UrbanToronto has unearthed a never-before published rendering from the architectsAlliance-designed Clear Spirit and Gooderham condominium towers project at Cityscape's Distillery District. There is a lot we don't know about the rendering just yet, including whether or not it is part of an upcoming ad campaign, or conversely if it was part of an aborted one. We don't know yet if there are a number of sibling renderings also waiting for their time in the sun.

We rather like this one, so we are hoping that we will have more to show you soon. One thing we do know, is that we will be able to answer these and many more questions for you in the new year as we bring you inside the construction site. For the time being though, having obtained permission, we do have this rendering to show you to help you imagine how the whole complex will look upon completion. We say imagine because frankly, there have not been many images released of either the Gooderham or Clear Spirit condos, especially close up. What we are looking at here can best be sorted out by comparing the rendering to the plan for the second floor amenities included below, which is oriented toward north at the top. The rendering therefore shows a westward view, with the lower portion of Gooderham on the right, and Clear Spirit on the left. Gooderham will sit above the reconstructed shells of two of the distillery's rack houses. Closest to us are the second, third, and fourth floor units in Gooderham's black I-beam clad podium. The second floor units will have terraces on the roof of the easterly rack house 'J'. The roof of the westerly rack house 'G' will provide terrace area for the amenities. Above the east portion of the podium we see the fritted balconies of the first few floors of the sleek Gooderham tower above. Finally at ground level we see a cobbled public space filled with tables, chairs and umbrellas, expanding the distillery's public realm to the east. The meshing of the distillery's rough heritage brick with the smooth modern materials of the towers is very striking. We know that not everyone approves of this melding of old and new, but we certainly hope that the final product will look as beautiful as this rendering promises.

Outdoor amenities at Pure Spirits, image courtesy of Cityscape

Amenities plan at Pure Spirits, image courtesy of Cityscape

You can see how it will fit together in the model shot and site plan below. Clear Spirit rises 40 storeys on the left side of the shot, while the Gooderham rises 35 storeys on the right. In the lower foreground is shown the next phase at the Distillery, the long, low ribbon building which will buffer the Distillery District from the rail tracks and the Gardiner Expressway.

The green-roofed ribbon building and towers can be seen at the lower right corner and along the bottom of the plan.

In this rendering we see the Gooderham from the northeast. Clear Spirit is hidden behind it in this view across Cherry Street.

Here we get a look at Pure Spirit, the ribbon building, and the public plaza from two different angles. In the first shot we see a distant Clear Spirit from the already open portions of the Distillery, while the ribbon building which will replace the existing parking lot, is prominent along the right side.

In the second shot we see the ribbon building defining the south side of the new courtyard, with Clear Spirit behind to the west. The wall of rack house 'G', serving as the Gooderham's base, can be seen on the right.

UrbanToronto will keep you up on the progress of construction at the Distillery over the coming year. If you are interested in more about the project, click on the links below.