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Mere steps from Toronto's iconic Yonge-Dundas Square — soon to be renamed Sankofa Square, in a word that means to learn from the past to move forward together — 252 Church Street, a new CentreCourt condo currently under construction, similarly acknowledges the past while building for today. The 52-storey tower, designed by Arcadis, weaves restored heritage walls at its base into an eye-catching modern design.
Construction started here in the Spring of 2022, the tower crane having been erected in January, 2023. In the image before from March, 2023, the pit was a hive of activity. Shoring walls of timber lagging between steel piles with tiebacks securing it into the ground behind it, are partially draped in a vivid orange tarp. Below, construction crews lay conduits and position rebar in advance of upcoming concrete pours.
By July, 2023 the project stood five storeys high. Looking southwest across Church and Dundas, wooden formwork is seen on the top floor, with shoring poles in place to provide support once the concrete has been poured and needs to cure. In front, a green tarp with CentreCourt's branding enshrouds heritage walls.
Catching up to January of this year, twelve storeys above the podium are now adorned with the distinctive 'piano key' cladding that distinguishes this project. The rhythmic sequence of staggered white frames, interplayed with black accent panels, is meant to abstractly echo adjacent heritage details. The arrangement of metal panels in this pattern lends a dynamic texture to the facade, while the fenestration follows a coherent vertical rhythm that aims to enhance the tower's slender profile.
Looking to the east, below, the yellow construction hoist doors mark the west elevation, and a red concrete boom pump crowns the structure, as the forming of the building continues. The podium levels south of Dundas Street rise to seven storeys, above which the outdoor amenity terraces will offer future residents a view towards the liveliness of Yonge Street and the square.
Captured from the intersection of Dundas and Yonge, 252 Church Street is beginning to make its mark on the local skyline. Approximately 32 storeys are now formed, and the building's exterior is a patchwork of cladding that stands out against the earthy browns and reflective glazes of its neighbouring structures.
Returning to Church and Dundas and zooming in on the street level, the heritage walls were unveiled in a new restored state earlier this year. Behind the preserved brick and stone facade that previously housed a Pizza Pizza, this part of the complex is set to provide 2,000 ft² of retail space. As part of the podium, the heritage structure's detailed masonry — restored under the watchful eye of GBCA Architects— stands in dialogue with the modern design above, where the upper podium's cladding echoes the verticality of the bank building's windows and pilasters.
Rising to a final height of 166.1m, 252 Church will bring 681 residential units and ground floor retail to the area, in addition to a Nishnawbe Homes Aboriginal affordable health-supportive housing facility.
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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