Toronto's Entertainment District has grown substantially over the past several years, and new developments continue to add residential and commercial density to the fast-growing neighbourhood. Back in 2009, a few new high-rise developments were taking shape in the neighbourhood, including the Residences at The Ritz-Carlton and M5V Condominiums. In the shot below, facing east across King Street from just west of Charlotte, the 2009 view shows the Ritz (in the background below the crane boom) approaching its final 53-storey height, while that crane had recently been installed for the 35-storey M5V on King just east of Blue Jays Way.

View east on King Street West, 2009, image by Edward Skira

Fast forward to 2017, and the Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates-designed Ritz (now hidden from view) and the Core Architects and Teeple Architects-designed M5V are both complete. In the 8 years since the image above was captured, a number of other buildings have joined the scene. To the left of M5V, a sliver of The Mercer (completed 2015) is visible, as well as the preserved facades of the Canadian Westinghouse Building, to be incorporated into the podium of the under-construction King Blue Condos. On the left, the Festival Tower and tiff Bell Lightbox now stands tall over the intersection of King and John Streets.

View east on King Street West, 2017, image by Jack Landau

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

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