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Heritage stonework is converging with concrete and steel as the podium of Cielo Condos steadily rises behind the preserved walls of Bloor Street United Church. Designed by KPMB Architects for Collecdev-Markee Developments, the 34-storey tower is reshaping the northwest corner of Bloor and Huron streets between Spadina and St George stations in The Annex. The podium has continued to progress since UrbanToronto’s last update in June, 2025.
Looking from Madison Avenue toward the west elevation, the podium structure rises five storeys, with the sixth-floor slab underway above. Cast-in-place concrete walls with rectangular window openings define the lower four levels, while round concrete columns and temporary shoring posts support the slab formwork for level six. The red concrete boom pump and luffing-jib tower crane are seen at roof level. A step-back is visible at the fifth floor on the right. To the left is the three-storey structural steel frame of the adjacent Keskus Estonian Cultural Centre, which in the future is planned to have a connection with Tartu College on the right.
Looking northeast from the Bloor Street sidewalk, the podium’s south elevation now reaches four storeys, with the fifth-floor slab fully formed at the southwest corner. A cylindrical concrete column can be seen supporting the slabs, while extensive shoring supports the curing formwork in the background. In the foreground, staging materials fill the tight space between the new structure and the preserved Gothic Revival walls of the Bloor Street United Church, with ERA Architects overseeing preservation efforts.
Looking west across Huron Street, the sixth floor is under construction, with concrete recently poured at the northeast corner. At top centre, crew members are assembling red steel shoring frames and positioning horizontal beams. Similar steel elements are installed along the north podium edge, propped by shoring. Below, the south podium massing steps back above the church’s stone facade, with the steel retention scaffold supporting the walls. Branded hoarding from Collecdev-Markee wraps the site perimeter along Huron.
In this southwest-facing view, the George C. Pidgeon House is seen on the right side, its uncleaned 19th-century brick and stone facade fully exposed and supported by internal steel scaffolding. To its left is the cultural centre, also spanning over the TTC subway tunnels. The Pidgeon House and podium will ultimately connect at the second level via a structural interface that includes canted concrete columns now visible on the podium’s north face. Construction materials and staging equipment surround the Pidgeon House, while at left, the crane hoists a liquid concrete-laden bucket.
The north elevation now stands six storeys tall, with forming underway for the seventh-floor slab. At the northeast corner are partially formed concrete walls with projecting rebar. At the same time, adjacent beams and scaffold-supported shoring systems are being positioned to carry the next level of slab decking. A taller ground-floor bay at the centre marks the future garage entrance. Along sections of the fifth and sixth floors, a network of horizontal beams and shoring frames provides temporary support during slab pours.
Once complete, Cielo will rise 130.35m and bring 349 residential suites to the neighbourhood.
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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| Related Companies: | Bousfields, Collecdev-Markee Developments, ERA Architects, HGC Noise Vibration Acoustics, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, RDS |
