture into one category. Unattractive.
 
Though not necessarily so "unattractive" in the Concrete Toronto (the book) era.

If you think it's bad, imagine if it were reclad in PoMo-retro...
 
Delta Chelsea Hotel (Re-Clad & Enclose Balconies)

Application: Zoning Review Status: Not Started

Location: 33 GERRARD ST W
TORONTO ON M5G 1Z4

Ward 27: Toronto Centre-Rosedale

Application#: 12 168251 ZPR 00 ZR Accepted Date: May 7, 2012

Project: Non-Residential Building Addition

Description: Proposal to re-clad exterior north tower facade and enclose existing balconies to a hotel (Delta Chelsea Hotel).
 

Back
Top