Mark Savels Toronto Real Estate Blog » Architecture

500 St Clair Now Registered

Mark Savel — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:31:13 +0000

500 St. Clair, the newest condo to be completed in Toronto has just registered! This means unit owners can now sell their suites on the open market (MLS). I was lucky enough to accompany my client during their pre delivery inspection before the building was complete and was very impressed with how construction was coming along. The kitchens – spacious. The cieling heights – generous. The lobby – very elegant… but the BIGGEST eye opener was the views!!! Residents of 500 St. Clair have some of the most comprehensive City views I have ever seen!

Residents in this art-deco inspired condo are welcomed by the concierge. From there they can relax with friends and neighbours at the “Forest Hill Club”. The club feature some great amenities including: indoor pool, outdoor patio, fitness room, theatre, billiard room, library and a furnished guest suite!

Original purchasers of 500 St. Clair were not allowed to sell their units until the building had registered with the City. Now that it has, some great layouts have come on the market! If you’ve thought of selling or living at the newly built condo…give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to help!

Below is a look at the outside facade of 500 St. Clair:

Construction Continues at Underpass Park

Mark Savel — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:52:57 +0000

On a recent visit to the River City Sales Centre, I noticed something different about the street… the old commercial buildings that once stood on the North side of Eastern Ave were gone!

The demolition of the buildings was to make way for Underpass Park, the most extensive park to ever be built under an overpass in Canada, and the first in Toronto. The Park will cover approximatily 2.5 acres under and around the Eastern Avenue overpasses. I had thought the park would be much smaller, but after seeing the work being done, it’s much more clear of how far the public space will stretch!

According to the Waterfront Toronto website:

“Designed by renowned landscape architects Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg in association with The Planning Partnership, Underpass Park embodies design excellence and is the epitome of innovative urban park design. The design creates a socially-engaging park for community members of all ages and abilities by incorporating public art, recreational space, playful climbing structures and play areas, flexible community space, community gardens, and public gathering places.”

Here are a few photos I took of the park under construction:

Here are a few renderings from Waterfront Toronto of what the Park will look like once complete:

Not only will the Park be an upgrade from what’s currently there, it’ll also bring added value to those who have (or plan to) purchase at River City! Some great layouts are still available in the first phase of the project!

…and check out a video I filmed of the park being built!

Taking a Break at Sugar Beach

Mark Savel — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:19:03 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

I took a short break in between appointments to enjoy Toronto’s newest beach, appropriately named “Sugar Beach”. Located at the foot of Lower Jarvis Street adjacent to the Redpath Sugar Factory, this beautiful public space was once a parking lot in a former industrial area!

Escape the hustle and bustle of downtown and relax at the beach for a bit…you’ll be glad you did!

*minor correction* I say “Cherry Beach” in the last 10 seconds, but meant “Sugar Beach”… blame it on the sun!

Special Summer Offer at Trinity Lofts

Mark Savel — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:44:15 +0000

Trinity Lofts is running a summer special, offering buyers either $10,000 in cash back or $15,000 in upgrades on units priced over $350,000! The location of the lofts offers downtown living next door to the Distillery District and West Don Lands Redevelopment.

The 8 story building will have just 81 lofts plus 2 townhouses. The building will also have a dog room on the main level, resident “bike share” program and a on-site autoshare parking space. Below is an example of a 2 bedroom plus den. The unit is approx. 813 sq.ft plus a 101 sq.ft balcony. This floor plan starts at $446,900 and includes parking, storage locker and HST!

(prices and specifications subject to change without notice.)

Give me a call or send me an email to set up an appointment to preview full floor plans and price lists!

