Page 7 – Lifetime Developments

Emotional mural a warm-up for new XO Condos coming to Parkdale, Liberty Village neighbourhoods

Artist Daniel Bombardier moved to Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood 20 years ago to live and draw inspiration from the local creative community.

“It was very diverse, more of a gritty area, which I liked. I was there before Liberty Village. It was just art and music studios, a much different neighbourhood then,” recalls the stencil and mural artist, also known as Denial.

To date he’s painted 200 murals to transform walls around the world, as well as in Toronto including at Hula Girl coffee shops and at Underpass Park in the city’s West Donlands. One of his newest creations now brings life to the southwest corner of King and Dufferin Sts., where the Liberty Village, Parkdale, King West and Queen West neighbourhoods converge: a massive, “strange love story” mural at the sales centre for XO Condos.

“What I liked about his murals is they are larger in scale and with XO Condos, we had the opportunity to do a larger exposed wall on Dufferin Street,” says Brian Brown, vice-president of Lifetime Developments, the builder of XO Condos. He discovered Bombardier’s work through a mutual artist friend’s Instagram feed.

“I liked how he used murals to create stories and thought it was very appropriate for the project and community,” says Brown.

Bombardier tapped into the excitement and curiosity surrounding a new condo development “and I wanted to play with that in the story.” As well, plans include repurposing the mural in the condo’s second-floor amenity space.

“When a person sees the entire side of a building painted, you can’t help but wonder who did that,” says Bombardier who lives in his hometown Windsor and has helped in the city’s downtown transformation, including turning neglected alleyways into outdoor art galleries.

“I’ve seen first-hand the effect public art can have on a neighbourhood. In a gallery, it’s more contrived, but when you see it in public where it’s not supposed to be, that’s when you’ll find people being inspired and it evoking an emotional response and hopefully, it brings some positivity.”

Brown says Lifetime residential projects like to feature artworks at ground level where people can interact, look and touch.

The builder’s first of the two-phase XO Condos structures will be a 14-storey building of suites ranging from 450-1,200 square feet, starting at the low $400,000s. It will have a brick warehouse esthetic along King St. W., with ground-level retail and residential entrance on Dufferin St., where it overlooks a park to the south. Lifetime will contribute a portion of the site to the city to expand the park. It will have a high transit score with access to King St. streetcars, the Dufferin St. bus and will be a block from the future King-Liberty SmartTrack station.

Brown says he expects buyers at XO Condos to be young crowd but not necessarily singles who first moved to Liberty Village since “that demographic has changed over the last 10 years. At this stage of life, they want slightly larger units where they can have a child and still live in a condo.

“People are raising kids in condos and the whole mentality of how people live and what they expect from their homes has changed. The lobby is your front door and the amenity space is going to be space that is well-used.”

Amenities will include an interactive indoor and outdoor kids’ zone, a dog-wash station and a shared workspace area with Wi-Fi and office space to facilitate working from home.

Source: Toronto Star

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Gardens in the Sky

Moving into a condo doesn’t mean you give up the ability to develop a green thumb. With approximately 20 percent of Toronto residents choosing to live in a condo, not homes with yards or gardens, means many are exploring ways to tap into their gardening side and make their condos grow.

While many condo owners have known for years which plants are best for condos, such as Cacti, Bamboo, Ficus Tree, Peace Lily or Devil’s Ivy, many more want to become more pro-active and wish to bring the actual ‘gardening’ into their homes in the sky, and some manufacturers are providing easy solutions.

A Click & Grow Smart Garden is a bright white, bread-box sized indoor planter box with everything included to optimize germination and minimize maintenance: a built-in, app-enabled irrigation system and LED grow lights, as well as small cups prepacked with soil. You just need to buy your seeds, plug it in, and watch it grow.

Toronto-based Modgarden is bringing “tinyfarm” to the market this fall. Everything is included similar to Click & Grow with one huge advantage, it’s stackable, meaning you can add to your growing garden without taking away floor space, and the planting beds are larger and deeper, allowing for greater and more frequent yields.

So if you’d like to garnish your food with mini-greens such as basil, romaine, mini-tomatoes, kale, or pea shoots and say “it came from my garden”, you can do it all yourselves without the dirty hands and weather concerns of outdoor gardens.

After all, condos are all about convenience aren’t they?

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15 BEST HOTELS IN TORONTO

As the birthplace of legendary hospitality brands like Four Seasons and Fairmont, Canada’s hotel game is strong—particularly in the cosmopolitan Toronto. Here, factors such as the booming media, film, and corporate industries, strong foodie culture, excellent museums, and wealth of upscale design and retail offerings combine to create a tourism landscape that demands a healthy hotel scene. As a result, you can check in to five-star options from international names, independent hotels that focus on art and design, European-style historic grande dames, and (as of this writing) the only Kimpton and St.Regis outposts in Canada. Read on for our picks for where to stay in Toronto, with options for everyone.

The Omni King Edward Hotel

Thanks to a $40 million renovation, Toronto’s first luxury hotel also feels like one of its newest. Originally built in 1903, the King Edward has hosted all manner of boldface names in its convenient downtown location, which is located close to the financial and entertainment districts, and attractions like the Eaton Centre and St. Lawrence Farmers Market. Past the elegant brick exterior, a re-done lobby has bold-colored, comfy seating, light-wood paneling, a fireplace, and quirky touches like towering sculptures of chess pieces. While wingback chairs, tufted leather headboards, deep red accent walls, and throw pillows emblazoned with crowns all nod to the hotel’s regal name and deep heritage, the 301 newly redone rooms are now fully outfitted with modern touches like HDTVs, iPod docking stations, Keurig coffee machines, work desks, and laptop-size safes. Premium linens top the king-size beds; bathrooms have showers or soaking tubs. Partake in Torontonian history—without sacrificing modern creature comforts—at this renovated grande dame.

The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto

The Ritz-Carlton’s distinctive, multi-level glass façade is easy to spot amid the art centers, sports arenas, stores, and restaurants of the surrounding Entertainment and Financial districts. A strikingly contemporary exterior hints at what’s inside: a modern twist on the luxury hotel brand’s classic style, with sleek décor accented by more than 400 pieces of Canadian art. Standout views of the CN Tower and the Toronto islands add to the sanctuary-like vibe. The Ritz-Carlton’s beautiful rooms, sweeping views, top-notch food and drink, ample wellness amenities, and personalized service can’t be beat.

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

Toronto is the hometown of the Four Seasons brand, so it was especially important that the location here represent the very best of the five-star name. Built in 2012 to replace the somewhat outdated 1960s original, this 55-story tower in the chic Yorkville neighborhood nails the concept of discreet luxury. The lobby is separated into small, lounge-like spaces, including a reception desk that’s tucked away in an alcove under a stunning sculpture of falling flowers. Enter via the quiet rear portico (which also leads to a separate residential tower) and you can make it to the elevators pretty much undetected.

Bisha Hotel & Residences

The brainchild of hospitality impresario Charles Khabouth, the Bisha is luxurious in its own contemporary way. Although it’s managed by Loews, the hotel doesn’t shy away from pushing a few boundaries; case in point, the fleet of suites envisioned by rocker (and designer) Lenny Kravitz. But before you get up to those hideaways, there’s a warren of bold, decadent, and highly Instagram-worthy public spaces to enjoy, from the sexy lobby—all black marble and draped velvet—to the areas adorned with pieces from the hotel’s 3,000-piece collection, which includes a fair number of Warhol prints.

Thompson Toronto

With its buzzing rooftop, sleek crowd, and location in King West Village—an area of historic factories now considered one of Canada’s capitals of cool—the Thompson is one of Toronto’s year-round hotspots. A bold, contemporary style pervades the property, with industrial accents and loud pops of color creating a vibrant backdrop for the action. The vibe is very much urban resort, and it’s a one-stop hub for all your entertainment needs.

The Adelaide Hotel Toronto

The Adelaide is one of the best hotels in the city—even while it becomes the first St. Regis in Canada, a transformation slated to take place in late 2018. As part of the re-branding, there will be a redesigned lobby and adjacent lounge, a new 31st-floor restaurant with views of Downtown and Lake Ontario, new and refreshed suites, and signature St. Regis elements like butler service in all of the rooms. What won’t change drastically is the overall atmosphere: muted sophistication, luxe décor, extra-large rooms, and spectacular views.

The Drake Hotel

Fitting right into its location in the vibrant Queen Street West neighborhood, The Drake, which opened in 2004, has become a hub of Toronto art, design, and food. You’ll feel the energy the moment you walk into the former apartment building, where original granite floors, exposed brick, and other historical touches live alongside vivid murals, green leather seating, vintage stereos, and pieces from a rotating art collection. There’s always something happening here, from DJs on the rooftop to live bands at Drake Underground, the hotel’s performance space.

