Rendering by Diamond + Schmitt of 129 St. Clair West by Whitecastle Investments

Built in 1913, Deer Park United Church, located at 129 St. Clair West will soon be seeing a new addition to its existing historic structure. Whitecastle Investments has bought the site for a reported $4 million with plans to adaptively reuse the heritage church while creating a 32-storey residential tower, alongside five three-storey townhouse developments that will bring a total of 220 new residential units to the St. Clair West/Avenue Road intersection.

Close-up rendering of the ground level of 129 St. Clair West by Whitecastle Investments and Diamond + Schmitt

Based on the renderings from Diamond + Schmitt, Deer Park’s south wing, which was once used for the church’s Sunday school, will be torn down to make room for the condo development. The result will consist of a variety of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units, all available with dens. In addition, there will be five levels of underground parking (241 spots in total) and 172 bicycle spots. 

The 129 St. Clair West condo site also includes a portion of its neighbouring building, once the headquarters for Imperial Oil. The historic building at 111 St. Clair West is being converted into a 36-storey condo tower plus fifteen three-storey townhomes under the name Imperial Plaza by Camrost-Felcorp and Hariri Pontarini Architects.

Hariri Pontarini and E.R.A. Architect's rendering of Imperial Plaza by Camrost-Felcorp

Both projects are scheduled to be completed in 2014 and the St. Clair West/Avenue Road neightbourhood is poised to be buzzing with new energy. Some are questioning the design of 129 St. Clair West, saying they would much rather see a less glassy building. Others are also sad to see the historic church, which helped to define the neighbuorhood, converted into residential units that might detract from the area's original character. What do you think? Share your thoughts and join the discussion at the UrbanToronto Forum here or comment in this story.