PUG Awards 2010 Winners

Mark Savel — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:34:23 +0000

Last week I attended the 6th annual PUGs, the peoples choice awards for architecture in the City! I’m a big fan of the PUG’s since it involves the products I make my lively-hood from…Toronto Condos! The awards allow the public to vote on their favorite residential and commercial buildings from 2009! This year the PUGs were held at the AGO (last years winner in the Commercial/Institutional category) with an hour and half discussion with the 2010 mayoral candidates. Sadly none really impressed me with their vision for architecture and planning of the City, but i’ll have more on that in another post ;)

On a positive note, this years winner was quite different from last. One St. Thomas – a 29 storey multi million dollar limestone luxury condominium, won the award in 2009. For 2010 it was the Housing Co-Operative at 60 Richmond East designed by Teeple Architects that took home the PUG! It’s good to see that architecture in our city sees no division in social class. It also gives inspiration and proof to other developers and architects that good design isn’t just for the rich, but rather for all to enjoy!

So how did your condo’s design preform at the PUGS?

RESIDENTIAL

RANK PROJECT NAME

1. 60 Richmond East Housing Co-Operative

2. Pure Spirit at the Distillery

3. the Arc

4. Toy Factory Lofts

5. NEO

6. One Cole Condominiums

7. Montage

8. Sixtyloft

9. gläs Condominium

10. 455 Adelaide/10 Morrison Ave.

11. London on the Esplanade

12. The Murano

13. The Russell Hill Seniors Residence

14. ReZen

15. 100 Yorkville at Bellair

16. Twenty Gothic

17. 263 Wellington Street West

18. Madison Avenue Lofts

19. Edge Lofts

20. Minto Skyy

21. Summerside

22. 900 Mount Pleasant

23. Eq1 at Equinox

24. Malibu at Harbourfront

25. Success Tower at Pinnacle Centre

26. Chateau Royal

27. 88 on Broadway

28. St. Gabriel Terraces

29. Zip at Battery Park

30. Plaza Royale

31. Grande Triomphe – Phase II

COMMERCIAL/INSTITUTIONAL

RANK PROJECT NAME

1. Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning

2. RBC Centre

3. Bloorview Kids Rehab

4. Telus Tower at 25 York

5. Bay Adelaide Centre

6. Harbour Light, Salvation Army

7. Shops at Don Mills

Next year should be even more interesting as several Toronto’s condos are plan to close and register in 2010! If you’d like to live in one of these award winning condos, give me a call or send me an email… I’d love to help!

BILD Award for Best Building Design – River City

Mark Savel — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:58:56 +0000

And the award for Best Building Design goes to……….*drumroll*

RIVER CITY!!!

Congratulations to all that have been involved in making the project so special. And even bigger congratulations goes to the purchasers who now live in the best designed building according to BILD (Building Industry and Land Development)

The first phase is over 70% sold with a variety of layouts still available. Designed by Saucier + Perrotte, River City will be a four phased community of over 900 loft-style condominiums and townhouses, together with street level restaurants, cafes and boutiques! I’ve been covering the project extensively since it first launched back in 2009 and will continue to as the West Don Lands transform into one of downtown Toronto’s newest neighbourhoods!

For floorplans, prices, and availability…give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to help!

Doors Open In Toronto

Mark Savel — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:34:16 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Toronto is a City full things to see and do…and like most cities, one would have to pay in order to do them! This weekend, (May 29th and 30th 2010) 150 buildings of architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance open their doors to the public.

A few of my ‘must-see’s’ are:

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Historic Walls – The southern section of the present CAMH historical wall was built by unpaid patient labourers at the then Provincial Lunatic Asylum.

City Hall- Podium Green Roof – From concrete to living garden, the Toronto City Hall podium roof, where visiting dignitaries were once welcomed at the “front door” of the Council Chamber, will be reopened as the city’s largest, publicly accessible green roof garden.

Stephan Caras Design Inc. - The building is currently owned and operated as the world headquarters and couture fashion house of Stephan Caras Design. The interior is stylistically modern and designed by Stephan Caras himself.

This is an excellent opportunity to get into some of Torontos hidden gems…and admission is FREEEEEE!

Check out the Cities website for a full list of participants.