The plan to build a modern office complex at Bay and Adelaide in Toronto's Financial District has been in the works for decades, with the initial project stalling with "the stump", a partially-built tower core, in the early 1990s following an economic recession. The Bay Adelaide Centre came to life again in 2005 thanks to Brookfield Property Partners as a three tower project, with the West Tower completed in 2009, the East Tower in 2016, and now the final tower is under construction as Bay Adelaide Centre North.

Bay Adelaide North, image courtesy of Brookfield

Designed by KPMB Architects working alongside Adamson Associates Architects, the new tower will rise 32 storeys and a height of 140 metres between Richmond and Temperance streets, halfway between Yonge and Bay. It will face Arnell Plaza to the south, which is positioned between the 51-storey first phase and 44-storey second. Upon completion, the the 810,344 ft² north tower will be anchored by Scotiabank, who have signed on to lease 420,000 ft2, or 51% of the space, for 15 years.

Looking northwest across Bay Adelaide North site, image by Edward Skira

Work on the complex's third and final tower began in November, 2018, with the start of demolition of a single-storey building that had served as an access to the parking garage below and the complex's food court, part of the wider PATH network. The food court closed, and demolition continued down into a section of the garage, allowing for the installation of a tower crane in July.

Ground level progress at Bay Adelaide North site, image by Edward Skira

In the months since, crews have built the first elements of a new concrete core for the new tower, the first bits of which are now visible at grade. The tower can now begin its ascent into the Financial District skyline, the concrete core to be surrounded by a structural steel skeleton, which will begin to take shape in following months.

Looking north across Bay Adelaide North site, image by Edward Skira

Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment below.

* * *

UrbanToronto has a new way you can track projects through the planning process on a daily basis. Sign up for a free trial of our New Development Insider here.