The Anndore House

Relaunched in 2018 as a 113-room hotel, and boasting what’s now a great location—close to upscale Yorkville, the Bloor Street museums, the Yonge Street shops, arts venues, and more—Anndore House has a dimly lit lobby with moody greens and purples, dark woods, and glam gold-framed art. Past the kitchen island–style reception desk—a nod to the residential vibe that’s embedded into Anndore’s name—lies a sexy bar bedecked in velvet and wood paneling. The serene, chic décor toes the line between industrial and retro: polished concrete floors, a palette of grays and blues, king-sized beds, cushy leather club chairs, large plasma TVs, and a bookshelf topped with LPs and an iPhone-compatible record player. Some rooms have skyline views; others look out onto a courtyard. Spacious bathrooms have rainfall showers and CO Bigelow products.

Hotel X Toronto

Hotel X took Toronto’s hospitality offerings to another level when it opened in 2018. Crafted as an urban oasis, the property is set in the Exhibition Place complex along the Downtown waterfront; it’s a short drive from the Entertainment and Financial districts and the Harbour, and so close to Billy Bishop airport you could walk to the pedestrian ferry that leads to the terminal—that is, if the hotel didn’t already offer complimentary transport there (and to Union Station). Packed with amenities—including over-the-top fitness facilities and a killer rooftop bar—the hotel offers something for every taste.

The Broadview Hotel

Stradling the historic Riverside and Leslieville neighborhoods in the East End, this charming boutique hotel occupies a 1891 Romanesque Revival landmark. The building counts the iconic (and notorious) Jilly’s Strip Club as a former tenant—it’s where, legend has it, a live tiger once shared the stage with the dancers. Today, that decadent past lives on in the form of sumptuous furnishings and materials, custom wallpaper that replicates the one found under more than a century of layers, and an art installation made from the original fire escape.

The Fairmont Royal YorkThe Royal York has been open since 1929 and recently underwent a renovation to usher it into its second century. Built on the site of an even older hotel (from the 1850s), the landmark occupies a full block in the Financial District, and is located across the street from Union Station and close to sites like the CN Tower and Rogers Stadium. Past a majestic façade that stretches up to a central tower, the vast, bustling lobby is currently undergoing a renovation that will refresh the materials and décor, but keep the historic feel—and placing a grand new clock in the lobby, as a nod to the famous lobby meeting point—intact. The revamp is slated to be finished in 2019.

The Hazelton Hotel

For discreet luxury that makes you feel like a member of a private club, few spots top The Hazelton. The leafy, boutique-lined streets of the upscale Yorkville neighborhood provide the natural backdrop for this plush boutique hotel, which is marked by a brick-and-white façade and rounded entrance. Inside, a contemporary lobby is bedecked in polished metals, ostrich leather, and amber lighting. And thanks to their ample square footage (575 square feet and up) and nine-foot ceilings, the 62 rooms and 15 suites feel like apartments.

Kimpton Saint George

Set in a sweet spot between trendy Yorkville and the funky Annex, right near the University of Toronto campus and short walk from several top museums, a former Holiday Inn now houses the only Kimpton hotel in Canada. Not that you can see any evidence of the previous tenant; thanks to an extensive overhaul of the existing footprint, the property now features dark woods, rich textures, and mid-century-inspired furnishings. There are also lots creative touches and works by local artists, including the giant exterior owl mural. The 188 rooms are chic, with muted colors, sleek brass accents, quirky artwork, great beds dressed in Frette linens, and stylish furniture custom-designed by Toronto-based Mason Studio and crafted by local artisans. Kimpton’s new restaurant has managed to keep some of the most beloved elements of its Holiday Inn predecessor, including its approachable neighborhood vibe and its popular karaoke nights. The bellhops and door staff are always quick to help you out of a car or point you toward a great neighborhood restaurant.

