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Throughout October, UrbanToronto is celebrating 20 YEARS, with stories looking back over the last two decades. Each day we are also checking out our ever-changing street scenes, comparing an older "Then" shot with an up-to-date "Now" shot.
Today's 'Then & Now' comparison takes us back to the Entertainment District; this time looking north up Blue Jays Way from just south of Wellington Street West. In the 2005 photo above, the SoHo Hotel & Residences is under-construction, while across the intersection is the 2002-completed Icon I. In the distance is the white-clad Hyatt Regency Toronto, one of the tallest buildings in the area at that time, and in front of that is the 5-storey Westinghouse Building.
Moving forward to 2023, that same Westinghouse Building has been subsumed into the podium of King Blue Condos, a pair of 44 & 48-storey towers at Blue Jays and King Street West, and as you can see, the rest of this area has undergone significant redevelopment too. Much of which has taken place in the last decade: Peter Street Condominiums (2015), Tableau Condominiums (2016), Bisha Hotel Hotel & Residences (2017), 87 Peter (2017), and 357 King West (2023). The latest addition is the under-construction 55 Mercer, which stands at 47-storeys (155m) and next-door just to the right of frame are the Nobu twins. This view is set to be altered yet again - a redevelopment for the parking lot in the left of the image is part of a proposal that would bring over 2,000 new units to the neighbourhood.
Come back tomorrow for another Then and Now from over UrbanToronto's last two decades!
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Thank you to the companies joining UrbanToronto to celebrate our 20 years in business.
