Theatre District Condominiums

Landmark architecture and a coveted location set new Plaza condominium apart

As its name suggests, Theatre District Condominiums is a dream location for anyone who enjoys the arts, entertainment and a sophisticated urban lifestyle.The project, coming soon from Plaza, is in the coveted Entertainment District, in the midst of some of the city's most desirable shopping, nightlife and dining options. It's a highly walkable neighbourhood that's well served by transit and offers easy access to the PATH system.Theatre District promises to be a landmark development, incorporating three distinctive elements: a south residential 49-storey tower, six historic rowhouses at 8 Widmer Street, and a north tower at 28 Widmer at the corner of Adelaide that will include a new international 26-storey hotel and 23-storey residential condo. Widmer is a quiet residential street just steps from the action of the Entertainment District and the excitement of the annual Toronto International Film Festival.Theatre District Condominiums will respect the King West neighbourhood's heritage flavour while exemplifying the best in urban living, says Les Klein, principal of Quadrangle Architects. Quadrangle has played a vital role in the revitalization of Downtown West, with key projects that helped to define the community identity, including 299 Queen Street West (originally home to CityTV and MuchMusic) and Studio on Richmond, an elegant two-tower condo development.The materials, scale and detailing of Theatre District towers' 11-storey podium pays tribute to the 1920s Art Deco-era Commodore Building immediately west of Adelaide in what used to be the Fashion District. The slender towers above the podiums use faceted, shaded metal panels within an elegant pattern to accentuate the verticality of the structures and offer expansive windows to emphasize the views. The hotel and condominiums of 28 Widmer are seamlessly interwoven in the tower design, and the upper level residential suites enjoy expansive downtown views. 8 Widmer's tower employs a similar architectural vocabulary, rotated 90 degrees to the main axis of 28 Widmer to maximize views, says Klein.The towers' individual lobbies are connected internally and they share amenity spaces at the ground floor and the third floor of the podium at 8 Widmer."Thinking about the two towers, we wanted to make them feel like part of a family, not to be identical or even fraternal twins," says Klein. He says one of the cool things about Toronto is that "you can turn a corner and have a completely different experience. In some neighbourhoods, around every corner there is delight and surprise. We love to build on that sense."The six rowhouses that are part of the Theatre District Condominiums site provided the opportunity to create that surprise. They will be restored to their former glory in accordance with heritage guidelines and offered as live-work units. Klein says one dilemma was how to pay homage to the rowhouses in the centre of the development and not have the north tower block the view of them from the corner. The answer was to literally cut out the first two floors of the podium and create a large canopy that forms the entrance on Adelaide."It's a lovely time warp and the canopy hangs over it in a magical way. All of a sudden, you go around the corner and you're suddenly on an 18th century street," says Klein. "These are going to be restored as proud examples of worker housing, but with a modern flavour catering to the worker of today who wants to integrate work, live and play. There will be six distinct addresses and will be a unique opportunity. Plaza has a vision of how this will provide an opportunity for incubator businesses and entrepreneurs."Tower residents will enjoy first-class exclusive amenities at Theatre District Condominiums, including an outdoor pool, fully-equipped gym and party room, says Scott McLellan, Plaza's senior vice president. They'll also be able to appreciate the amenity-rich neighbourhood that includes some of the city's best retail stores and restaurants.The suites are priced so a wide variety of buyers will be able to take advantage of the city lifestyle in a Triple A location."We have junior one-bedroom suites priced from $375,000 to $400,000, perfect for first-time buyers and empty nesters who want to have a place to hang their hat in the Entertainment District," says McLellan. Those units will also attract investor interest.Plaza has enjoyed great success with its well-designed two-bedroom, two-bath suites at other projects, and these will be part of the mix at Theatre District (including corner units), 625 to 650 square feet in size, priced from $595,000 to $625,000. A generous 15 per cent of units has been allocated to three-bedroom units of 812 to 884 square feet in size, priced from $775,000 to $990,000, including the penthouse and lower penthouse floors.With its juxtaposition of heritage and contemporary elements, sophisticated residential living and dynamic street, Theatre District epitomizes the best in urbane city living.To register, visit PurePlaza.com/Toronto-Condos/Theatre-District/Register.

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