Historic Toronto factory complex could soon be transformed with a big tower
Toronto's historic Carpet Factory could soon have a sizeable vertical addition, the latest proposal promising to shake up the skyline of the fast-evolving Liberty Village area.
Developer Hullmark has submitted plans to transform the complex bounded by King Street West, Mowat Avenue, Fraser Avenue, and Liberty Street with a planned 37-storey tower rising from the site of a single-storey building and a surface parking lot at 72 Fraser Ave.
Constructed as a carpet manufacturing facility between 1899 and the 1920s, the over-century-old complex was eventually converted into office space in the 1990s, shifting from a manufacturing hub to a creative centre.
And now, the complex is primed for even more change.
Hullmark has signed on U.K.-based architecture firm Allies and Morrison to design a new high-rise tower for the site in a style complementary to the repurposed factory buildings it will join.
City of Toronto
The building planned for demolition to accommodate the redevelopment is currently home to School Restaurant, a bakery, cafe, bar and restaurant that has earned a reputation for serving up one of the best brunches in the city. Also planned for demolition, a portion of the existing building at 100 Liberty St. would be taken down to make way for a new low-rise building containing new retail, office, and commercial uses.
City of Toronto
Amid a decline in condo sales, it should come as little surprise that Hullmark is opting for a combination of purpose-built rental, hotel, and office uses, capable of supporting the constant need for housing in the area without having to wade into an increasingly high-risk, low-reward condo market.
City of Toronto
With a height reaching just shy of 135 metres, the planned tower would stand out within the cluster of former manufacturing buildings, accomplishing a significant boost in density without interrupting the materiality and overall visual flow of the heritage property.
City of Toronto
The majority of the 37-storey tower's floor area would be dedicated to its 263 purpose-built rental units, comprising almost 23,200 square metres of space, along with 168 hotel suites across almost 9,200 square metres of area.
City of Toronto
No details about which hotel brand would operate this hospitality space have been made available in Hullmark's planning application with the City.
City of Toronto
