On Wednesday night, Urban Toronto visited an event showcasing Minto's The St. Thomas, a  23-storey luxury condominium located at the corner of St. Thomas and Charles Streets.  The project has existed in a number of different forms over the years so lets take a brief moment to recall them all now.

The initial design featured several set-backs in the manner of One St. Thomas across the street:

The St. Thomas Original Design

As the project went to market, the design was refined and the setbacks abandoned in favor of something more contemporary:

The St. Thomas Second Design

The project was briefly taken off the market in early 2009 and was subject to a third redesign, giving us the form we know today.

The St. Thomas Present Design

The Party

The St. Thomas Sales Centre, image by Nigel Terpstra

Inside The St. Thomas Sales Centre, image by Nigel Terpstra


Minto Developments partnered Tesla Motors to highlight The St Thomas' sustainable features which go beyond what one traditionally expects from a condominium and include:

  • Parking spaces which will be equipped with hardware for electric vehicle charging stations 
  • Individual, in suite metering for electricity, water and gas
  • High efficiency lighting and mechanical equipment resulting in approximately 35% energy savings over conventional buildings

Tesla Motors, creators of a unique, fully-electric sports car, helped draw awarness to the elecrical charging stations in the parking garage by offerering attendees test-rides through the picturesque University of Toronto Campus with a trained Tesla driver at the wheel. 

Tesla Sport S, image by Nigel Terpstra


Also on hand was a pre-production version of Tesla's stunning Model S.  The company hopes to introduce the this exciting electric sedan to the market sometime in 2012.   

Tesla Model S, image by Nigel Terpstra


The party was catered by local chef Jamie Kennedy who served up a number of delectable bits and bites including duck confit croquettes and mini paper cones of frites. Hungry Urban Toronto reporters were more than happy to sample. 

Duck Confit Croquettes, image by Nigel Terpstra


Great thanks to Minto Developments and Tesla Motors for putting on an exciting and innovative event.

On Monday: one of the most extensive building model tours ever run.

The St. Thomas Model, image by Nigel Terpstra


Related Companies:  BentallGreenOak, Hariri Pontarini Architects, LiveRoof Ontario Inc, McIntosh Perry, Unilux HVAC Industries Inc.