Toronto is a city on a lake, but one that we pushed away from the downtown over the years with new land for railways and shipping. When Great Lakes shipping declined we began to reclaim the waterfront, and when the railways looked to the suburbs for larger rail yards, we cleared the land to the south of the remaining tracks. For many years though, most of that land between the rail corridor and the Gardiner Expressway sat as a roughly paved expanse of temporary parking lots. In the past few years though, everything seems to have changed, and as of 2013 many UrbanToronto readers have noted that we have a whole new skyline in the area now known as “Southcore”, with new office towers, condominiums, hotels, and attractions. This vertical community continues to grow with all the signs of a thriving urban centre.

At the start of the year, construction was already well underway on four major projects in the area; Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre / Delta Toronto, Infinity Condos and the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.

This is how the neighbourhood looked in January: Infinity3 is topped out while Ice is rising (the east tower is still comparatively short), while in the following shot, the Southcore Financial Centre's last two towers have yet to make a real impression.

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityInfinity and Ice Condos as seen in January 2013, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinitySouthcore Financial Centre & Delta Toronto in January 2013, image by Forum member SkyJacked

February:

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityRipley's, Infinity and Ice Condos as seen in February 2013, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinitySouthcore, Infinity and Ice Condos as seen in February 2013, image by Jack Landau

March: Glazing is now being finished at the Ripley's Aquarium, while it's just starting on the Delta, and it's certainly getting some notice.

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityThe area's many projects as of March, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinitySouthcore Financial Centre & Delta Toronto as seen in March, image by Jack Landau

April:

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityIce Condos and Infinity as seen in April, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinitySouthcore Financial Centre & Delta Toronto as seen in April, image by Jack Landau


May: The Delta is now becoming a huge hit with UrbanToronto readers.

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinitySouthcore Financial Centre & Delta Toronto as seen in May, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityThe area's many projects as of May, image by Jack Landau

June:

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityGrowth in the area as seen at the end of June, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy


Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityRipley's Aquarium as seen in June, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityGrowth in the area as seen at the end of June, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy


July:

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityAerial of the area shot in July, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityView from Roundhouse Park in July, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

August: Everyone is starting to wonder about the delays to the Aquarium, and whether that spells trouble for the new attraction.

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityConstruction in the southcore as seen in August, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityConstruction in the southcore as seen in August, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

September:

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinitySouthcore Financial Centre & Delta Toronto as seen in September, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityConstruction in the southcore as seen in September, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

October finally marks the opening of Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, by at the base of the CN Tower. The reviews are great, and this 1.5 million-gallon aquarium adds a major new asset to this already entertainment-rich area!

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityRipley's Aquarium as seen on opening day in October, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinitySouthcore Financial Centre and Delta Toronto under construction in October, image by Jack Landau

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityConstruction in the area as seen in October, image by Forum member Jasonzed

November marked the topping off of Ice Condos' west tower, as well as our first look at its distinctive "swiss cheese" roof feature.

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, Infinity"Swiss cheese" roof feature atop Ice Condos' west tower, image by Forum member wmedia

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityAerial view of the Southcore Financial Centre & Delta Toronto taken in November, image by Jack Landau

And finally we arrive in the present, December 2013. The Delta Hotel and neighbouring Bremner Tower have both topped out, as has Infinity and the western Ice tower, with Ice's eastern tower promising to top out soon too.

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityConstruction in the area as seen earlier this month, image by Forum member Mafaldaboy

Ice Condos, Southcore Financial Centre, Delta, Ripley's Aquarium, InfinityVertical panorama of Ice Condos from earlier this month, image by Forum member Udo

In the last year, the local landscape has been completely transformed, and with several more projects under construction and proposed south of the Gardiner, the area will continue its monumental build-out well into the decade. What will 2014 bring for the Southcore area? Stay tuned!

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