To passersby on St. Clair Avenue, just east of Avenue Road, the only noticeable change to the 1911-built Deer Park United Church at 129 St. Clair Avenue West is the construction hoarding that surrounds the site. In contrast, those passing the site's Foxbar Road frontage will see a very different scene, as the rear two thirds of the church have been demolished to clear the way for Camrost-Felcorp's Blue Diamond at Imperial Village.

Blue Diamond Condos site viewed from the west on Foxbar Road, image by Forum contributor drum118

Work on the 28-storey, Diamond Schmitt Architects-designed condominium tower began in late 2016 with the start of demolition of parts of the church. By July, demolition work appeared to be complete, and the first signs of the project's shoring were evident on the former footprint of the demolished portion of the church. While much of the Norman-Gothic-style edifice has been removed, the northern portion of the heritage designated structure will live on along St. Clair, with a restoration being overseen by heritage specialists ERA Architects.

Blue Diamond Condos site viewed from the southeast, image by Forum contributor drum118

The current phase of construction involves the drilling of boreholes around the perimeter of the site, where steel I-beams will then be placed as the start of a shoring wall to hold back the surrounding earth and create safe conditions for excavation. Following that, excavators will begin to dig down to a depth of five storeys. When that's complete, the installation of a tower crane will follow, with the start of forming for the tower's foundations and five underground parking levels after that.

Blue Diamond Condos site viewed from the south, image by Forum contributor drum118

The completed project's restored church shell will retain its prominent position on St. Clair, while its remaining interior spaces will be given new purposes. The section of the sanctuary now lacking a roof is set to be transformed into an open air courtyard in the former nave space. Deer Park United's former chancel and apse spaces will live on, likely as a restaurant space, divided from the courtyard via a large glazed wall.

Future open-air courtyard at Blue Diamond, image courtesy of Camrost-Felcorp

Additional information and renderings can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.