On a day when we are got our first look at the west elevation of Lanterra's proposed twin 58-storey tower project at 501 Yonge Street, we are also getting out first look at Concert Properties' proposed 58-storey tower at 88 Scott Street (formerly 40 Scott), about 2 kilometres to the south in the heart of Toronto's Financial Core. The two plans, both preliminary, could not be more different. You can get a look at the modern minimalist 501 Yonge elevation in another story today, but here we are looking at - - - PoMo-Art Deco?

88 Scott Street by Concert Properties, East and South Elevations, image by Atlantis

It's a mistake to make a final style judgment when reviewing the simple line drawings of elevations: much of the detail still has to be filled in, and in fact the developers are essentially seeking to establish the general massing for the projects at this point. Visits to the City's Design Review Panel and their passage through the zoning approval process, which includes public consultations, could still result in significant changes to the plans.

40 Scott Street by Concert Properties, Lower East Elevation, image by Atlantis

That said, the thrust of these elevations are clear: while 501 Yonge exemplifies the clean lines of architectsAlliance buildings, the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects design for 40 Scott is reminiscent of the setback skyscrapers of yesteryear. The lower portions of the east facade remind one of New York's Empire State Building, while the south facade looks a bit more like an entire skyline on its own.

40 Scott Street by Concert Properties, Lower South Elevation, image by Atlantis

While UrbanToronto forum member Atlantis snapped these photos of the elevations for us on Wednesday, a week and a half ago SkyscraperCity and UrbanToronto member AndrewJM3D shot pics of the building currently on the site, a 7-storey limestone clad office block currently home to Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance. The insurer is moving to the Southcore Financial Centre soon.

40 Scott Street Currently, image by AndrewJM3D

40 Scott Street Currently, image by AndrewJM3D

40 Scott Street Currently, image by AndrewJM3D

40 Scott Street Currently, image by AndrewJM3D

The original five lower floors of the podium appear to be retained in the new project, while newer extensions on top and to the west side appear to be making way for the new tower.

What's your take on this project? You can comment here via a social network account, or click the links below to be taken to UrbanToronto's threads for this project where you may post through your UrbanToronto account.