Designed by Toronto's architectsAlliance, the two-tower 158 Front Condos development is moving forward, with a sales centre on The Esplanade now open, and the project's floor plans recently released. Approaching the start of construction, Cityzen and Fernbrook are contributing new residential density to the city's growing east side, where the area's historic character is now meeting with a wave of new development.

Looking north, a night-time rendering, image courtesy of Cityzen / Fernbrook

The 26-storey towers will replace a surface parking lot that spans the north side of Front between Frederick and Sherbourne Streets. Previously home to a Greyhound shipping depot, the Downtown East site—long surrounded by a mix of housing, industrial architecture, and vacant lots—is contributing to the area's fast-paced urban intensification.

In this part of the city, however, the area's heritage character creates a distinct backdrop for new development, and the project joins a neighbourhood home to some of Toronto's oldest buildings and institutions. Located in the newly established St. Lawrence Conversation District, the site is in close proximity to landmarks such as Toronto's first post office and St. Lawrence Hall. A distinct warehouse typology also constitute's much of the area's built form, and aA's design recognizes the established street-level character with a podium that hints at the area's industrial heritage.

A closer look at the podium levels, image courtesy of Cityzen / Fernbrook

The project's massing begins as a 14-storey podium of stacked boxes, splitting to form the two towers, each rising another 12 storeys beyond the podium. Lower levels are clad in a black brick, switching to a lighter lattice grid at the tower levels. Meanwhile, street level renderings depicting notable public realm upgrades, including widened sidewalks and street trees.

A view of the podium at the northeast corner of Front and Frederick, image courtesy of Cityzen / Fernbrook

While the stacked towers are set to make a very recognizable impact on the area skyline, the darker brick podium attempts to integrate the project with the surrounding streetscape, bringing a new presence to the neighbourhood without imposing an aesthetic discontinuity at ground level.

The tower levels, image courtesy of Cityzen / Fernbrook

The project will add 477 homes to the area, with suites ranging in size 406 ft² to 1,435 ft². Featuring a limited number of three-bedroom units throughout the two towers, the development will add some family-friendly housing to the area, while a large number of smaller suites cater to investors and young professionals. Notably, the project's amenities will be spread out and stacked across 10 podium levels, facilitating open spaces with high ceilings. 

A rendering of the gym, which will feature a relatively high ceiling, image courtesy of Cityzen / Fernbrook

While our previous editorials offer a closer look at the floorplans and amenities, we will continue to keep you updated as the start of construction nears. In the meantime, make sure to check out our associated dataBase file for more information. Want to share your thoughts about the development? Feel free to leave a comment in the space below this page, or join in the ongoing conversation on our Forum.