Shangri-La Toronto

In 2012, Hong Kong–based Shangri-La opened a Toronto location in a newly built tower in the heart of Downtown, not far from the Theater District, a number of corporate HQs, and the main hub for the city’s international film festival. Past a dramatic steel outdoor sculpture by Chinese artist Zhang Huan is a chic, contemporary lobby adorned with four large-scale Chinese calligraphy paintings, a Fazioli piano (featuring lyrics by Canadian-born singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell carved into its lid), and cushy leather seating surrounding a modern dual-sided fireplace. Shangri-La’s high standard of service is in full effect here. Rooms feature intuitive technology (and handy bedside panels), as well as iPads loaded with hotel info and room service menus; you can also contact housekeeping, the bell desk, or the concierge via the tablet. A 42-seat screening room is popular with the film crowd. On the third-floor Garden Terrace, the recently installed B Wall is where 50,000 bees help generate honey for the hotel’s culinary team. On the fifth floor, a 9,000-square-foot wellness facility includes a 24/7 gym with Technogym equipment, a group-fitness studio, a 64-foot pool with a skylight, and a Caudalie spa. Afternoon tea here is also a must; it’s available daily (just be sure to make a reservation) and comes with your choice of more than 68 blends from around the world, each presented in an antique or contemporary Chinese teapot.

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2018 Annual Clean-Up Toronto at Liberty Market Building

During the month of April, the City of Toronto allocates the weekend of Earth Day to facilitate its Annual 20 Minute Clean-Up Toronto campaign. April 20^th, 2018, was allocated to the corporate portion of the clean-up. Liberty Market Building volunteered in the 15^th Annual Clean Up Toronto event, in appreciation of Earth Day.

The 15^th Annual Clean-Up was hosted by over 450 communities, 500 schools, over 300 corporations and had over 180,000 volunteers. We were among over 300 corporations who participated in the annual spring cleanup. This was almost a 40% increase compared to 2017!

We are extremely humbled to have been a part of such a great turn out, and influence our community to always maintain a clean environment. It is encouraged to all of you to take part in such a great event, as well as to continue to maintain our home clean.

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John Tory Announces SmartTrack at Liberty Market Building

On Tuesday, April 10^th we had a visit from Toronto Mayor, Mr. John Tory. This visit included visiting a number of our shops in the galleria as well as the City’s big announcement. The City has announced Smart Track.

We are happy to welcome King/ Liberty Station to Liberty Village, which will be utilizing the tracks in our own backyard! Whether Liberty is your home, place of work or your place for fun, Smart Track will get you here, fast and easy.

Smart Track is a proposed new transit network that will utilize existing tracks to connect Scarborough to Etobicoke through Downtown using existing tracks. Smart Track will benefit and feed off the Kitchener and Stouffville/ Lakeshore East Go and the Eglinton West LRT.

The Smart Track is intended to enhance the commuting experience by adding connections to get us where we’re going. The Smart Track will also reduce the usage of vehicles on the road. By decreasing the vehicles, we are not only decreasing traffic and vehicular volume but also our environmental foot print.

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Panda Comes to City Centre

When it comes to the location of Panda Condominiums, “it’s really at the heart of everything,” says Brian Brown, principal with Lifetime Developments. His team sought out the project’s downtown Yonge Street and Dundas Street location — the site of the former World’s Biggest Bookstore — for just that reason, loving its easy access to everything from transit to shopping, and from event spaces to the financial core. “It’s the first site that we’ve done that actually achieved a 100 Walk Score and a 100 Transit Score,” he says. That’s been an appealing prospect for buyers across demographics, whether they be young students, investors, or moveup purchasers wanting an easier commute to work. “It’s a very prime location in the downtown core,” Brown says. “So it caters to different types of groups.”

50 Steps Panda residents won’t have to worry about walking far in the cold. “If you walk directly across the street you have access to Atrium on Bay, which is a great office building but also has access to the TTC and to the PATH connection as well,” Brown says. Get to the Dundas subway station or walk farther downtown — all while staying warm.

200 Steps “There are a number of buyers we’ve been dealing with that have been buying for the purposes of their children that are going to be going to Ryerson,” Brown says. As well as being a selling point, Panda’s proximity to the university has helped drive the amenity spaces, which will include study rooms and an outdoor sports court. “We needed to think about what was attractive to them and what was useful to them, and what they would appreciate having in their own building,” Brown says.

250 Steps The Eaton Centre may be one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, but it also promises to be pretty handy. Shop for the perfect outfit, or eat at restaurants like JOEY or Trattoria Mercatto. If you choose to leave the mall, there’s also shopping along Yonge Street, as well as the Cineplex Cinemas Yonge- Dundas, Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, and Massey Hall — all a quick walk away. Or you can take in an event at Yonge-Dundas Square. “I would say that’s the most prominent and most important square the city has, and it’s a lively and active space that’s always being used for different purposes,” Brown says.

