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Behind the heritage walls of the 19th-century Bloor Street United Church, Cielo Condos has made steady construction progress in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood throughout 2024. The 34-storey tower, designed by KPMB Architects for Collecdev-Markee Developments, will incorporate not only the church’s historic walls but also the Victorian-era George C. Pidgeon House into its podium. Located between Spadina and St George stations at 300 Bloor Street West, the project has advanced through multiple milestones this year.
Cielo started the year with a height boost courtesy of a minor variance application that was approved in July. Initially planned at 29 storeys, the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB) allowed an increase to 34 storeys and an additional 65 residential units, bringing the total to 349. The approval includes a $2.25 million contribution for local improvements in Ward 11, such as social services and cultural facilities.
The Gothic Revival walls of the Bloor Street United Church and the Victorian George C. Pidgeon House have been carefully retained throughout the year. Overseen by ERA Architects, the south and east church walls were stabilized with a steel scaffold system and wrapped in protective materials, while the Pidgeon House, a late-19th century Richardsonian Romanesque building, has undergone its own restoration efforts, including structural reinforcement and weather protection measures.
Further adding to the site’s historical significance, in May the United, Anglican, and Presbyterian Churches of Canada announced a collaborative lease agreement to share national office spaces within the complex's podium. This area, designed for worship, office, and archival uses, is a sign of unity among the three denominations.
In the early months of 2024, construction focused on bulk excavation and continued shoring operations that began the previous year. Vehicles maneuvered around the caissons, the concrete columns that form part of the building's foundation system. Vertical steel I-beams secured into the ground stabilized the site near the subway tunnels below, while the temporary ground floor staging slab began taking shape, with concrete pours supported by rebar frameworks starting in March.
Work on the ground floor staging slab progressed through the first half of 2024, as crews installed dense rebar frameworks to reinforce the concrete, with horizontal walers stabilizing the formwork panels, with wooden struts and shoring braces for further support. Concrete pours were completed in phases and, by mid-year, the ground floor staging slab was completed.
At the north end of the site, disassembly continued for Pidgeon House, with its flooring removed, for it to be eventually connected to the podium at the second floor.
The tower crane was installed in September, 2024, and the autumn months saw formwork and rebar installations for the underground parking levels. Concrete pours were carried out for underground slabs. Shoring rakers and tiebacks ensured stability along the perimeter, while concrete columns and walls began to define the four garage levels.
As the year draws to a close sub-grade construction continues, with formwork recently underway for the latest garage level. At this point, the red concrete boom pump positioned just west of the tower crane has emerged above grade, with construction soon to follow.
As the project prepares to transition to above-grade construction in the coming year, Cielo Condos showcases heritage preservation and modern design. The next phase will see the podium take shape and then the tower begin its ascent to 34 storeys, ultimately reaching its final height of 120.35m. The preserved heritage walls will define the podium and bridge the neighbourhood’s past with its future.
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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