Wait, so the last photo is of the finished building?!!! Took me a moment to figure out what was going on here.
Hardly anything was done to the exterior, except for replacing the storefronts with a forbidding black wall with haphazard window punch outs which makes it looked like a remnant with no thought or reason. I’m wondering why this was even included in the buildings forum here, but at least we can critique (or roast) it.
This seems to be a quick and dirty building conversion to some kind of rooming house or hostel, with little regards to aesthetics.
The SketchUp rendering of the existing building is so inaccurate — the width and proportion is way off, and the windows are mispositioned. I was trying to figure out if it was supposed to be existing or proposed. The hired architect is an unknown from Cambridge with only experience on a handful of small forgettable and utilitarian suburban and rural projects, which could explain why.
Looking up the developer/owner, it’s a Florida-based short term rental startup (similar to the now defunct Sonder), operating in a few U.S. cities with some rentals in and around Toronto (mostly in homes/condos/cottages).
The old windows haven’t been changed which is a shame (other than a coat of paint). I always thought these windows with the sliders on the bottom to be unattractive and cheap looking (popular in the 70s and 80s). Having modern high-efficient windows with appropriate traditonal mullions would make a significant improvement, not just in aesthetics but in energy efficiency.
This is a missed opportunity to make it into something pleasant and interesting, even on a limited budget, but as a short term rental building attracting walk-in traffic or customers is not a priority, and the people staying there will just want a cheap basic place to stay while in town without the pricy amenities.
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