UrbanToronto last visited 199 Church Street just under a year ago. Since then, the 39-storey tower has been completed, the facade cladding has been installed and the focus has shifted to the interior work. The heritage facades on the ground floor have also been tackled. The residential building, designed by Arcadis for CentreCourt and Parallax Investment Corporation, will include office and retail space in its podium.
An aerial view looking southwest of 199 Church Street, designed by Arcadis for CentreCourt and Parallax Investment Corporation
In this November 2023 aerial photo, the tower is seen about two months after its crane was dismantled after reaching its peak in the summer. Cladding wrapped everything except the top floor and mechanical penthouse floors. The top of the construction elevator is visible at right. To the north of 199 Church, it is dwarfed by the taller 52-story Social at Church + Dundas.
An aerial view looking northeast of the tower showing bare concrete at the mechanical penthouse level, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor mburrrrr
This image was taken in early 2024 from Shuter Street next to St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica and shows the finished facade cladding of 199 Church. The west and south facades of the tower shine with “black-tinted” metal panels divided into three-tiered sections. These metal panels frame the back-painted glass spandrels, which are held up by charcoal-colored posts. On the 19th level on the right, a significant elevation of the floor plate is visible, creating an overhang on the east facade.
Looking northeast from Shuter Street to see the fully clad west and south facades, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlbertC
This street view from Shuter Street in May 2024 lets us observe the underside of the overhang, which is finished with a bamboo-colored longboard reveal that improves the aesthetic transition between the building's upper tower floors and the pedestrian area. The roof of the podium is lined with glass balcony grilles for the outdoor spaces.
The underside of the 19th level overhang on the east facade, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor bcmc
In this close-up from across Church Street, the restored historic facade of 197 Church Street, uncovered in November 2023, is striking. The facade features historic brickwork, with textured brickwork and window design contrasting with the modern materials of the new tower. In the center of the image, we see newly installed office tenant signs above the restored door that was there before demolition.
The restored heritage facade on Church Street, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor bcmc
On Dalhousie Street, this image captures the dynamic changes in the streetscape, showing the installation of a mural that enlivens the quieter of the two streets. The three-wall mural is by Waterloo-based artist Stephanie Boutari, who is working with CentreCourt and Steps Public Art to bring these vibrant colors and patterns to Dalhousie Street. A green scissor lift is used to install the artwork, and a blue cherry picker is positioned to the left to reach the higher sections of the podium, where we see vertical columns made of precast bricks and glass balcony railings.
Mural by Stephanie Boutari for the Dalhousie Street façade, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor bcmc
At 124.5 m tall, 199 Church is nearing completion and will add 484 residential units to the east side of downtown Toronto.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more about it in our database file linked below. If you'd like, you can join the conversation in the associated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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