Urban Capital Property Group and ALIT DevelopmentsNicholas Residences has been topped out at the corner of St. Nicholas and St. Mary Streets for a few months now, and with construction of the 35-storey, Core Architects and Goldsmith Borgal and Company Architects-designed condominium development now progressing into its late stages, we recently toured inside of it for our first look at the project's interiors.

Nicholas Residences amongst the towers of Toronto's Bloor Yorkville area, image by Craig White

The podium of Nicholas Residences blends new with old, with the modern glass corner frontage, blend with the area's brick vernacular into the heritage recreation to the south, a former planing mill. The bricks from the mill which stood at the south end of the site were disassembled, cleaned, and then reincorporated into the project's podium, recreating the mill's exterior in situ once again.

The podium of Nicholas Residences, image by Jack Landau

Some of the original brick was not reusable however, so the heritage planing mill component has been clad using a combination of the original bricks interspersed with new custom-manufactured bricks to fill out the mix. Windows have also been installed in this section of the podium, and the frames, specified to match the look of the original windows, goes a long way in bringing back the historic look to the building. 

Historic portion on the south side of the podium at Nicholas Residences, image by Jack Landau

Bricked exterior walls of the adjacent modern portion of the podium have a much newer look, taking on a richer and redder tone than the rebuilt heritage facade.

Old (right) and new (left) brick sections on the podium of Nicholas Residences, image by Jack Landau

Stepping inside of the building through the main residential entrance, residents of Nicholas Residences will be greeted by a large two-storey lobby.

Nicholas Residences' two-storey lobby, image by Jack Landau

When complete, the Cecconi Simone-designed lobby will feature finishes and fixtures in a distinctive 1960s retro-modern style, but for the moment, the lobby is still very much an active construction site.

Concierge desk in Nicholas Residences' lobby, image by Jack Landau

The building's mail room is also a work-in-progress, but enough finishes have been applied to give us a good illustration of what the final product will look like.

Mail room at Nicholas Residences, image by Jack Landau

Up on the second floor of the building, residents of the development will have access to a selection of more Cecconi Simone-designed amenities occupying almost an entire level. These spaces include the gym, pictured below, as well as a lounge, theatre, and billiards room (not pictured).

Gym taking shape at Nicholas Residences, image by Jack Landau

While those amenities will no doubt see plenty of use (and we look forward to seeing how they look when finished), some will consider the jewel in the crown of Nicholas Residences' amenity spaces to be the outdoor podium-top terrace designed by Ferris & Associates. The terrace enjoys some impressive views to the south and east over Yonge Street and the Downtown core. It will also feature a linear reflecting pool crossed by tailored bridges which link the north and southern halves of the terrace. The channel for the reflecting pool is clearly visible running diagonally through the centre of the image below.

Outdoor amenity terrace at Nicholas Residences, image by Jimmy Wu

There is much more to see of Nicholas, and we will return soon with plenty of photos from the upper half of the tower, featuring the building's condominium suites and the terrific views of the city offered from them.

In the meantime you will find additional information and renderings in our Nicholas Residences dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or voice your opinion in the comments sections provided at the bottom of this page.

Related Companies:  Cecconi Simone, Core Architects, Ferris + Associates Inc., Isotherm Engineering Ltd., TUCKER HIRISE Construction