Development in Toronto's South Core area continues at fever pitch, and work on several current high-rise projects is set to further transform the landscape in the coming years. You don't have too look too far back in the past to remember a time when this area was much flatter, and nowhere near as vibrant as it appears today. One of the first redevelopment projects in the area's ongoing transformation was Maple Leaf Square, a mixed-use, KPMB Architects and Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed development by Lanterra Developments, Cadillac Fairview and Maple Leaf Sports + Entertainment. Back on March 11, 2007, shoring work was underway on the new development, in advance of the project's excavation.

Looking south over the site of Maple Leaf Square, March 11 2007, image by Edward Skira

Fast forward to November 12 2014, and the same vantage point yields a view of the podium for the 54 and 50-storey towers above. In the centre of the image below, we can see the residential entrance for the two condominium towers, while a SportChek location can be seen on the left and the entrance to Hotel Le Germain on the right. The York/Bremner intersection is located out of frame to the right, while the public square for which the development is named, also known by Raptors fans as Jurassic Park, is out of frame to the left.

Looking south at Maple Leaf Square, November 12 2014, image by Jack Landau

We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto!