Another tower crane has risen into the skyline of Toronto's Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood, as construction activity heats up at the site of Shiplake Management Company's Lillian Park. We last checked in on the site of the 25 and 26-storey, Rafael + Bigauskas Architects-designed rental apartment towers back in late July, when shoring work was wrapping up, and the dig down for the site's two-level underground parking garage had begun.

Crane installation at the site of Lillian Park, image by Forum contributor Fidlefadle

In the months since, digging has bottomed out for a portion of the future garage, and a tower crane was recently installed at the east end of the site, closest to Lillian Street. The crane installation was carried out through the afternoon of October 30th with the assistance of a portable hydraulic crane used to hoist the individual crane components into place.

Crane in place at the site of Lillian Park, image by Forum contributor Fidlefadle

While most of the excavation has been completed, an earthen ramp exists at the west end of the site, used by crews and machinery to access the base of the pit. With the first crane now in place, a new means of moving equipment in and out of the pit is available, meaning that the ramp can also be excavated in the near future, opening up that part of the site for the start of below-grade forming activity.

South end of the Lillian Park site, image by Forum contributor Fidlefadle

The land where Lillian Park is taking shape used to be a surface parking lot and outdoor green space for a 1976-built 28-storey rental apartment building to the immediate north. The tower-in-the-park infill project fulfills objectives of Ontario's Places To Grow Act which looks for new development to take place where services are already present.

Elevations for Lillian Park, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The completed rental towers will add a combined 564 residential rental units to the site, coming in a mix of 24 bachelor units at an average size of 38 m², 398 one-bedroom units at an average size of 46 m², and 142 two-bedroom units at an average size of 74 m².

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