1.8K 
Just a short walk east of the St Lawrence Market, construction is progressing on the podium of The Whitfield, a 39-storey mixed-use development from Menkes Developments and Core Development Group. Designed by Giannone Petricone Associates, the project at 153 Front Street East is bringing 484 new condo units plus retail space to Toronto's St Lawrence neighbourhood.
In this first photo from last month, The Whitfield's podium is beginning to assert itself at the intersection of Sherbourne Street and Front Street East, now standing three storeys. A series of columns supplemented by shoring posts support the recently cast concrete slab of the dynamically curved second story, while weatherproofing tarp drapes the third storey where work is ongoing.
Repositioning ourselves to the east along Front Street East, we look back to the northwest in a more recent photo to see the south elevation of the curving podium floors, now grown to four storeys.
On the north side of The Whitfield we get a westward view down Abbey Lane Alley to movements of the tower crane, here mid-operation, hoisting weighty materials from street level into the building site. Below, the elevation is flanked by protective black netting, with hoarding and scaffolding securing the site.
Finally, we have a perspective from beside The Whitfield to the north, giving us a look from above. Central to the site, a red concrete boom pump stands ready for the next pour. To the right, a recently poured floor slab is punctuated by rebar projecting vertically out of it where walls will soon be formed, while on the left, the forms are already in place at the east end of the podium for its next level. There, the wooden tops of the forms will soon have rebar and conduit placed in anticipation of another floor slab to be created.
The podium is on its way to 8 storeys before the building switches to smaller floors for the tower levels. Horizontal bands of brickwork will front the podium levels, the design intended to resonate with the earlier buildings of the St Lawrence Heritage Conservation District, while at ground level, two 1900s facades of the Whitfield, Pearlman, and Goldberg buildings — overseen by heritage architects GBCA Architects — will be incorporated into the base. The Whitfield is targeting occupancy in December 2025 upon reaching its final 130m height. In addition to the 484 condo units, the development will add new retail frontages animating Front and Sherbourne streets.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database files, 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.
* * *
EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been republished with a correction in the first paragraph, replacing "rental" with "condo."
* * *
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.
