Over a year and a half into construction, Freed and Carttera's Sixty Colborne Condos is now emerging above grade at the Downtown Toronto intersection of Church and King Streets. With the 25-storey building's structural support columns beginning to rise above the hoarding, the architectsAlliance-designed project will soon add a high-rise presence to the area.

Looking northeast towards the King/Church intersection, image by Edward Skira

As laborious below-grade work on the constrained site nears its conclusion, more fast-paced construction progress is set to get underway above street level. Although the L-shaped development's narrow King East frontage—where columns now rise above grade—is perhaps the most conspicuous portion of the site, the bulk of the project will front Colborne Street to the south and Church Street to the east.

Looking northwest to King Street, image by Edward Skira

To maintain the mid-rise character of the Saint Lawrence area, the tower's 6-storey podium will fill in the King and Church Street frontages. At the south end of the site, the glassy 25-storey tower will rise predominantly over Colborne Street, with the high-rise form stepped back from Church Street.

Looking southwest, the project within its urban context, image courtesy of Freed/Carttera

The tower's position at the south end of the site also mitigates shadowing of the neighbouring St. James Cathedral. Along the podium's lower levels, a pronounced rust-coloured window framing will reference the surrounding scale and character, joining an area recently designated as a Heritage Conservation District.

The late stages of below-grade work are still ongoing, image by Edward Skira

The 255-unit project now targets a late 2017 / early 2018 completion, with the podium levels expected to begin taking shape in the coming months. Filling in the remainder of the Colborne Street parking lot that once stretched from Church Street to Tom Jones Steakhouse at Leader Lane, a 19-storey office tower has also been proposed at 65 King East, directly neighbouring Freed and Carttera site along Colborne Street.

Looking west, image by Edward Skira

We will keep you updated as the project continues to progress, with photo postings on our Forum regularly documenting the site. For more information, make sure to check out our associated dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Leave a message in the space below this page, or join in the ongoing conversation on the Forum.