Toronto's Entertainment District has been the site of much intensification over the past several years, with dozens of new high-rise condominium developments being added to the landscape. A few major developments built during this time have transformed the look of John Street either side of King, adding new retail space, restaurants and attractions to the area. Back in March 2007, John Street didn't look anywhere near it's current appearance.

John Street, south of King, March 2007, image by Edward Skira

In the non-shadowed background of the view above, taken looking north on John from just south of King, we can see the open space on the west side of John between King and Adelaide. It was occupied by surface parking lots at the time, with work beginning on the transformation we are familiar with today. Below, the new high-rise Festival Tower / tiff Bell Lightbox and the Pinnacle on Adelaide have transformed the block north of King Street, while new addition The Mercer has added to the landscape south of King.

John Street, south of King, January 2015, image by Jack Landau

The Mercer, visible at the left of the image above, stretches 33 storeys into the Entertainment District skyline, while the nearby Festival Tower and Pinnacle on Adelaide stand at 42 and 46 storeys respectively. Tilting the camera upwards shows the impact that these towers have on the neighbourhood.

L-R The Mercer, Festival Tower and Pinnacle on Adelaide, image by Jack Landau

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

Related Companies:  DesignAgency, Hariri Pontarini Architects, Isotherm Engineering Ltd., Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, Milborne Group, NAK Design Strategies, RJC Engineers, Skyscapes, STUDIO tla, The Fence People, U31