New residents continue to populate Camrost-Felcorp's Imperial Plaza, the newly completed condominium conversion of the 23-storey office building at 111 St. Clair Avenue West. The historic building, which for many years served as the headquarters for Imperial Oil Canada, featured a particularly grand marble-walled lobby with a pair of majestic York Wilson murals called 'The Story of Oil'. The quality of the space demanded that something special be done on the ground floor that made the best use of the materials and preserved and celebrated the murals.

As of today, the ground level interior spaces have been completed, and now function as the residential lobby and a pair of story, an LCBO location on the east side which opened earlier this summer, and a Longo's 'Urban Market' on the west side, which opened this morning, filling a longstanding grocery retailing void on two kilometres of St. Clair West between Yonge and Tweedsmuir.

Marble and mosaic lobby space between the shops at Imperial Plaza, image by Jack Landau

Longo's market staff were joined by members of the Longo family this morning to officially open the new retailer, which was commemorated with a celebratory bite of the apple. 

L-R: Joseph Longo, Mike Longo, Rosie Yeatman, Joey Longo, Angela Masellis, Anthony Longo, Marie Iuglio, Rosanne Longo, image by Jack Landau

Roses and cannoli were offered to guests upon entry, and many gathered around for remarks while others explored their new local supermarket. 

Interior of Longo's at Imperial Plaza, image by Jack Landau

“We’re looking forward to bringing our passion for great fresh food to the area with our urban concept Market store. Our stores and our people are known for great food, passion and unrivaled expertise across the board. Our experts are looking forward giving shoppers in the area a taste of what makes Longo’s so special” said Anthony Longo, Longo Brothers Fruit Market President and CEO.

Deli counter in Longo's at Imperial Plaza, image by Jack Landau

The meat and seafood counter at Longo's, image by Jack Landau

Though much smaller than a full-sized supermarket, the 8,500 square foot urban concept Longo's still has plenty of room for features like a gourmet made-to-order stone pizza oven, a full service Starbucks kiosk, and a full service deli offering hundreds of cheeses from Canada and around the world. 

The Longo's Market also offers a fresh salad bar, an extensive selection of local and organic produce, on-site cheese makers and cake decorators, a bakery, and curated food samplings to complement LCBO features.

The bakery at Long's, image by Jack Landau

The marble-clad walls and ornate detailing of the Longo's and LCBO spaces help to make this a very pleasant shopping experience, easily comparable to the attention to historic detail seen at the Summerhill LCBO. In the middle of it all are the two halves of the heritage protected "The Story of Oil". Each stretching 21 feet high and 32 feet long, the panels start with the microbial origins of oil and move through to its extractions and industrial use.

The western half of "The Story of Oil" inside of Longo's, image by Jack Landau

Each mural forms the backdrop for the cashiers at the two stores; Longo's above, and the LCBO below.

The eastern half of "The Story of Oil" inside of the LCBO, image by Jack Landau

Similar to the Longo's, the LCBO's main space is a high-celinged, light and airy room with large windows facing St. Clair Avenue.

Interior of LCBO at Imperial Plaza, image by Jack Landau

The store also features some of the nooks and crannies that you will find at Longo's. Here, the Vintages section of the store is located in a more intimate, lower-ceilinged alcove.

The Vintages are at the LCBO, image by Jack Landau

While residents of Imperial Plaza and its next phase, the neighbouring Blue Diamond Condos, will be able to shop for food and drink without having to set foot outside, there is an outside to appreciate too in the form of an inviting public patio. For the colder days when sitting outside with a coffee or lunch isn't so tempting, interior seating is also provided.

Public realm at Imperial Plaza, image by Jack Landau

In front of the LCBO, work to install the pain tiles is still under way.

Paving work in front of the LCBO space, image by Jack Landau

Other finishing touches are also wrapping up, including the installation of signage above the Longo's space.

Installation of signage over Longo's The Market, image by Jack Landau

Besides expecting walk-ins from around the neighbourhood, the two shops are also served by an underground garage, while the St. Clair streetcar runs past the building. 

Additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase file for the project, 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.