Most Canadians living outside of Toronto are familiar with Bay Street, through its use as a metonym for the country's economy. North of Queen Street, Bay has recently taken on a different character with a number of high-rise residential towers completed during the last decade. Back in 2007, the view north on Bay from Queen Street included the recently completed first tower of Canderel's Residences of College Park (ROCP), while the crane for the south tower could be made out, just rising above another rooftop.

View north on Bay Street from just north of Queen Street, 2007, image by Marcus Mitanis

9 years later, the image below shows lots of development over that time.

View north on Bay Street from just north of Queen Street, 2016, image by Jack Landau

On the east side of Bay, the second Graziani + Corazza Architects-designed ROCP condominium tower has long since been completed north of Gerrard. Behind it, and forming the bulk of the wall on the horizon, the 52-storey main tower of the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences can be seen. Designed by architectsAlliance, this development at the corner of Bay and Yorkville opened its doors in 2012.

On the west side of Bay, the slab-like concrete exterior of LuCliff Place, which was dominant in the first image, has been entirely blocked from view from this vantage point by Concert PropertiesMotion on Bay Street, a 29-storey Young + Wright / IBI Group Architects-designed rental towe at the corner of Bay and Dundas. Tucked in behind it a short distance north at Elm, a sliver of the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning's Diamond Schmitt Architects-designed exterior is also visible. The 21-storey institutional development was completed in 2013 and is now the home for the Hospital for Sick Children's research arm. Further north, a tiny portion of Lanterra Developments and Dov Capital Corporation's Burano can be seen. The 48-storey tower, featuring a design by architectsAlliance, was completed at the intersection of Bay and Grenville back in 2012.

We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto!

Related Companies:  Arcadis, architects—Alliance, Baker Real Estate Incorporated, CCxA, Diamond Schmitt Architects, EllisDon, Graziani + Corazza Architects, HDR, Isotherm Engineering Ltd., Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, L.A. Inc., Menkes Developments, NAK Design Group, Snaile Inc., U31