James Club (Royal York @ Dundas, The Princess Group, 14s, Turner Fleischer)

[urbandreamer]

26 January 2010:

 

[tenant]

Awesome ... gotta take a drive

 

[J-C]

Looks like the building has topped out and window installation is on the 4th floor.

Move in Begins Oct 2010

 

[sm4jc]

James Club Updates

Hello all,
Updated photo's have been uploaded to website. www.jamesclub.ca
Windows installed to 9th Floor. 10th Floor commence Tuesday.
Model suite ready for May/June 2010.

 

[interchange42]

New condo going up on the periphery of the prestigious Kingsway neighbourhood in Etobicoke, close to the Humbertown plaza, right next to that huge crescent shaped 60's apartment building (same architect designed both buildings). Excavation looks to be more or less done.

Too bad it doesn't seem to acknowledge that distinctive curved apartment building in the background. At least it's not cheap PoMo.

It would have looked better if all of the balconies were recessed.

The trouble I have with James Club, in fact, is that it ruins the freestanding setting of the Royal York Gardens apartments--one of the most underrated works of 60s Corbusiana in the city. (Even the doomed garage is integral to the setting, as can be seen from the overhead view.)

If they really had to build it, I wish they didn't choose something so standard condo-schlocky in design...

That is hilarious, however, it was designed by the same architect and he felt that The James Club actually does complement his design of Royal York Gardens.

So wait, did Raymond Mandel design the James Club? He did design Royal York Gardens, the 1965 Le Corbusieran building on this site, and he did design the 1966-opened brutalist Old Mill Towers down by the eponymous subway station. If he did design The James Club, he did it before he passed away in September 2006 at 71 years of age, which in architectural circles would be not unheard of.

EDIT: In fact Mr. Mandel did do initial work on The James Club. Since his passing the work has been completed by Turner Fleischer.

 

[interchange42]

Construction has progressed significantly since the last photos were posted here:

I like the pronounced grid of the mullions here against the dark gray spandrel. (Oh no, more gray! I like it with the black.)

That's Royal York Gardens on the left.

There are some pretty tall trees on the grounds here: it's nicely landscaped, and no doubt will no longer be cluttered with vehicles everywhere once construction is finished and the new garage is opened.

From the raised Royal York Gardens parking lot, looking at the south side of The James Club.

42

 

[Solaris]

I like the dark grey spandrels and black windows frames (mullions?) ... adds a touch of class to this building ~

thanks I-42

 

[Towered]

Turned out much better than the render. A very nice surprise!

 

[urbandreamer]

17 June 2010: Sorry folks, urbandreamer says (to Adma's chagrin) "Epic Fail."

Compared to the modest clean lines of the majority of Humbertowns' c.1950s apartment buildings, the James Club is a major architectural blunder. It belongs in Kitchener or London, Ontario!

 

[Towered]

What, you mean those awful cubes running up the Kingsway and along Anglesey towards Royal York?? I'd have no issue seeing all of them replaced...

 

[adma]

Actually, I agree that the new tower's clumsy, even if it's from the same (late) architectural hand as its half-century-older neighbour--here's a case where more harmony and less "keeping up with condo trends" would have been preferrable.

Oh, and re "those awful cubes": actually, barring NIMBYs and municipal rental-housing-maintenance policy, I *can* see them replaced over time--but may I offer the same forewarning I offer to critics of the Sheraton Centre: given the kind of schlock which *could* replace them (or schlock treatments like EIFS), they start looking not half bad. (And that point tower overlooking Humbertown is actually pretty decent, and recent renos have been surprisingly stylish.)

 

[SixPoints]

I went by here this morning. Looks like some units have been occupied.

 

[Towered]

So, some genius has decided that the stunning 60's heritage apartment building, Royal York Gardens, badly needed an update, so guess what has happened?

Think about it for a second.

What would be the most possibly "Toronto" thing to do?

THINK REAL HARD. IT'S A TOUGH ONE.




That's right. They painted it GREY.