In this single eastward vista from the edge of the Annex are three remarkably different architectural expressions, a rich juxtaposition of three generations in one.

At left stands 20 Prince Arthur, completed in 1968 by Modernist architect Uno Prii. The Estonian-born architect designed a staggering amount of slab apartment blocks in the city, injecting a futuristic expressionist flare into his concrete constructions. This tower's roofline is instantly identifiable by sweeping buttresses that give the building its curved profile. 

On the right is The Prince Arthur at 38 Avenue Road. Built in 1999, the luxury condo boasts bowed windows and precast stone sills and lintels, details indicative of its upscale Yorkville neighbourhood. 

And smack in the middle is the Four Seasons hotel and condo complex, completed in 2012. Using a sophisticated curtain wall system and by reducing its mass as it rises, the 55-storey tower was designed to "blend into the sky," says its architect Peter Clewes. 

Easterly view from the Annex, image by Edward Skira