Suites at Panda Condominiums range from 458 to 1,035 square feet and from $530,900 to $1,249,900. The sales office is at 3080 Yonge St., Suite 3056, Toronto, and open Monday to Thursday from noon to 6 p. m. and weekends from noon to 5 p.m. Call 416-927-8980 or visit pandacondos.com.

Source: National-Post-February

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Rock Stars

Bisha Hotel & Residences – Sexy, sensual and smart—is what happens when influencers Charles Khabouth and Alessandro Munge build out their club cred into a space that’s memorable for a drink, a night or a lifetime.
THE REIGNING KING of Toronto hospitality and the founder of one of the city’s buzziest design firms—Charles Khabouth, ceo, INK Entertainment, and Alessandro Munge, principal, Studio Munge, respectively—are masters of #eyecandy. From the edgy attitude of music venues such as Rebel (a finalist in the 2017 Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design) to restaurants with a more refined sense of beauty, such as Figo (a 2016 Gold Key finalist), sensory delights and high drama interiors are the duo’s stock in trade.
At first glance, Khabouth and Munge could be brand ambassadors for any of their projects. Their look—from edgy black clothes and where-did-you-find that jewelry to close-up-ready hair—is the human-scale translation of an INK locale. What’s much easier to overlook is just how much both embrace the gritty, detail-oriented and sometimes just plain frustrating process of bringing their concepts to life. Even for this dream team, tough footprints, regulatory restrictions and challenging timelines are as much in the center of their vision as the unforgettable design touches.

Case in point: Khabouth’s debut hotel, the 96-key/355-condo unit/seven rental unit Bisha Hotel & Residences in Toronto. Then again, with the hotel taking its moniker from his own childhood nickname (Khabouth’s given first name is Bechara), it’s hardly surprising that Khabouth sees himself as the target guest (and homebuyer, as he decamped as he decamped from his Munge-designed King West condo to take up residence at Bisha).
He and Munge scaled his tastes into a psychographic. “Bisha’s guests are part of a discerning vanguard— well-traveled culture seekers who possesses a quiet confidence, a sharp intellect and an effortless style,” says Khabouth. “They can be from many different backgrounds and disciplines. What makes them the perfect Bisha guest is their affinity for challenging the status quo and leaving their mark on the world.”
Trying to find a site close enough to the urban core to attract that market required the team to challenge their own status quo. In Toronto, as in many gateway cities, the plum locations have been picked off for big-ticket projects, leaving most hoteliers to find creative solutions for difficult sites. Like so many of the latest generation of lifestyle hotels (as in New York’s Mondrian Park Avenue, Chicago’s Hotel EMC2, Autograph Collection and the upcoming Virgin Hotels New York), getting the “right address” for Bisha in the city’s Entertainment District entailed squeezing all the facilities needed to create an escapist venue for those individuals into a tiny slice of real estate.

In Bisha’s case, it wasn’t just size that was a challenge. The original office building that would serve as the foundation of the hotel and residences only rose five stories—nowhere near the 44-floor tower the team envisioned. And the heritage building’s façade had to be preserved, so the street-level view would remain the same while a skyscraper rose up above it.
The first hurdle? Keeping the original frontage intact while building a tower behind it. “The heritage conservation rules meant we had to brace and move the façade during construction to preserve it,” says Brian Brown, vice president of the project’s developer, Lifetime Developments. That added millions of dollars to the budget.

Then there was the height issue. The city’s zoning only allowed for 41 floors—three stories shy of what the team wanted. Cue another wait while the city reviewed and reconsidered the zoning regulations, with delays stretching into years, not months—so long, in fact, that the team had to redo aspects of the interior design to make sure it was still timely when the hotel opened.

