Toronto 629 King Residences (was Thompson Residences) | 53.34m | 15s | Freed | Saucier + Perrotte

1) The name/branding bait and switch is really bad form. Not cool for purchasers that paid a premium for the Thompson Hotel services promised
If I was a buyer here, I wouldn't mind the loss of the Thompson branding/services. The original Thompson building on Wellington had issues with hotel guests/visitors and security, and I wouldn't want to be sharing my amenities with hotel guests and outsiders. But I understand that most of the units are tiny 300-500 sq.ft. 1BR units so I'm sure having room service would be a selling point for tenants and AirBnB guests which this building has a lot of.
Lavelle does offer some hotel-style amenities to this building to make up for the loss of the Thompson brand, I don't see how this could be any different than the rooftop bar and pool at the original Thompson building -- in this case it is much larger and douchey than the Thompson rooftop.

4) The metal paneling looks too thin and oil canning is already happening. Shame. S+P probably spec'd Zinc only to be value engineered to thin gauge metal.
All of the original and early renders show a black or almost-black metal cladding, so the black metal cladding was most likely the intension all along.

5) How did Freed not think to spec all the blinds/curtains and mandate the rules in the Condo Docs to ensure consistency. This design needed that. Even more than Fashion House IMO.
Almost all condos have a rule about limiting window coverings to white or off-white, however not all residents/owners abide by these rules. Many of the units are rented out so either the landlords or tenants are not willing to pay for quality tasteful looking window coverings. They often put up cheap and ill-fitting window coverings that don't look good from the outside -- especially those dated plastic vertical blinds or those awful pre-made tabbed curtain panels from Ikea that are sloppily cinched at each panel. That is a problem with most condos with a lot of glass -- you see a lot of crap through them.
There are a handful of condo developments that includes white solar shades for every unit which make for a much neater and consistent looking exterior.
 
All of the original and early renders show a black or almost-black metal cladding, so the black metal cladding was most likely the intension all along.

I should point out to you that Zinc is also a black metal cladding and it is very likely that S+P originally spec'd it as such. In other projects, they have made great use of zinc and rarely use aluminum in its place. It's safe to say that this was a developer/value-engineering move, as per the post above yours.
 
A peek inside the new restaurant.

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I should point out to you that Zinc is also a black metal cladding and it is very likely that S+P originally spec'd it as such. In other projects, they have made great use of zinc and rarely use aluminum in its place. It's safe to say that this was a developer/value-engineering move, as per the post above yours.

That's unfortunate, but expected of developers. That being said River City 1 was most likely originally designed with zinc cladding as well.
I've seen some really nice buildings in Europe which were clad in a dull grey zinc. If this building was done in the grey zinc it would have been nice too as the shadow lines would be more noticeable and would emphasize the in-and-out checkerboard patterning.
 
The Starbucks is now open.

Replacing the Starbucks outlet at 523 King Street West, which is now closed, with a Moved to King & Bathurst sign in the window. The 523 King location would ultimately be impacted by the Allied / Westbank redevelopment of 489 - 539 King Street West, but it seems early for the relocation to be for that reason.
 
The new restaurant, Oretta, is one of the coolest I've ever seen. I believe Commute Design is responsible for at least a part of it.

A few pics from inside, along with the mews-type-thing between the two condos (including a mega blank concrete wall that is just dying for a mural).

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Pic taken April 11, 2017

Its a nice pedestrian thoroughfare until you take a whiff of the place. Many do not bother taking the dog to the park. Everything is a target.

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