Massive 85-storey skyscraper about to launch into Toronto skyline

A soaring skyscraper will soon tower above Toronto’s Yonge and Gerrard intersection, just one in a handful of ambitious new additions that will collectively re-centre the skyline on this emerging focal point.

Construction of the 85-storey Concord Sky development now rises above street level at the southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard, its colossal ground floor structural supports quickly filling in the areas behind a set of preserved heritage facades.

Looking southeast on Yonge to the site of Concord Sky. (Fareen Karim)

After standing as empty shells for years, the preserved facades of the Gerrard Building at 385-391 Yonge, the Richard S. Williams Block at 363-365 Yonge, 367 Yonge, and the former Yonge Street Mission building are now being prepped for integration into the new construction behind.

The building’s heritage base will also include reconstructed and reconstituted facades of smaller portions of these structures, which were partially demolished to make way for the new mega-tower.

Facing southeast towards the retained heritage facades along Yonge and Gerrard. (Fareen Karim)

At a height of 299 metres, the tower is planned to rise taller than anything that currently exists on the Toronto skyline as of early 2024, measuring just a hair above the current tallest building in Canada, First Canadian Place at King and Bay.

Retained heritage facades will be built into the tower’s podium. (Fareen Karim)

However, thanks to several delays, Concord Sky will never claim this title, as two towers with even greater heights are already well under construction elsewhere on Yonge Street; the Sky Tower and The One.

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The west tower of the Forma development on King West will also surpass Concord Sky’s height by a few metres, though the latter is well ahead in its construction and is currently primed to briefly take the title of Toronto and Canada’s third-tallest building.

Workers show the scale of these enormous ground-floor support columns. (Fareen Karim)

The tower is now preparing to rise into the skyline, but it had quite the backstory leading up to this milestone.

The project was initially sold as YSL Residences by developer Cresford, and started construction under that branding in 2019. Shortly after work commenced, the project’s developer faced a cash crisis and was forced into receivership, leaving a shell of heritage facades and a gaping scar in the ground for two years.

Concrete columns rising above street level at Concord Sky. (Fareen Karim)

A new life for the site came in 2021 when developer Concord Adex purchased the development and announced the resumption of construction early the following year.

A revised and value-engineered version of the previous design from New York’s Kohn Pedersen Fox promised a 95-storey building, though it will actually rise 85 storeys, skipping floor numbering to appease superstitious buyers.

Concrete columns rising above street level at Concord Sky. (Fareen Karim)

After resuming construction under new ownership, the newly rebranded project hit another unfortunate snag in early 2023, when the City issued a stop-work order over construction carried out without specific permits in place. Work resumed shortly after this interruption, just the latest in a long series of starts and stops for the massive tower.

The latest construction milestone marks the completion of the building’s cavernous six-level underground component and the start of its 299-metre rise into the skyline.