Even with the biggest structural roadblocks crossed, the small floorplan still called for a radical rethink of a typical hotel layout. It was a given that the tower had to deliver dazzling, varied and immersive experiences to keep guests and locals on-site and interested in this vertical neighborhood.
In Bisha’s case, that started with three F&B venues—Michelin-starred South Korean chef and former professional snowboarder Akira Back’s eponymous Japanese venue; the French Made cafe; and the modern beach house-inspired rooftop restaurant Kost—that run the culinary gamut. Mister C. does the same for drinkable treats. A 43rd-floor event space offers equally spectacular views for meetings or social events, while a state-of-the-art fitness center outfitted with sculptural equipment helps satisfy guests’ desire to look and feel good.
Because there was nowhere to go but up, Khabouth and Munge conceptualized the project in layers, almost like a modular building. With the exception of French Made, which shares the ground floor with the lobby and Mister C., each element is “stacked” one to a floor, from the second-floor Akira Back to the rooftop Kost.
Overall, Brown, Khabouth and Munge wanted to create a hybrid of residential and commercial style that allowed for indulgent, evocative public spaces and rooms with enough calm to recharge. Khabouth’s signature blend of luxe and sex appeal was a clear roadmap for the design. “But he wanted to distill all of his experience in restaurants, bars and lounges under one roof,” says Munge.

Their target guests aren’t going to be seduced with predictable style, even if it’s impeccable. These are the kind of travelers and residents to whom anything can be the wow moment, starting with a namedropping art program.
“Art curator, Grace Zeppilli, selected and securely installed close to 2,000 pieces at Bisha, which is a significant number for a 96-key hotel. Some treasured items were selected from Khabouth’s private collection,” says Munge. “In addition, together we shopped for special pieces in the markets of Paris, London and New York.”
The result is a heady blend of contemporary installations, from celebrity photographs to Damien Hirst originals to Toronto artist Jeff Goodman’s handblown glass birds suspended from the lobby ceiling to Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Venus,” which makes an unforgettable statement in the lobby.
And that’s just the beginning of the focal points at Bisha. The FF&E takes its co-starring role from the moment guests enter the lobby. Velvet walls beg to be petted. Giant knobs offer a tactile treat for guests entering or exiting a space.

Making such delicate surfaces sturdy enough to handle heavy traffic isn’t easy, despite a commercial-grade finish library and using in-house procurement at Studio Munge to streamline the process. Both Khabouth and Munge are OK with dealing with materials that are perfectly imperfect.
You could build steel and concrete interiors that would last forever, but why would you?” asks Munge. Adds Khabouth: “I like patina, just like you’d find in someone’s home.” Airbrushed perfection doesn’t interest Khabouth. He wants his guests to feel free to “live” in the spaces.
He also doesn’t believe collaboration means being a “yes man.” As proof, he delayed the restaurant opening to install chairs that swivel, for easier conversation, and to add sconces so that booths aren’t too dark to read menus and chat—neither item something Munge had insisted on.

In the private areas of the hotel, whose guest rooms include several different room types, as well as suites, the shell is quieter, but the opulence continues. Elegant armoires in place of closets have a playful secret, in the form of vividly colored interiors. Velvet seating is equal parts decadent and comfy. In the suites, multiple bathrooms allow for both a private one for the guest and one for the “guests of the guests.”
The whole formula, from lobby to guest room, clearly struck a chord with the market—most condos sold out before the grand opening. And, with the help of Loews Hotels, the team believes they can re-create that magic.
Loews was brought in by Khabouth for its operations expertise (while it did not dictate design, he says the hotelier did offer suggestions on back-of-house services). Together, they are planning to scale the brand to gateway cities worldwide, though no specifics have yet been disclosed. Anyone ready to arty on down?

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Honor The Past

When news broke in 2013 that the World’s Biggest Bookstore was shuttering its doors, book lovers mourned the loss of a Toronto staple.

Memories shared on blogs and social media revealed its place in Toronto’s cultural landscape: Lovebirds told how they’d roamed the store’s aisles on first dates, tourists recounted gawking at its expansive 64,000 square feet and newcomers explained how they’d practised English there.

The bookstore was torn down in 2014, but its memory will remain when Lifetime Developments’ Panda Condominiums opens in 2021 with a curated library of Canadian literature included in the project’s amenities space.

The importance of the store to Torontonians caught the developers off guard, Brian Brown, Principal of Lifetime Developments, says. “It was interesting to see what kind of a role this building and this business had in many people’s lives in Toronto.” And his company’s commitment to honour the Bookstore is part of what he sees as a developer’s role in city building.

“It’s important to remember the past. In some cases, it’s preservation of buildings, in other cases it’s a recognition to what happened in the past on that site,” he says. “There’s always a fine balance between looking to the future and remembering the past.”

Panda Condos will rise above a 30-storey tower that will include 555 suites ranging from 356-square-foot studios to three-bedroom units over 1,400 square feet.

“There’s always a fine balance between looking to the future and remembering the past.” Brian Brown Principal of Lifetime Developments.

