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Over the last decade, few areas of Toronto have seen as much growth as the Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood. There are always, however, unfortunate casualties in our city's quest for density. Last summer we saw the demolition of Macy Dubois' 45 Charles Street East, an impressive and unique brutalist mid-rise, to make way for the excavation for CHAZ Yorkville Condominiums. Fast forwarding to today, and an similar scene is unfolding on Charles Street; demolition is now well underway across the road at the YMCA at 42 Charles St. East.
The 9-storey brick office building, which previously housed CTV television's head offices, is currently being torn down to make way for Casa II - a high-rise condominium by Cresford Developments. Preparation work began in August of 2012 with the removal of windows and other exterior features, with the gutting of interiors following shortly after. Since then crews have moved on to the task of demolishing the structure itself.
In the above photos, we can clearly see the progress made by Priestly Demolition on the north side of the building. Much of the exterior has been dismantled, revealing the vintage coffered concrete ceilings to passing pedestrians. Once demolition of this soon-to-be-lamented building is complete, shoring work is expected to begin for the eventual condominium tower.
Once completed, the architectsAlliance-designed Casa II will rise 56 storeys above Charles Street, adding even more density to one of the most rapidly growing neighbourhoods in the city.
Want to learn more? Additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase listing below. To follow construction as it progresses and get involved in the discussion, visit the related forum thread, here.
