Construction on Backstage On The Esplanade will soon be climbing skyward, with the first of the building's typical tower floors now beginning to take shape. The 36-storey, Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed condominium tower is rising on The Esplanade, right across the street from a related project, the L Tower, currently in its late stages of construction. The two projects are by developers Cityzen Development Group, Fernbrook Homes and Castlepoint Numa. 

Backstage rising to the south of L Tower, image by Jack Landau

Backstage's complicated podium has taken several months to build, with factors such as the construction of a rail-corridor crash wall as well as a large parking garage for residents of both it and the L Tower, containing 356 below-ground spaces for L Tower, and 144 above-ground spaces for Backstage. The podium will also contain a pair of retail units at grade, and a connection to the eastwards-extending PATH network via a new bridge towards Union Station.

Backstage's podium levels structurally complete, image by Jack Landau

Set back above the podium, the first signs of the building's tower portion have started to appear. Clearest in the first photo, the tower will only rise above a small portion of the much larger four-storey podium which lines the street. In the second image, directly above, only hints of the tower floor forms can be seen atop the distant west end of podium. In the image below, the current top floor marks the location of the tower, looking south across Yonge Street.

First tower floor rising at Backstage, image by Jack Landau

In the above image, we can also just make out the vertical fins which will mark this building's silhouette. In the rendering of the project below, these two vertical ribs can be seen rising up the length of the tower, providing privacy for adjacent residential balconies along the way, before terminating as sculptural points on the skyline.

Backstage On The Esplanade, image courtesy of Cityzen, Fernbrook and Castlepoint Numa

Once the first tower floor is complete, the repetitive layout and relatively small floor plate of following levels will allow construction to move skyward at a much quicker pace.

Below, a driveway between Backstage and 25 The Esplanade offers drivers access to the large Green P parking garage located along the rail corridor just to the east. Might the municipally-owned Toronto Parking Authority consider greening the roof of the parking garage entrance? More greenery in the area would surely be welcomed.

25 The Esplanade and the east side of Backstage, image by Jack Landau

Once construction on the project wraps up, residents of Backstage will have access to amenities which will take the best advantage of the large podium rooftop, including a garden with 70 foot infinity pool. Inside, a private theatre with adjoining bar, and a fitness and yoga studio are amongst the spaces to come.

Looking for more information? Additional details including building facts, renderings and floorplans can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or voice your opinion in the comments section provided at the bottom of this page.