BMyers
Active Member
They are also planning to build a new condominium behind the Imperial Oil building, however they will launch this after the conversion.
Toronto Imperial Plaza | 96.01m | 23s | Camrost-Felcorp | Onespace
- Thread starter maestro
- Start date
CityPlaceN1
Senior Member
Better redone as condos than having another Union Carbide situation. As long as they don't muck with the exterior too much.
Camrost-Felcorp is saving a mid-century modern landmark in midtown Toronto.
Imperial Plaza will be the new name for the condominium conversion of the former Imperial Oil headquarters at 111 St. Clair West. Possibly the most significant International Style skyscraper in Toronto, the Mathers and Haldenby design was once considered for the new Toronto City Hall competition of the time, but was built in 1957 to house the oil company's offices high above the city's Lake Iroquois shoreline escarpment in the tony Deer Park neighbourhood. Paying homage to the heritage of the building will be the cornerstone of this project.
The landmark property is the vision of development team Camrost-Felcorp along with the creative help of The Design Agency and One Space Unlimited. They promise it will be without equal in Toronto and Canada. Recent builders of The Avenue, just doors down from the Imperial Plaza, Camrost-Felcorp plans to preserve and echo the palette and space of the mid-century period building. The intention is also to bring affordable units to a neighborhood known for luxury: two years from now condo seekers with a budget in the $300,000s will be able to own a piece of Toronto architectural history. Non-residents, too, will have the opportunity to enjoy this piece of history since the plan is to include public amenity spaces including restaurants, cafes and retail shops.
The late York Wilson's great lobby mural.
The Imperial Plaza will be a 23 storey condominium built with welded-frame construction, clad in a limestone façade, with a granite, limestone, and marble lobby, and featuring units with extraordinary 10’ to 20’ ceilings. The rich materials would be financially impossible to replicate today. Combined with a Yonge and St. Clair location that includes some of Toronto’s best dining, shops, and cultural institutions, The Imperial Plaza will be without question a sought-after address.
The south view from the 18th floor.
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Imperial Plaza will be the new name for the condominium conversion of the former Imperial Oil headquarters at 111 St. Clair West. Possibly the most significant International Style skyscraper in Toronto, the Mathers and Haldenby design was once considered for the new Toronto City Hall competition of the time, but was built in 1957 to house the oil company's offices high above the city's Lake Iroquois shoreline escarpment in the tony Deer Park neighbourhood. Paying homage to the heritage of the building will be the cornerstone of this project.
The landmark property is the vision of development team Camrost-Felcorp along with the creative help of The Design Agency and One Space Unlimited. They promise it will be without equal in Toronto and Canada. Recent builders of The Avenue, just doors down from the Imperial Plaza, Camrost-Felcorp plans to preserve and echo the palette and space of the mid-century period building. The intention is also to bring affordable units to a neighborhood known for luxury: two years from now condo seekers with a budget in the $300,000s will be able to own a piece of Toronto architectural history. Non-residents, too, will have the opportunity to enjoy this piece of history since the plan is to include public amenity spaces including restaurants, cafes and retail shops.
The late York Wilson's great lobby mural.
The Imperial Plaza will be a 23 storey condominium built with welded-frame construction, clad in a limestone façade, with a granite, limestone, and marble lobby, and featuring units with extraordinary 10’ to 20’ ceilings. The rich materials would be financially impossible to replicate today. Combined with a Yonge and St. Clair location that includes some of Toronto’s best dining, shops, and cultural institutions, The Imperial Plaza will be without question a sought-after address.
The south view from the 18th floor.
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MBS-Guru
Active Member
2 years to renovate an existing building?. That sounds like a really long time. It takes 2 years to build a condo from scratch.
maestro
Senior Member
it's a lot easier to build a new condo from scratch
Tulse
Senior Member
It's a truly gorgeous building, but I can't imagine condo owners be happy with such tiny windows and no balconies.
cat
New Member
Does anyone have any idea if the rooftop will be common balcony space? Or maybe a courtyard on the ground? Or will the top floor views be for the penthouses only? I can't imagine being cooped up all day in a (nice) limestone building without some "balcony" fresh air.
Has anyone seen any prelim plans yet?
Has anyone seen any prelim plans yet?
SixPoints
Active Member
I'm sure they are going to reserve the roof top views for the penthouses. You can't sell a multi-million dollor penthouse without a private terrace. These penthouses are going to be very, very expensive. The 4000 sq. ft penthouses at 112 St.Clair West (another conversion) are still for sale after 3 years after the project was completed and they go for a mere $3.35 million, with no view!!!! With the views these units will offer they will be priced similar to the Avenue just down the street.
Traynor
Senior Member
I can't remember right now where I saw it, but I have seen an office conversion that had balconies without putting them on the outside of the building. Think recessed balconies like on X. Just open up a couple of windows and have a recessed balcony behind. The facade of the building wouldn't change but you get your open-air retreat.
SixPoints
Active Member
The registration webpage asks where you heard of the project and one of the options is "Urbantoronto.ca".
junctionist
Senior Member
I'm sceptical of that. This tower was built in the 1950s when labour and material costs were already high. Perhaps the exuberance of materials was related to the fact that the building was meant to be the new city hall for the city, but they pulled it off. Top quality materials require a certain price point, and downtown towers at some locations today are commanding record prices but delivering precast and other banal materials.
However, it is good to hear of retail and restaurant space coming to this tower. Currently, it's another factor to the dead zone around Avenue Road.
adma
Superstar
The ParkinDickinsonians out there would have their jaws go Tex Avery at that claim. I mean, it's a grand building and all, but cool it with the "International Style" label; as befits the rejected City Hall design, Imperial Oil was always retardataire/borderline-reactionary pre-International Style in spirit. And I'm not being snide in saying it could have been built for a Stalinist-era Eastern Bloc regime...
gristle
Senior Member
Well, some of the Rob Ford supporters would likely suggest that a building intended to be city hall should be something typical to a Stalanist-era Eastern Bloc regime - as that is what city hall is to them.
urbandreamer
recession proof
Looks like phase 2 is launching soon:
http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentApplications/navigatePlanningApp.do?method=next&reportType=2
http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentApplications/navigatePlanningApp.do?method=next&reportType=2
androiduk
Senior Member
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