At Cherry and Front Streets to the east of Downtown, the brand new Pan Am Village is now becoming the temporary Toronto home for 10,000 people. Built on land overseen by Waterfront Toronto (for whom this is the West Don Lands), DundeeKilmer is the joint venture developer that has created a new neighbourhood with their team of partners including George Brown College, Toronto Community Housing, the YMCA, architecture firms architectsAlliance, KPMB Architects, Daoust Lestage, MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, landscape architects The Planning Partnership and Michael Van Valkenburg Associates, and builders EllisDon and Ledcor PAAV and their subcontractors. Along with everything that the Toronto 2015 organizing committee and their partners have poured into the site, it's been a massive undertaking. It's ready for the Games now, and a year from now it will be ready for thousands of new residents.

Our previous article from this week's tour of the site focused on all of the preparations aimed at the athletes, this article is just to give you a better look at how the whole area looks now (without focusing on the temporary Games structures), to give you a hint of the 'raw materials' from which the neighbourhood, to be known as The Canary District, will be made.

Looking east along Front Street into the Canary District, image by Craig White

Above and below, we face east on Front Street at Cherry, looking through the red-brick gateway into the neighbourhood, and taking a moment to consider the restored building where the now long-gone Canary Restaurant once was. It may be a restaurant again some day; that's not known for sure yet.

The Canary Restaurant building restored, image by Craig White

To the north of Front Street is the Canary District Presentation Centre, surrounded by the George Brown College residence and the Cherry Street YMCA. The residence, along with all of the other future residential buildings onsite, are currently temporary housing for athletes and officials.

YMCA and George Brown College residence at Front and Cherry Streets, image by Craig White

Cherry Street, like Front, has gotten wide, tree-lined sidewalks wherever possible. The YMCA's red frame adds significant colour to the scene. Plenty of bike rings have been provided.

Looking south along the Cherry Street frontage, image by Craig White

Inside the YMCA are many athletic facilities including a track and fitness studio, and pools, as seen below.

Pool at the Cherry Street UMCA, image by Craig White

A walkway between the Y and the Presentation Centre leads into a public piazza area along Front Street.

Walkway between the Cherry Street YMCA and the Canary District presentation centre, image by Craig White

George Brown College residence, image by Craig White

George Brown College's big design gesture is a forest of columns at the south end of the residence's overhanging upper floors.

Front Street public realm outside George Brown College, image by Craig White

George Brown College pillar colonnade on Front Street, image by Craig White

Giant Muskoka chairs have been strewn throughout the site.

One of several giant Muskoka chairs now on site, image by Craig White

With another Muskoka chair in front of it, we approach one of the affordable unit buildings with a particular interest in the street realm.

Affordable unit residence on Front Street with retail at street level, image by Craig White

Public art in front of this building entails a tangle of lampposts, with one for every design found in Toronto, designed by Tadashi Kawamata.

Untitled public art by Tadashi Kawamata, image by Craig White

Street furniture here includes water fountains and coordinated refuse and recycling bins along the wide sidewalks. Planters with copious greenery create outdoor rooms between them.

Public water fountain on Front Street, image by Craig White

Up close to the buildings, we can see dashes of colour on the glazing, while above the doorways, built-in awnings await patio use.

Storefront with awnings retracted, image by Craig White

Here's how the patios will look under extended awnings.

Storefront with awnings extended, image by Craig White

This is how one of the retail units looks. This one is currently being used by Maytag as a laundromat/café during the run of the Games, and it could be a café in the future too.

Front Street store behind awning, image by Craig White

Back outside, another giant chair is positioned out front of the Canary District Condos on the south side of Front Street.

One of several giant Muskoka chairs now on site, image by Craig White

This building also features wide sidewalks in front with street furniture ready for future visitors.

Street furniture in front of Canary District Condos, image by Craig White

Canary District Condos behind a generous sidewalk on Front Street, image by Craig White

A variety of trees have been planted on the various streets here, all in trenches which are meant to foster vigorous growth. 41 of the trees have been dedicated to the countries participating in the Pan Am Games.

There are trees planted along Front Street dedicated to each of the Pan Am countries, image by Craig White

Below, we walk further east, then look back to the west…

Looking west along Front Street with market housing on the left and affordable units on the right, image by Craig White 

The Water Guardians public art by Marman and Borins on Front Street, image by Craig White

The Water Guardians public art by Marman and Borins on Front Street, image by Craig White

The wide sidewalks ready for retail and restaurant patios continue on past the Canary Park Condos all the way to Corktown Common at the east end of the site.

Canary Park Condos with generous sidewalk space along Front Street, image by Craig White

That's what we can show you now, but if you want to know more about the Canary District/Pan Am Village and various projects within it, you can find renderings and more information in the various dataBase files linked below. Want to get in on the conversations? Choose any of the associated Forum thread links, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.