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The commercialization of Queen Street West is pushing past Bathurst Street and inching ever closer to Trinity-Bellwoods, indicated by a recent project rendering shared by UT Forum member AlbertC. Quadrangle Architects recently published their design for 761 Queen Street West, a former church that has served as home to a variety of non-profit organizations in recent times. R & B Properties purchased the site last year and appear to be waiting for the current tenant's leases to expire before beginning construction.
The rendering above includes a fictional retailer named "Archeologie" as the anchor tenant, possibly alluding to popular clothier and harbinger of cool Anthropologie, prior to any official confirmation from the company. Northwest Atlantic Brokerage's listing for the site indicates that the building offers any potential tenant up to 110 feet of Queen West frontage with an expansive multi-storied interior. The most dramatic alterations to the building will be the removal of windows and brick between the central buttresses fronting Queen, allowing for more light to enter the building. The building will lose its multi-paneled windows between these buttresses as well as the tracery that supports the glass.
The history of the site dates back to the early days of Toronto, originally the location of the Euclid Avenue Methodist Church, seen above. The building was later bought by the United Church of Canada and served a substantial population of immigrants who were settling within the neighbourhood. 761 has had numerous additions over the past century, resulting in its irregular floorplan and unique facade.
R & B Properties is no stranger to this neighbourhood, having previously developed 651 Queen West, formerly the Big Bop and now home to CB2. Both properties are unique "character" spaces, and are two of the few large-scale historic buildings left along this stretch of Queen West.
What do you think of the re-design for 761 Queen Street West? Let us know in the comments section below, or join the discussion on the associated project thread.
