Despite having a name that suggests a more senior stature, Toronto's Old Town is teeming with development just the same, with a host of projects ranging from recently completed to under construction to planned. Located on the east side of the Downtown Core, a number of large scale residential developments are on their way towards delivering a significant boost in density in Old Town, and near the top of that list is The Whitfield, from Menkes Developments. Following the installation of a tower crane on site last month, the project is now officially in the forming stage, working towards an eventual height of 39 storeys. 

Looking northeast to the 39-storey The Whitfield, image courtesy of Menkes Developments

Excavation on the site of The Whitfield, located at the northeast corner of Sherbourne and Front streets, began shortly after the time of our last report in November of last year. Pictured in the image below with the pit approaching its final depth of three storeys below grade, we can see that the creation of a concrete staging platform at the back of the site, required to provide onsite workspace while minimizing disruption to the surrounding public realm. 

Excavation was well underway in February, with a staging platform on the southern border, image by UT Forum Contributor evandyk

Occupying the southwest corner of the site and supported by a number of concrete columns, the staging platform acts as a parking area for machinery while expanding the amount of storage and prep space at grade level.  

A month later, the pit had officially bottomed out, and the crew was able to begin setting up the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the impending tower crane. In the image below, we can see that a square footprint for the footing of the crane was carved out and filled with rebar before being filled with concrete shortly afterward. Meanwhile, the remaining tie-backs were installed, adding greater structural integrity to each of the four caisson walls. 

By March, the pit had bottomed out and a crane footing was created, image by UT Forum contributor evandyk

The crane arrived on site a week later, on the 1st of April, and was erected with the help of a hydraulic truck crane. The image below pictures this process, with the mast fully installed and the boom soon to be lifted into place. 

The tower crane was installed on site on the 1st of April, image by UT Forum contributor mburrrrr

More recently, the crew has been able to advance into the early stages of below-grade concrete work. Already, the first footing pieces of the tower’s foundation have been formed and cured, with the next round of structural columns rising above those footings. While they are only rebar at the moment, concrete forms will be set up around the rebar and a concrete pour will follow, allowing work to begin on the first parking level slab after the new columns have cured.

Looking east to the early stages of concrete work now underway, image by UT Forum contributor Northern Light

With the crane now active and concrete work underway, the next few months will see some notable growth on the site of The Whitfield, as the crew works to realize the 39-storey tower design by Giannone Petricone Associates. Offering a total of 484 units upon completion, The Whitfield will add another distinct residential project to Menkes’ extensive GTA portfolio. 

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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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.

Related Companies:  Greenloc Environmental Hoarding, Cornerstone Marketing Realty, EQ Building Performance Inc., Giannone Petricone Associates, Goldberg Group, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, LEA Consulting, Live Patrol Inc., Menkes Developments, Qoo Studio, The Fence People