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On Friday, October 21, the Bloor Street United Church hosted a gathering for the first time since demolition of the historic 1886-built structure began in early March of this year. The evening gathering, however, was not a religious one; members of the Collecdev-lead team responsible for the planning and design of Cielo Condos were joined by a large group of colleagues and agents to celebrate the groundbreaking of the project at what was, by all accounts, a lively and exciting event.
Located on the northwest corner of Bloor and Huron streets in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood, Cielo Condos has been advancing through stages of work required to prepare the heritage Bloor Street United Church building for the construction of a 29-storey tower above. The design, by KPMB Architects, features a rich exterior finishing of bronze-coloured metal paneling that appears in different grid patterns across the tower’s elevations, while promising a contemporary addition along the western portion of the Bloor Street frontage that will introduce new office space in a 4-storey, new-build volume, clad in glass.
Friday’s event marked the honorary commencement of the tower’s construction, while the careful interior demolition and retention of the Church’s heritage facade nears completion. The evening event was attended by architects from KPMB and heritage firm ERA Architects, members of the congregation, and a number of agents and brokers, who gathered in the Church’s main space, outfitted with coloured lights and a detailed scale model while a violinist performed live.
Natascha Pieper, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Collecdev, took the stage after sunset to give a speech toasting the project’s special moment. “I am delighted to celebrate such a significant milestone with my colleagues, industry peers, and the top-performing platinum broker community,” Pieper said, “without which, this success wouldn’t be possible.” She went on to congratulate the sizeable team involved in bringing the project to life, and took a moment to recognize their accomplishments thus far, which have culminated in 17 industry awards, including the 2022 Pinnacle National Award for Multi-Family Community of the Year. Her speech was followed by the ceremonial shovel demonstration.
The photography of the event, captured by the talented Toronto native Arthur Mola, also provided an exclusive look inside the Church for the first time in months. Through his images, we can discern that the interior demolition has advanced to the final stages. Tyvek wrapping can be seen in plenty of the interior sides of the exterior walls that will comprise the retained facade, while exposed brick can be seen on sections that will be incorporated into the impending interior retrofit. Lights for the event are seen mounted on a curving wood beam supported by steel arms that appears to encircle the majority of the space — however, whether this beam relates to the final design or just the event, we don't know.
Moving to the exterior of the church, a photo captured the day of the event by UT Forum contributor UtakataNoAnnex shows us the first look at the facade retention structure that will support the heritage facades as more active construction picks up. Installed along the eastern elevation fronting Huron Street, the steel structure stands above a footing embedded in the ground. The walls will be mounted directly to the temporary structure, a common practice in facade retention projects. A similar structure will soon be installed over the Bloor Street sidewalk to support the southern elevation.
The first stages of full scale construction will concentrate their efforts on the northern portion of the site that was previously a surface level parking lot. Pieper commented that Collecdev expects shoring and excavation to commence in January, following the completion of demolition, expected by December. As of this month, Cielo Condos is 90% sold.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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