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The world is changing in the digital age, and services that we depended upon just a dozen years ago have evolved in ways we never expected. Canada Post now handles more packages and fewer letters, so older postal facilities are now outmoded, so a number of them in Toronto have closed in recent years, including a Canada Post distribution centre at 1780 Avenue Road, which went up for sale in 2012. That site was recently purchased by developer Cresford, and they have hired OFFICEArchitecture to design a modern redevelopment with a clean aesthetic for the commercial street.
The existing one-storey facility is situated on the west side of Avenue Road at Melrose Avenue, midway between Lawrence and Wilson Avenues. With a recently built mid-rise condominium development to the south and another mid-rise condo gearing up for construction nearby, the way has been paved for increased densities on this primarily commercial stretch of Avenue Road. Most buildings along here are one and two-storey shops from the first half of the 1900s, with some newer building, but this proposal marks the area's first major addition of commercial density since the construction of an LCBO one block to the north in the last several years.
The proposed building would be built atop the structural skeleton of the existing facility, with the uppermost commercial level set to reach a height of 13.50 metres, while the roof of the mechanical penthouse level (not pictured) would rise 16.50 metres above the street.
Plans call for a ground floor primarily dedicated to restaurant space, with office lobbies near both the northeast and southwest corners of the the ground floor. The second level of the development would be almost entirely occupied by approximately 707 square metres of office space, while the third level would be divided between office space, restaurant space, and an outdoor patio occupying the north side.
We will return with additional updates as new information emerges about this development. In the meantime, you can learn more about the project by visiting our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment using the space provided at the bottom of this page.
