Canada's first 'headquarters by WeWork' will be located in former Honest Ed's location

The first ‘headquarters by WeWork’ lease in Canada will be in Toronto’s Mirvish Village.

While WeWork is known to provide its members around the world with office space, community, and services, the new ‘headquarters by WeWork’ is a little different.

Launched less than a year ago in the US, headquarters by WeWork provides members with a fully private, personalized, and flexible workspace, according to the company.

This offering gives its members and their companies the ability to have a dedicated, tailored workspace with more flexible lease terms and less upfront investment.

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The new headquarters by WeWork space will be at 571 Bloor Street West, and is the first of many planned by the NY-founded company.

“Our first headquarters by WeWork lease in Canada is perfectly suited for the market as more companies in Toronto look for efficient and flexible workspace solutions,” said Chris Bonneville, Director of Real Estate Management, Northeast, WeWork. “We’re excited to bring our first location in the Annex, providing businesses in the area with the community, space, and services needed to succeed.”

And if the address sounds familiar, it’s because it is to many Torontonians.

The location, which is targeted to open in the summer of 2022, is at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst, and is the former home of historic Honest Ed’s.

Proposed Mirvish Village development/City of Toronto

WeWork says that the site has been reimagined as a new, sustainable, 100% rental community that will honour the site’s historic character, while creating new public spaces, including pedestrian laneways, a park, and marketplace.

Phase 1 of the project will be located in “Building 4” will include the ground, second, and third floors totalling over 650 desks and will be a traditional WeWork. The ‘headquarters by WeWork’ is scheduled for Phase 2.

Developed by Westbank and designed by Henriquez Partners Architects (HPA), this project is the second collaboration between WeWork and Westbank with the first being in Vancouver.

As a whole, the proposed development includes a number of mid-rise and tall buildings, ranging in height from 26-storeys on Bathurst Street, and stepping down toward the south and west, according to the City of Toronto. A total of 24 of the 27 listed heritage buildings on the site are being retained and incorporated into the development.

Before this, WeWork also plans to open its newest location in Liberty Village at 1100 King Street West. While it won’t be a headquarters location, it will be open much earlier, targeting the third quarter of 2019.

The new space in Liberty Village will have over 400 desks across three floors.

WeWork currently has nearly 5,000 members spread across five locations in Toronto. The company’s goal is to have 20 sites in Toronto by the end of 2020.