Demolition, Excavation Advance at 49 Ontario Street in Toronto’s Old Town

Since work began earlier this year, demolition and excavation work has progressed at 49 Ontario Street in Toronto’s Old Town district, where Dream Unlimited, in collaboration with CentreCourt, is preparing the site for a 46- and 50-story purpose-built rental project near Ontario Line 3’s Corktown station under construction, a mid-rise office building and other low-rise buildings, while carefully preserving the facades of Victorian-era homes along Berkeley Street.

If you look northwest from Adelaide Street East in January 2026, the area was largely cleared and excavated earth was piled up towards the middle. Remains of the former low-rise buildings in various stages of demolition still exist on both the east and west edges of the frame. On the right side, the preserved parts of the listed terraced houses are supported by extensive support and bracing systems.

Looking northwest across the cleared site from Adelaide Street East, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Skycandy

In February 2026, the surviving Victorian-era terraced houses were encased in scaffolding, with the upper floors wrapped in green netting. Construction crews can be seen working on the scaffolding levels along the south facade.

Looking northeast at the historic façade support structure along Berkeley Street, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic

Demolition of the former office building continued, leaving the concrete columns standing and floor slabs being eaten away in between. On the right in the foreground is the bucket of an excavator clearing away rubble after work with the hydraulic jackhammer.

Looking west at the demolition of the former office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic

Another vantage point offers a more comprehensive view of the site. Several hydraulic excavators are located throughout the site, responsible for soil removal and debris sorting. On the right edge, an orange tarp covers a growing retaining wall.

Looking west over active excavations, image by Skycandy, UrbanToronto forum contributor

This month, demolition of the former office building continues, with the northern end of the building now largely removed. To the left is an adjacent wall covered in white weather stripping.

Looking northwest at the advanced demolition and exposed walls of the office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad

Excavation work has now progressed towards the rear of the property, where the retaining wall is becoming deeper. Below, the pit shows stepped steps and accumulated water, where two underground levels will soon emerge.

Looking north into the excavation, where a retaining wall and progress beneath the earth’s surface can be seen, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad

Once completed, 49 Ontario Street will reach heights of 146.57m and 160.05m and house 1,226 rental units.

Looking northeast at 49 Ontario Street, designed by architects Alliance for Dream Unlimited

UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.

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