Retail shops are planned to enliven street level; parking for cars and bicycles will be built underground. As well as indoor amenity space, an outdoor lounge and bar area, and barbecue areas are included in the design.

The announcement of the bookstore’s closing came at a time when Toronto had been buzzing about the loss of prominent Toronto institutions Honest Ed’s and Sam the Record Man, both locations acquired for new developments and both stirring much discussion about what should be done with their iconography and memory.

Where the signage of those stores will be displayed at Ed Mirvish Theatre and Yonge-Dundas Square, respectively, the recognition of the World’s Biggest Bookstore at Panda Condominums will be in spirit. The library of Canadian literature is being curated by Type Books owners Jo Saul and Samara Walbohm — both have PhDs in Canadian literature.

Saul remembers, as a teen, wondering about the Bookstore’s famous name. “I thought, ‘What a great name! Is it really? Is this true?’ It was vast and it seemed endless. You could just lose yourself in that world.”

For Saul and Walbohm, the partnership with Lifetime has a greater meaning as independent bookstore owners in a city where few still remain in the face of big chains.

“To acknowledge the importance of an independent bookstore to civic culture is an important thing to do,” she says.

“I don’t want to think about the independent bookstore as a dying breed, because it’s a vibrant cultural hub in my estimation. That acknowledgment of (the World’s Biggest Bookstore) space as an important cultural building enterprise is really great.”

Buyer Vince Teti checks out the downtown neighbourhood where he’s bought a three-bedroom suite at Panda Condominiums. With him are builder Brian Brown of Lifetime Developments and Jo Saul of Type Books, who will curate a library for residents of the new condos coming to the site of the former World’s Biggest Bookstore.

At Type Books, Saul and Walbohm create custom libraries for architectural firms, interior designers and individual clients. This is their first for a condo developer, and Saul calls it their “baby,” a collection that’s especially close to home as Canadian literature experts.

Some of what Saul calls “the expected gang” may be included, such as The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood and Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro. But more importantly, the Type Books owners feel they should “expand and interrogate” how CanLit is defined and consider authors such as Indigenous writer Eden Robinson, who was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize this year.

Along with the curated collection at Panda Condominiums — so named for its black and white design — amenities will also feature a games room, a lounge area with private study rooms, and a theatre that can be used for watching the Super Bowl as easily as a movie or a presentation.

The location near Yonge-Dundas Square was the main attraction for excavation and haulage expert Vince Teti, 41, who recently purchased a three-bedroom corner unit for just over $1.1 million. But the Type Books library and nearby Ryerson Univer- sity are a plus.

Teti’s wife, Amal, is a high school teacher, and the couple has three kids under age 4 who could be burgeoning readers by the time the family makes the move from Vaughan in 2021.

Teti hopes the library and nearby university will encourage their kids to learn.

“It exposes them to the culture and promotes education,” he says.

Though the World’s Biggest Bookstore is gone, its legacy is just beginning to take shape at Panda Condominiums.

Source: Toronto Star [LINK TO PDF PLS]

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2017 MLS Champions – Toronto FC

Congratulations to our MLS Team – Toronto FC for winning the 2017 MLS Cup! On December 9^th, 2017, the Toronto FC defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-0. In a congratulatory manner, Liberty Village held a huge tailgate party in honor of the Toronto FC Club all weekend long.

Liberty Market Building hosted many TFC Fans at our many restaurants and bars. We cannot wait to see with the 2018 season has in store for us!

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A Bold Move in Black and White

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Project overview

Downtown’s latest condo residence promises to make a bold statement with its 30-storey tower rising above a three-storey glass podium, accented with bold vertical lines in a black and white contrasting palette. The suites will feature views of Dundas Square and the downtown core.

Building features

Residents will enjoy the use of break-out study rooms, a games room, kitchen and lounge, an indoor prep-kitchen, a gym and yoga studio, theatre room, an outdoor barbecue area with seating, and an outdoor sports court.

Location and transit

Check out the numbers: 100 Transit Score, 100 Walk Score, 72 Bike Score. With PATH access across the street, there’s direct access to the Yonge Street TTC subway stations, and a short drive to the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway.

What’s in the area

It’s a convenient, two-minute walk to Ryerson University, steps from the Yonge and Dundas Square and Toronto’s Eaton Centre. It’s an area surrounded by restaurants and retail, and near to hospitals, theatres and cinemas.

Source: Metro News

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