Toronto is struggling to find a balance between rapid growth and the preservation of its rich historical legacy: Builders typically want to start with a fresh start when redeveloping properties, but the city wants to at least see Grade II listed exteriors on the buildings that stand on the site new buildings are integrated. The trick is to find an expression for the new work that looks new but complements the historical structures. This tension is evident in the proposed tower at 576 Sherbourne, on the southwest corner of Linden Street, a few blocks south of Bloor.
Looking southwest at 576 Sherbourne, designed by Arcadis for the Alterra Group of Companies
The Alterra Group of Companies has submitted an official plan and building code amendment application for the project which would affect several listed buildings. The lot is mostly rectangular with a frontage of approximately 150 feet along Sherbourne Street and also includes 566 Sherbourne Street and 29-37 Linden Streets. The site consists of 10 2-3 story duplexes and single family homes .
Looking southwest from Sherbourne Street and Linden Street to current location, image from Google Street View
The proposal brings the city’s past, present and future to the site. The heritage impact study included in the application provides an overview of the late 19th and early 20th century buildings and the proposed tower would aim to preserve parts of these existing buildings with restored facades.
Looking southwest at 576 Sherbourne and surviving landmarks designed by Arcadis for the Alterra Group of Companies
Arcadis — the Canadian arm acquired in fall 2022, until recently known as IBI Group — has designed a 59-story tower that stands 190.9m tall. 688 new residential units would be built on the site, including 18 rental apartments. As six elevators are included in the architectural drawings, this would mean that there is 1 elevator per 114.66 units, putting 576 Sherbourne above the threshold of 1 elevator per 100 suites, suggesting that elevator wait times are longer than desirable could be.
The proposal features a 2-4 story podium designed to preserve and restore existing building facades, with the 4-story element along Sherbourne and Linden streets and a 2-story element to the rear. The retained elements would be left in place during construction, with various new-build sections being set back from the historic facades by between 3 feet and 6 feet (0.93 m) to give prominence to the historic elements at ground level. This would allow at least 12 feet (3.4 m) of clearance for pedestrians along Sherbourne Street.
The podium has further recesses on the third and fourth floors to make room for the surviving elements and allow for a visual distinction between them and the tower element. The latter would start on the fifth floor, with outdoor areas on the podium. There would be amenities on the ground floor, second, third, and fifth floors of the podium. The tower’s external appearance is mostly glass, but with frames applied in a rather random pattern and colored to emphasize the red brick facades of most of the historic buildings below.
Some of the history would be lost over time – the Heritage Impact Study notes that 33 Linden Street has been greatly altered over time as it originally corresponded to 31 Linden Street and was built in the late 19th century. Without its original features, the building would be removed as part of this project.
Looking southeast at 31 Linden Street, image from filing with the City of Toronto
The main pedestrian and vehicular entrance would be on Linden Street, co-located with the driveway to the neighboring school. The design envisages a two-storey underground car park with 85 parking spaces, 8 of which are for visitors. In addition, there would be 620 bicycle parking spaces, 70 of which are for short-term use. The building would be a short walk from Sherbourne tube station.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more from our database file linked below. If you wish, you can join the discussion in the dedicated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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