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Our recent tour of Picasso Condos by Mattamy/Monarch Group and the Goldman Group began last week with a look inside the varied amenity spaces and several of the 409 distinct units scattered throughout the building. This time, we venture inside to have a look out at the evolving views presented by Toronto's Entertainment District and beyond.
Starting on the podium floors, balconies provide an overlook onto the vibrant Queen Street West. To the north, work is wrapping up on 12 Degrees, situated just north of Queen Street on Beverley Street, while to the northeast, the pink-clad Umbra store stands out on what began as an overcast autumn day.
On the opposite side of the building, residents will see many of the new residential towers that have come to dominate the Entertainment District. Looking southeast, several rows of glass now provide some added interest to Lifetime Developments' The Bond as it joins the increasingly dense neighbourhood. Behind it are Pinnacle on Adelaide and Cinema Tower, two of the most recently completed developments in the image below, while a slice of Theatre Park shows up at the left edge of the photo.
Pivoting a bit westwards, more recent developments are visible. Peter Street Condos hides the active construction site of 87 Peter, only locatable by the white crane boom which can be seen behind it. A block further to the south, Bisha Hotel and Residences is about halfway in its climb towards its ultimate 44-storey height.
Looking west, the busy construction site and staggered grid on Tableau Condos adds energy to the area, while down at ground level, one of the imposing delta frames which holds up the new office floors at Queen Richmond Centre West—one of the few new non-residential buildings in the Entertainment District—is visible from this vantage point as well.
Taking the elevator up many more floors yields an even better view. Looking northeast, Grange Park in the foreground has lost its colour, but the stilts of OCAD U's Sharp Centre for Design keeps the scene rich. Close to the right side of the photo, a bright yellow crane signals the facade dismantling taking place to accommodate future construction of The Residences of 488 University Avenue above its office building base.
Zooming into the background, we get a closer look at the rapid change taking place along Yonge Street and in Yorkville, where One Bloor East is the highest peak in this skyline view. To its left, the yellow stripe of the construction hoists for U Condominiums' tallest tower remain in place, while on the other side of One Bloor, Five St. Joseph is having its mechanical penthouse clad. The crane seen above it is actually connected to Casa II, now less than a dozen floors from topping off. On the right edge of the photo, a small sliver of Karma Condos appears behind one of the Residences of College Park Condos buildings.
A wider angle pointing a more to the east reveals additional buildings. The peaked Aura at College Park, the white top of Residences at the RCMI Condos and the pixelated blue walls of No. 210 Residences on Simcoe all dominate the centre of the shot below. The top of City Hall's towers are visible to the right, but the now famous 'TORONTO' sign and most of Nathan Phillips Square is blocked.
Panning to the right and looking directly east, Toronto's tallest towers come into frame, with Studio and Studio2 on Richmond commanding the foreground. In the background just above the shorter Studio tower, the cranes for INDX Condos and the EY Tower rise from the streets of the Financial Core. Theatre Park dominates the right side of the photo.
Looking south once again, the CN Tower pops up above the Festival Tower and TIFF Bell Lightbox. To the left, RBC Centre and The Ritz-Carlton hover over Roy Thomson Hall and Metro Hall.
One final swing westward, we can again see Queen Richmond Centre West, but this time, Fabrik Condos pops up into view behind it. The future site of Carlyle Condos, located at the southwest corner of Peter and Richmond Streets and currently home to low rise warehouses, is also seen just to the left of QRC West.
Though the Entertainment District has become densely packed with towers, Picasso Condos still enjoys expansive views of the numerous Toronto building clusters. Residents moving in next year will surely make use of the balconies, terraces and other outdoor spaces offered throughout the building and in their own units.
Additional images and information 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 field provided at the bottom of this page.
