Construction is underway on the renovation of Danforth Baptist Church in Toronto’s North Riverdale neighborhood, where an eight-story, affordable, mass timber rental building is being constructed behind carefully preserved portions of the historic church on the southwest corner of Danforth Avenue and Bowden Street. Designed by McCallum Sather Architects for Assembly Corporation in collaboration with WoodGreen Community Services, the project incorporates preserved elements of the early 20th century church and is overseen by ERA Architects.
Seen from Bowden Street in July 2025: A temporary wall separating the remaining part of the sanctuary from new work has been covered with a blue weatherproofing film. A telescopic hydraulic boom lift allows crews to access the upper portions of the remaining tower on the east side of the site. To the right can be seen the rear of the historic Danforth facade in the northeast corner of the site.
Looking northwest at construction crews doing historic preservation work on a blue elevator, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Flonicky
As of September 2025, excavation work was well advanced across the site, while work on the project’s single underground level was progressing. To the right of the sanctuary’s blue wall, a protective Tyvek sheet is attached to the back of the preserved steeple. The lowest floor slab is reinforced in the excavation pit, while the wall formwork is installed further back.
Looking northeast at the excavation and crane base formation, image by Flonicky, UrbanToronto Forum contributor
Captured in October 2025, teams are working on forms for the underground structure, which is braced with wooden beams and diagonal supports. Workers can be seen aligning panels and preparing formwork connections.
Formwork assembly for underground concrete pours, looking west, image by GameOnBrad, UrbanToronto forum contributor
Looking southeast across Danforth Avenue in November 2025, the church’s historic façade is hidden behind perimeter scaffolding and green rubble netting, providing safe access for ongoing stabilization, restoration and integration into the new building behind. The newly installed crane rises above the site at the southwest corner, marking the project’s latest milestone.
Scaffolding and netting surround the surviving historic walls, looking southeast, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GabrielHurl
In December 2025, construction will reach completion as crews begin the transition from the underground concrete structure to a series of solid wood columns above, installed in a regular grid. There are temporary diagonal reinforcing running boards made of steel and wood. Adjacent formwork panels indicate ongoing work on sloped beams and foundation walls.
Looking northwest at grade level solid wood columns, image by UrbanToronto forum contributor Flonicky
This month, the solid timber superstructure is now clearly complete, with work already three floors behind the heritage-listed components. Exposed glulam columns and beams support stacked floor panels, while large-scale timber decks form the horizontal structure, illustrating the project’s low-carbon construction approach. A bright orange tarp extends across the first two levels to improve indoor work areas in winter conditions.
Looking west at the massive wooden structure rising next to the surviving church walls, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Flonicky
When completed, the building will reach 28m in height and offer 34 affordable rental units.
Looking southwest at the Danforth Baptist Church renovation designed by McCallum Sather Architects for Assembly Corporation and Woodgreen Community Housing Inc
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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Element5, ERA Architects |