West Queen West has seen some dramatic changes over the past few years. The transformation of the Queen and Dufferin intersection appears to be one the most important as The Carnaby by Streetcar Developments' and Tact Architecture, now topped off at 20 storeys, will bring hundreds of new residents and a strong urban feeling to the area now also being promoted as the Art and Design District. 

The Carnaby seen from the amphitheatre on Queen Street, picture by Craig White

The Carnaby and its surroundings seeing from the south-side of Queen Street, picture by Craig White

Since our last update, the tower has reached its final height with the top of the structure now being form-free, as the blue and black-toned cladding has made its way up to the 17th floor. The white pre-cast has been fully put in place around the southern half of each floor as well as on the crown of the building, which creates an interesting contrast with the glass wall and the charcoal brick at the base, but also diversifies the shapes and colours of the streetscape.

The Carnaby and the future Carnaby Row looking south, picture by Craig White

On the north side of the building, the area where the shorter Carnaby Row section will join has been insulated, and work is under way for both that section—still working on the garage—and for Twenty Gladstone, seen in the background of the image below, where the second storey walls are now going in.

The 11-storey high structure is making its way to the surface, picture by Craig White

Another major feature of the development is a the pedestrian realm which will include both a retail mews and a new park on the Dufferin Street side of the site. Retail will contain everything from boutique shops to a Metro grocery store, while the park will provide the neighbourhood with an additional public space with direct access to a coming extension of the popular West Toronto Rail Path. The WTRP will connect in the not too distant future all the way to Downtown and Waterfront cycling paths in the south, and to The Junction in the north.

The future entrance to the pedestrian-friendly lane on Gladstone Avenue, picture by Craig White

Additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.