10 months since the Park Hyatt Hotel temporarily closed its doors at Avenue Road and Bloor in the heart of Toronto, a long-awaited refresh of the Oxford Properties Group-owned hotel is well underway. Led by KPMB Architects with heritage restoration underway the auspices of ERA Architects, the project is modernizing the complex's 1929-built south tower and 1956-built north tower, while entirely replacing the podium that connected them.

Facing south on Avenue Road to the Park Hyatt, image by Forum contributor Benito

We last checked in on the project's early stages in early August, when demolition was clearing away the former podium and porte-cochere, making space for the new, larger podium to be built along the Avenue Road frontage. In the weeks since, demolition has wrapped up, and the resulting rubble and debris have been removed from the site. Most recently, a tower crane was erected at the south end of the former podium footprint, with a reach that appears capable of hoisting supplies to the top of the south tower.

Crane assembly at the Park Hyatt, image by Forum contributor Benito

The first signs of the crane appeared earlier this month, when a crane base was bolted into place in the podium's foundation. Over this past weekend, Avenue Road was closed down so that the rest of the tower crane could be assembled with the assistance of a huge mobile hydraulic rig. Crane parts were hoisted into position individually and bolted into place by crews. By midday on Sunday, the crane was fully assembled and ready to get to work.

Crane installed at the Park Hyatt, image by Edward Skira

The ongoing gutting of the south tower is freeing up space for its conversion to 65 luxury rental suites, in a mix of 31 one-bedrooms, 34 two-bedrooms, while elevators will be moved to a newly constructed area that will be built up the south tower's north facade. The famous 18th-level rooftop bar will be entirely rebuilt as part of the project. To the north, the 14-storey tower will continue to be used as a hotel, though with renovated suites and restaurant spaces to meet a targeted 4-5 star hotel standard.

The refreshed hotel is expected to reopen in Spring 2020.

Park Hyatt Renovation, image via submission to City of Toronto

Additional information and renderings are available in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a message in the space provided on this page, or join the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum thread.