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Four months after demolition began to clear a spot in Toronto's Bloor-Yorkville area for Eight Cumberland by Great Gulf and Phantom Developments, an official ground breaking for the project was celebrated this week at the project site, just northwest of Bloor-Yonge subway station. In he open space cleared behind the Yonge Street facades that will be incorporated into the base of the 51-storey architectsAlliance-designed condo tower, project principals and guests gathered on Tuesday morning to commemorate the official start of construction.
After the crowd was given time to mingle, the festivities moved inside a tent for some brief remarks. Madeline Zito, Vice President of Public Relations at Great Gulf, was the first to take the microphone, welcoming the group to get the event started.
The mic was then handed off to Alan Vihant, Great Gulf's Executive Vice President of High-Rise, who spoke of the complex planning and approvals process that led to today's ground breaking. "It's been a real labour of love getting through the zoning process, permits, and on to the construction start, so it's great to see crews on site," said Vihant.
After Vihant then extended thanks to the various companies that helped get the project off the ground, project principals gathered outside to participate in a sod-turning photo-op. From left to right, the image below shows Ronnie Strasser, Sam Strasser, Alex Strasser, Stanton Strasser, and Jay Strasser from Phantom Developments, Alan Vihant and Niall Collins of Great Gulf, Mike McGrath of Tucker HIRISE, Hunter Milborne of Milborne Group, and Boris and Josh Shteiman of Platinum Vista.
As for construction activity, the portion of the site that hosted the ground breaking will soon see the start of shoring activity. To the east, the Yonge-fronting heritage components have had their rear sections demolished and are now being prepared for integration into the new tower's podium.
Once complete, Eight Cumberland will stand approximately 170 metres on the Bloor-Yorkville skyline, bringing 371 new condominium units to the rapidly-growing neighbourhood.
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.
