The jewel of Greenland Group's King Blue—the first Toronto venture for this formidable Chinese development firm—will be its podium, anchoring the two-tower development to the surrounding Entertainment District's vibrant street life with the addition of a 122-room Primus Hotel, retail, and the new 9,000 square foot Theatre Museum Canada. At the corner of King Street West and Blue Jays Way, King Blue's podium will incorporated the north and west facades of the Canadian Westinghouse Building, previously used as a warehouse and office space, and most recently the presentation centre for the mixed-use condo development.

Westinghouse Building's north and west facades, image by Marcus Mitanis

These two facades are being preserved in-situ through the efforts of ERA Architects and the contractors, though the remainder of the building will be taken down to make way for all-new structure of the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed development behind. The first signs of exterior activity are now evident on the east side of the Westinghouse Building, where a work stage has been erected to facilitate demolition preparation work.

Work platform installed on the east side of the Westinghouse Building, image by Marcus Mitanis

In addition to their inherent aesthetic value, the Westinghouse facade's incorporation into the development's six-storey podium will help bridge the Entertainment District's emerging live-work-play identity with its historic identity as the commercial warehouse heart of Toronto.

South and east of the Westinghouse building—space which has been used as a surface parking lot in recent years—shoring activity continues to stabilize the future pit perimeter prior to the start of excavation. The dig will be long, and is targeted for completion in October 2016.

Shoring rig at the east end of the King Blue site, image by Marcus Mitanis

Construction will take a couple years beyond that, but once residents of the completed development move in, they will find they have the benefit of living in a development which has the benefits of hotel services when required. They will also be able to enjoy amenity spaces including a fitness facility, media rooms, a landscaped rooftop terrace, a bar, and an indoor pool set next to a lounge and party room area. 

Party room at King Blue Condos, image courtesy of Greenland Group

You can learn more about King Blue by visiting 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.

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