A mid-rise project on the western edge of Yorkville has been completely redesigned and resubmitted for rezoning, in the heart of the rapidly densifying Downtown Toronto neighborhood. Located south of Davenport at 126 Avenue Road, Taheri Development wants to densify a series of low-rise properties with a new 11-story mixed-use residential tower. The project features preserved historical facades and was designed by Icon Architects.
Rendering looking northwest, image courtesy of Icon Architects.
The property currently houses three two- and three-story buildings, which contain retail on the ground floor and rental apartments on the upper floors. The existing structures were built in the 1930s and are part of the East Annex Heritage Conservation District (HCD). Although the HCD does not assign specific heritage significance to these specific properties, proponents recognized the importance of a corner property and its contribution to the surrounding neighborhood character and therefore elected to retain the heritage facades.
View of the existing buildings at 126-130 Avenue Road, image by Forum staff member AlbertC.
The new building extends over 11 floors and includes 60 residential units, 11 of which are rental replacement units. The third floor houses the living spaces with 120 m² of indoor amenities alongside an 83 m² outdoor roof terrace. There is around 219 m² of retail space on the ground floor.
When designing the building, the architects expressed the desire “to make it appear as a unified object with minimal visual details so that it can be perceived at a glance, thus drawing attention to the lower levels of the heritage site.” This is achieved by cladding the building on all four sides with uniform vertical slats that even extend over recessed balconies and terraces. The architects wanted the building to have a unique architectural expression that was contemporary and contemporary, contrasting with the historic base. However, they took care to choose a color that was compatible with the preserved brick facades.
The building's mass consists of three volumes that are subtly distorted in relation to each other. On the third floor, the form is pulled back to fully express the historic facades, so that one can “without difficulty imagine what the building looked like before the addition.” The mass emerges again on the fifth floor, creating a relief and shadow space over the brick facades.
Rendering looking northeast, image courtesy of Icon Architects.
In total, the apartment mix of the new residential units includes 20 studios, 15 one-room apartments, 9 two-room apartments and 5 three-room apartments. The 11 rental replacement units are divided into one studio, two one-room apartments and eight two-room apartments. The project includes two levels of underground parking and, given the limited space, uses a car elevator instead of a ramp.
The project was originally submitted for rezoning in 2023 and has just been resubmitted with minor improvements. 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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