Historic Block Undergoes Extensive Restoration

At FIVE — Condos at 5 St. Joseph, a group of innovators led by developers Graywood Developments Ltd. and MOD Developments Inc. is embarking on a heritage restoration project that keeps the best of the area’s commercial past, while at the same time rejuvenating this diverse, utterly urban neighbourhood along Yonge Street between Bloor and Wellesley.

For nearly three-quarters of a century dating back to the 1880s, this block housed warehouse and office space for Rawlinson Cartage, one of the Toronto’s biggest moving and storage companies. When completed, FIVE will encompass a 45-storey tower and four-storey podium where 5 and 9 St. Joseph Street and 15, 17, 19 and 25 St. Nicholas Street stood. Ground-level retail and an exclusive collection of luxury units under The Yonge Collection name will revitalise the block from 606 to 618 Yonge Street while restoring its turn-of-the-century details and iconic Toronto brickwork.

The heritage restoration is undertaken by the award-winning ERA Architects Inc., in close co-operation with FIVE architects Hariri Pontarini Architects and international design firm Cecconi Simone, who designed the project’s interiors and extensive amenities. 

The properties fronting the Yonge Street block date back to the 1880s. The south end of the row, which once housed Rawlinson’s offices, comprises narrow, flat-roofed, three-storey storefronts in a warehouse style.  The three northernmost buildings were once one sloped-roofed with two-storeys, but the centre one was given an Art Deco overhaul in the late 1920s, along with a flat roof and two extra storeys. Gentle, non-chemical, non-abrasive techniques will remove the years of paint, and all brick will be painstakingly cleaned or replaced where damaged beyond repair. Their own structural integrity will keep the Yonge Street buildings in place as construction proceeds, with some temporary shoring necessary when the floors are replaced. Dedicated to historic authenticity even beyond the requirements of the City, the developers have chosen to preserve these buildings almost in their entirety, in keeping with the original footprint.

The Yonge Street Collection will breathe new life into this charming block with 14 exquisite residences occupying the second and third floors above the ground-floor retail. Residents will enjoy the privacy of a separate lobby, entered from tree-lined St. Joseph Street as well as full access to the state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor amenities at FIVE.  Imaginative suite designs, each unique, are considerate of the original features such as windows on the historic Yonge Street façade. The most spectacular unit will occupy almost 1,000 square feet on two levels on the St. Joseph corner. Second-floor suites feature terraces at the rear of the Collection. 

The St. Joseph Street façade originally fronted the 1905-‘07 Rawlinson warehouse. Rather than merely fulfilling the historical obligation to reconstruct the façade, the developers chose to preserve it whole, to a three-metre depth where a demarcation exists in the original building, in one Toronto’s largest-ever facade retention projects. The process, which ERA project architect Ryan Love says is “not an easy, cheap or simple thing to do,” uses a steel frame support system to suspend the entire façade over the excavation pit for the duration of construction. The original, Gothic-arched centre bay at 5 St. Joseph Street will become the residential entrance to FIVE. It and two new retail entrances flanking it, will be enhanced by additional glazing and steel, warehouse-inspired canopies. 

For the balance of the podium behind the St. Joseph Street façade and along St. Nicholas, where the façade will be documented, dismantled, and reconstructed, new brick masonry will match the historical size and colour. New retail opportunities along cobblestoned St. Nicholas and beside the FIVE entrance will encourage lifestyle-oriented businesses such as florists, food shops and cafes, harking back to the community-minded spirit of this block’s original era.

Intimate suites at the Yonge Collection in the Yonge Street buildings, from studios to two-storeys, start in the mid-$200,000s. The presentation centre is located on the corner of Yonge Street and St. Joseph Street. Get a closer look at this landmark project at www.fivecondos.com