UrbanToronto member SLOCRO recently stopped by the excavation site for Fashion House, the latest condominium project by Freed Developments to go under construction on King Street West. The modern 12-storey structure, designed by Toronto's Core Architects, is a series of stacked glass and steel boxes which wrap around the historic three-storey Toronto Silverplate building, restored to its 1882 beauty. A wing will extend north to Adelaide Street. Let's get a look at the site's current condition first.

image courtesy of SLOCRO

image courtesy of SLOCRO

image courtesy of SLOCRO

The building will look like this from the southeast when complete.

Freed Developments / Core Architects / Designstor

Initially Fashion House was meant to have 14 floors, and uniform lipstick-red curtains lining the floor-to-ceiling windows. The City said no to 14 floors, and it seems that Freed has had second thoughts about the red curtains. (Inside the units, the curtains would have presented a white backing.) Here's the original look from the same vantage point.

Freed Developments / Core Architects / Designstor


Here's the original proposal from the southwest...

Freed Developments / Core Architects / Designstor

and an aerial view from the southeast. You can see in this image that Morrison Street would be continued from mid-block south to King Street as a woonerf.

Freed Developments / Core Architects / Designstor

While the building will look very similar to the older renderings - pretty much simply 2 storeys shorter - common areas should look the same as the original plan. Below is the lobby, and below that the raised infinity pool on the building's 10th floor skypark terrace.

Freed Developments / Core Architects / Designstor

Freed Developments / Core Architects / Designstor


Suites in the complex will use, in some instances, modern built-ins to act as room dividers, such as in the rendering below.

Freed Developments / Core Architects / Designstor

What's your take on Fashion House? Do you like what you see? Red curtains to the street... or white? Leave a comment here, or join in the discussion in UrbanToronto's thread for the project by clicking on the link below.

This article was originally published in forum thread: Fashion House (560 King St W, Freed, 12s, Core)

Related Companies:  CFMS Consulting Inc., Core Architects, gh3, Kramer Design Associates Limited