This week's Throwback Thursday takes us back in time just over eight years, comparing different stages of a still-ongoing building boom that is transforming Toronto's Entertainment District into one of the city's highest density mixed-use communities. At the start of 2013, the District's first wave of development was still sweeping through the area in the wake of the precedent-setting, 2010-completed Festival Tower. A January, 2013 view facing southeast across Adelaide Street West from just west of Widmer Street captured the Cinema Tower, a 43-storey, Kirkor Architects-designed condominium tower being built by The Daniels Corporation, while at the lower left of the photo, we can see that another crane was in place for Pinnacle International's 46-storey, Hariri Pontarini Architects-designed Pinnacle on Adelaide project.

Throwback Thursday, Toronto, Entertainment District, Cinema Tower, Pinnacle on AdelaideLooking southeast from Adelaide Street West, 2013, image by Jack Landau

Over eight years have passed since the above photo was captured, and much has changed. Shot from a few paces west of the before photo, both the Cinema Tower and The Pinnacle on Adelaide can be seen completed while other towers have joined the backdrop. The 2021 shot now includes the 2015-completed 33-storey The Mercer behind the crane which is being used to build Plaza's Theatre District Residence & Riu Plaza Hotel, a condo and hotel complex with towers of 48 and 49 storeys, and which has recently risen above ground.

Throwback Thursday, Toronto, Entertainment District, Cinema Tower, Pinnacle on AdelaideLooking southeast from Adelaide Street West, 2021, image by Forum contributor bilked

We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto. In the meantime, you can submit your own Throwback Thursday comparisons in our dedicated Forum thread for your chance to be featured in next week's edition.

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Related Companies:  BDP Quadrangle, Hariri Pontarini Architects, Isotherm Engineering Ltd., Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, KIRKOR Architects and Planners, Live Patrol Inc., Milborne Group, NAK Design Strategies, NEEZO Studios, Plaza, Rebar Enterprises Inc, RJC Engineers, STUDIO tla, The Daniels Corporation, The Fence People, U31, Unilux HVAC Industries Inc.