You'll find a full explanation in our front page story here, but no, the building will not link up to One Bloor East.

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taal said:
Assuming this goes through, curious, how many other cities, if any, in NA, have a purely residential building as their #1 tallest ? I'd imagine for just about all cities this would typically be an office building ?
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I wouldn't call this proposal purely residential. It has a significant commercial component. High rise living is a niche market in the US however, I think you will do better finding cities with residential being the tallest south of their border.

Just about every Canadian has a tallest proposed or built with a large residential component.
 
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Benito said:
I'm very excited about the retail potential here. I think this will inject a lot of excitement with new to Canada retailers to Yorkville. I can't wait to here who might be coming.
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Don't high-end retailers prefer street presence though? Why pay the exorbitant rents to be in a mall? Many will pay dearly, and at a loss, just for the branding/exposure that a high profile address will offer (i.e. Bloor, 5th Avenue etc). Regardless, I think a lot will depend on how much ground-level street access there will be. One or two large-format (i.e. potentially multi-level) retailers will work better, such as a department store.

Benito said:
I think the the bronze colour of the building's exoskeleton will really stand out amongst a sea of grey or blue-green towers we have in Toronto.
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+1

ssiguy2 said:
This building is handsome, has height, and is street friendly and will be a great addition to the Toronto skyline but it is by no means an "iconic" building. In 20 years when there will be a lot of similar size buildings throughout the downtown Torontonians will view this as one of the nice tall buildings in the city but that's all.
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People are missing a spire. We all love a spire.
 
Tewder said:
Don't high-end retailers prefer street presence though? Why pay the exorbitant rents to be in a mall? Many will pay dearly, and at a loss, just for the branding/exposure that a high profile address will offer (i.e. Bloor, 5th Avenue etc). Regardless, I think a lot will depend on how much ground-level street access there will be. One or two large-format (i.e. potentially multi-level) retailers will work better, such as a department store.

People are missing a spire. We all love a spire.
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Worse comes to worse, I wonder if they can convert the upper levels to office use - it'd be some high profile space for sure.

As to the spire - beware of gilding the lily (NYT Tower by Piano was probably the most gratuitous instance that comes to mind)

AoD
 
I've taken a day to mull this one over and I do like it. At the very least it is providing contrast to the skyline and breaking away from the pattern we've seen so much of the past few years. Its a different color, its got a unique (for us) pattern running up it and there are no balconies. Interested to see how it evolves through to completion.
 
Tewder said:
Don't high-end retailers prefer street presence though? Why pay the exorbitant rents to be in a mall? Many will pay dearly, and at a loss, just for the branding/exposure that a high profile address will offer (i.e. Bloor, 5th Avenue etc). Regardless, I think a lot will depend on how much ground-level street access there will be. One or two large-format (i.e. potentially multi-level) retailers will work better, such as a department store.
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Chicago has some high-rise malls on North Michigan Avenue, such as Water Tower Place (7 floors) and 900 North Michigan Shops (6 floors). I can see The One offering a somewhat similar concept.
 
I think most American departmental stores that want to be in Canada are already here.
Think European players. i.e Galeries Lafayette (as mentioned by another forum member. They've been expanding recently), Also perhaps a flagship Harrods under new owners with means to enter new markets.
 
cliffy said:
I think most American departmental stores that want to be in Canada are already here.
Think European players. i.e Galeries Lafayette (as mentioned by another forum member. They've been expanding recently), Also perhaps a flagship Harrods under new owners with means to enter new markets.
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Didn't the Qatari royal family buy Harrods from the dubious Mr. Fayed? They have deep pockets.
 
Oh please no tapering or spires with The One. UD's fantasy renderings may have predicted tapering and spires, but it's really not suited here at all in context with its surroundings. Leave me out of the tapering and spires camp!
 
Perhaps rumours of an Apple store here were correct after all?

Samsung can then lease out the 4th floor, with Blackberrry World on the fifth and a bunch of dentists on the 6th.

The basement can be a Cash for Gold flagship.

Funnily enough, NimbyTect's TWO (Columbus Circle) came closest to predicting the final design, with a bit of Yung & Blur cross bracing mixed in for good measure. Also nailed the colour choice--bronze--on the final fantasy.
 
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A Selfridges or The Conrad Shop, both out of the U.K., would be great here.
The Bay nearby is in a very depressing space, it could move here and go a little more upscale.
 
Tewder said:
Don't high-end retailers prefer street presence though? Why pay the exorbitant rents to be in a mall? Many will pay dearly, and at a loss, just for the branding/exposure that a high profile address will offer (i.e. Bloor, 5th Avenue etc). Regardless, I think a lot will depend on how much ground-level street access there will be. One or two large-format (i.e. potentially multi-level) retailers will work better, such as a department store.
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I think it depends who the anchor is. The high end mall in the 66 story 900 North Michigan building in Chicago, has Bloomingdale's to bring people in.
 
Apple on the ground and second floors and the. A big retailer like Harrod's or Bloomingdales on the top several floors would work.
 
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