This week's Throwback Thursday turns back the clock to the early stages of construction for Urban Capital Property Group's River City Condos, back in October 2011. Two tower cranes marked the site of River City 1 on the south side of King Street at River. The Saucier + Perrotte Architects and ZAS Architects-designed condominium development was an important first step in turning Toronto's West Don Lands into a neighbourhood. Less than four years later, the blocks to the southwest would host the Pan Am Games' Athletes Village.

View of the River City construction site, October 5, 2011, image by Forum contributor cassius

Returning to the scene in 2017 reveals the completed River City 1. Also since completed, River City 2 is hidden from this vantage point, along with 99% of Phase 3, now under construction in the background. More new buildings populate the right side of the image, including TCHC homes on the west side of River, while the Canary Park condos on Bayview appear in the background. Also changed—the old access to the Bayview Extension between King and Queen streets has been replaced with the green space on the left, part of the new berm that protects the area from Don River floods.

Completed River City phase 1 with a sliver of phase 3 visible, June 2017, image by Jack Landau

The view above is primed to change again over the next several months as River City's third phase continues to rise into the neighbourhood skyline. A view captured from one block to the south on River Street reveals the third phase's growing impact.

River City's third phase rising to the south of phase 1, image by Jack Landau

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