The development of this block, at the west end of the St Lawrence neighbourhood, in a sense completes the first phase of one of North America’s most successful “urban renewal” programs (population approximately 10,000). The St Lawrence Neighbourhood was planned by the City of Toronto approximately 20 years ago, as a new, mixed-use (primarily residential) neighbourhood, replacing an obsolete industrial area. The area has many amenities, including the historic St Lawrence Farmers’ Market (which incorporates a portion of one of Toronto’s early city halls), St Lawrence Centre theatre, and the Hummingbird Centre concert hall. It is within walking distance to the downtown core. The area is historic, being just west of the original 10 city blocks, with significant structures such as St Lawrence Hall, the Gooderham (Flatiron) Building, and the King Edward Hotel nearby.

The neighbourhood plan features a large, lineal park at its centre, running the full length, east-west, named Crombie Park after the mayor who initiated the project. The housing blocks, which were designed under a set of consistent urban design guidelines, are generally mid-rise (six to eight storeys), clad in brick, with convenience retail and pedestrian arcades at the base. The residential buildings are a mix of public (co-ops and City Housing) and private developments.

The C-2 Block was laid out by the City to accommodate four residential buildings (three co-ops and a City Housing building), approximately 550 units total. The buildings ring the block around a central courtyard, one at each corner, and all above a common underground parking garage. Each building has a different owner, and was designed by a different architect: New Hibret Co-op (Roger du Toit Architects); CityHome (Stone Kohn McGuire Vogt Architects); Old York Tower (Quadrangle Architects); and Older Women’s Network Co-op (Oleson Worland Architects).

Urban design guidelines were set for the block by Michael Spaziani Architect. Each architect designed the building for his client, within a shared, overall vision. Representatives of the four architecture firms comprised a committee to coordinate the project from beginning to end. All four buildings were clad in brick, with variations in expression and detailing. Landscape design of the central courtyard and streetscape edges was undertaken by du Toit Allsopp Hillier and Ferris and Quinn. It was agreed that there be one structural engineer, Frank Anrep and Associates, to ensure structural coordination, and all four buildings were tendered as one block to ensure coordination during construction. PCL Constructors was the general contractor.

The development of the C-2 block is important for several reasons: it marks the completion of the downtown end of the St Lawrence neighbourhood; it is an excellent example of diversity in architectural expression within a shared vision; and it is a prototype for future big-block developments in new neighbourhoods (for example, the Railway Lands, the East Don Lands, and the Portlands).

David Oleson