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Standing apart from the crowd is a tricky thing. If you dress yourself up a bit more than everyone else around you, you're either the best dressed at the party, or you're overdressed. You'll never get everyone to agree on the result, but if you're careful not to go too far, you'll sway the crowd in your favour.
A few weeks ago we visited South Beach Condos, a development designed by II By IV Design Associates and Arsenault Architect, which is easily a step dressier than the average Toronto condo. The twin towers can be read as simple glass boxes, but their tops are marked by accenting fins by day, and their crowns glow distinctly at night. A detached podium building dares to break away from the mundane with touches of Art Deco styling, and it too glows by night. On our previous daytime visit we toured the extensive, top-notch amenities, and took a look at one of a handful of rental suites with its incredible city and lake views. This time we came back at dusk to drink in the glow, when South Beach's ambition to impress is most evident.
South Beach's towers are buffered from the street by a low-slung detached podium, a built that is set to eventually sport several eateries and retailers. First to open up was the Avenue Cafe and Bistro. There is obvious attention to detail here: the LED-backlit metal screen with its portholes puts the average Toronto flourescent-backlit printed plastic sign to shame. None of that here!
Inside, the Avenue serves its mostly Italian and French-inspired fare from classic marble counters. It's a pleasure just being in the space. Developer Amexon will open more of the retail and restaurant spaces as new residents move into nearby buildings, and they are intent on keeping the standards high.
Those new spaces all have exteriors which are variations on a theme, designed to evoke Miami Beach's Ocean Drive.
Even with climate change, we will never have South Beach's palm trees here, but give it a little while and we should see interesting offerings. Bring on careful redevelopment of the Mondelex lands across the Park Lawn Road, and the suburban arterial may someday have the characteristics of a more inviting and walkable street. The transformation has just started.
Want to know more about South Beach Condos & Lofts? Our dataBase file for the project, linked below, contains lots of renderings, model shots, and all the information you need. Want to talk about South Beach? Choose one of the associated Forum thread links, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
| Related Companies: | Amexon Development Corporation, II BY IV DESIGN, Sigmund Soudack & Associates |
