The wheels are in motion for Great Gulf's 357 King West, with yesterday marking the official start of construction for the 42-storey, Quadrangle-designed condominium tower at the southwest corner of King and Blue Jays Way in Toronto’s Entertainment District.

Site of 357 King West, image by David Ackerman

The first signs of activity came in early July, when a demolition permit was issued for the single-storey pavilion that has occupied the site for more than a decade. A construction scaffold appeared around the building in August, and demolition of the structure was completed earlier this month.

Site of 357 King West, image by David Ackerman

An agreement is now in progress for a shoring permit, and once issued, the permit will allow for the start of drilling to create the below-grade earth retention system. Though still awaiting the final permits, the cleared site hosted a celebratory ground breaking yesterday afternoon, where project principals marked the occasion with a first shovels ceremony. Included in the party were Michael McGrath of Tucker Hi-Rise, Niall Collins of Great Gulf, Halim Chaccour of BMO, Dani Cohen of King Financial Holdings Ltd., Alan Vihant of Great Gulf, and Sheldon Levitt and Mauro Carreno of Quadrangle.

Executives with Great Gulf, Tucker HiRise, BMO, King Financial, and Quadrangle celebrate the start of work on 357 King West, mage courtesy of Great Gulf

“With so much dynamism, we created a building that’s adaptable and reflective of this area,” said Niall Collins, President at Great Gulf Residential. “To support the free movement of transit, we’ve minimized parking spaces with one bicycle locker for every bedroom and dedicated 18 spots to car-share which supports a modern transportation strategy.”

Once all the permits are in place, we can expect to see the first signs of shoring, followed by excavation to make way for the tower's foundations and three-level underground garage. Once the project is complete in 2022, 357 King West will stand 148 metres high on the Entertainment District skyline, adding 324 condominium units to the neighbourhood.

357 King West, image courtesy of Great Gulf

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.