The future of another block in Toronto's Entertainment District is becoming easier to imagine as Pinnacle on Adelaide, a 43-storey condominium designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for Vancouver-based developer Pinnacle International, hits its fifth above-ground floor. Along with the base of the tower, the podium portion of the project, which will include ground floor retail, restaurants, and two floors of amenity space, is now sunstantially in place. 

We last reported on this story back in September when the Richard West House, a mid-19th century residential structure significant to the neighbourhood, was moved back onsite after a temporary relocation for excavation and grage work below it. Now settled into its final resting place adjacent to the former Duke of Argyle Pub, it will be integrated into the new complex and restored to serve as a retail space or restaurant. 

Aligned with Festival Tower to the south and offset from Cinema Tower to the west, the Pinnacle tower and associated podium at the corner of John and Adelaide contribute to the re-imagined streetscape of the city's changing Entertainment District. The development frames a section of what is planned as the John Street Cultural Corridor, a central North-South spine lined with destination attractions and amenties with a large pedestrian focus. The Pinnacle development offers the dense site some relief with an urban courtyard with reflecting pool, designed by Toronto's Janet Rosenberg + Associates, notched in-between the heritage buildings on the south side and the tower to the north (see photo below). Welcoming details in the design include granite cube seating with a water feature flowing between cubes, some of which are stacked two high and some of these upper cubes are made of polyethelyne and lit from the inside.

Pinnacle on Adelaide, image by Jack Landau

Pinnacle on Adelaide, image by Jack Landau

Compare how the attached photos are starting to approximate the architects' renderings. (Note that renderings may not reflect the latest changes to the building's plans and elevations)

Pinnacle on Adelaide, image courtesy of Hariri Pontarini

Pinnacle on Adelaide, image courtesy of Hariri Pontarini

We will keep you posted on the progress. In the meantime, you will find several more renderings in our dataBase entry linked below. To get in on the conversation, choose one of the associated Forum thread links, or leave a comment here!