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Named for the local convergence of railway lines, "The Junction" was historically a working class neighbourhood of Toronto fuelled by the industries that located next to the rails. Discovery by artists and artisans in recent decades, the area is undergoing a gradual gentrification now as young professionals are also moving in. The gentrification is exemplified by an interesting case of adaptive re-use at 43 Junction Road, just east of Keele Street, on a site that was formerly a home to St. Marys Cement.
The existing single-storey industrial building at the south end of the subject site is now in the process of being transformed into a commercial development. Catering to the evolving needs of the neighbourhood, this property will soon to be home to an Organic Garage supermarket and an LA Fitness location.
Designed by Cusimano Architect, the project preserves some of the the sturdy bones of the earlier industrial facility, while expanding it with new structural steel level out the sides and on a new level above. The combination of old and new space will add up to a total of 69,201 square feet, including 15,00 square feet for the grocery store. Much of the structural steel for the addition is now in place. With cladding yet to be installed, the transition between the old concrete supports and the new steel frame above is clearly visible.
Elevation diagrams of the development depict two different types of masonry cladding for the lower level, with a combination of masonry and stucco used for portions of the upper storey.
The building itself only occupies about a fifth of the site's footprint, with the remainder, including the entirety of the site's Keele Street and Junction Road frontage (save for one small existing office building at the east end of the site), taken up by 389 surface parking spaces. It's remarkably suburban planning for an area which, south of the tracks that this development borders, does not have a suburban feel.
We will return with updates as construction of the facility progresses. In the meanwhile, you can follow along with construction by visiting the associated Forum thread.
