The original townsite of Markham is rich with historic architecture and culture, boasting a quaint and charming small-town vibrancy set amongst the endless spawl of Toronto's bustling suburban cities. Markham's Main Street is home to a wide collection of historic properties which contribute to a sense of time and place. For purposes of new development, streets such as this (nearby Unionville's Main Street is similar) can be a challenge for land developers, who must strive for aesthetic contextualism in a development-sensitive neighbourhood. This is exactly the approach being used by Sierra Building Group at their 68 Main Street Condominiums project.

68 Main Street construction site, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

Forum member Mafaldaboy recently stopped by the site to document the latest activity at the project, and in the time since our last update, the development has made significant progress. Designed by Flanagan Beresford Patteson Architects, 68 Main Street is U-shaped, 143-unit residential development that comprised of a 6-storey mid-rise condominium set behind a three storey historic-style frontage along Main Street, with an additional two storeys of stepped back penthouses above.

68 Main Street's Main Street frontage, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

While the new Main Street frontage appears to be 12 separate buildings, the Victorian and Georgian-inspired façades hide a continuous modern development behind the old-timey wrap. Set behind the Main Street building, the more modern 6-storey, tan brick clad rear portion is also pushing into its late stages of construction, with window glazing now installed.

6-storey rear portion of the development, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

Finishing touches are also being applied on the exterior of the development's Main Street frontage, and once complete, the project will add 13,000 square feet of new retail space to this already thriving pedestrian strip.

The project's Main Street frontage, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

The project's Main Street frontage, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

For additional information and renderings, visit the 68 Main Street dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or voice your opinion in the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.