In Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood, a new purpose-built rental apartment building is well under construction at 555 College Street, mid-block between Euclid and Manning Avenues. The new eight-storey Strada, a Turner Fleischer Architects-design, is being built by construction company SKYGRiD for developer RioCan REIT, and will be managed under the latter's RioCan Living rental banner upon completion. 

Looking southeast to Strada, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

The site has been active since Summer, 2018 when demolition began to clear away an existing two-storey building. An abutting property that was a surface parking is lot included in the development site. By early 2019, excavation had begun. A crane was installed in late 2019, and the building would rise steadily over the months that followed. 

Looking southwest to Strada, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

Approximately 13 months after the crane installation, the building is now structurally complete and the crane is soon to be removed. Rising 31.39 metres above College Street, the first exterior finishes—white-pigmented precast concrete panels—have been applied to the rear of the ground floor fronting Paese Lane. Brick will be the primary cladding material on the College Street elevation, however.

Cladding at Strada, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

The project will bring a limited collection of 65 rental units, with interior spaces to appointed by figure3 Interior Design. The ground floor will include street-fronting retail.

Strada, image via submission to City of Toronto

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 in the space provided on this page.

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