Burano is a 50 storey, 163 metre tall residential high-rise condominium complex on

Bay Street Bay Street is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District, Toronto, Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Economy of Canada, Canada's financial services indust ...

between Grenville St. and Grosvenor St. in the

Discovery District The Discovery District is one of the commercial districts in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has a high concentration of hospitals and research institutions, particularly those related to biotechnology. The district is roughly bounded by ...

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The redevelopment of the site was part of a period of

urban renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

of the Toronto financial district in the early 21st century. Toronto City Planning stated that the Burano has "significantly contributed to the improvement of the streetscape and the public realm."

History

Burano was financed by Lanterra Developments. It was designed by Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance, and is located across the street from

Murano Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about north of Venice and measures about across with a population of just over 5,000 (2004 figures). It is famous for its glass making. It was o ...

, another one of his Toronto projects.UrbanRealtyToronto
It is named for an island in Italy. The Burano was designed to be built within the footprint of a heritage structure: a 1925 auto dealership which had been designated a heritage structure in 1999. By 2010, the foundations were complete and the building was under construction. As well as architectural elements from the former building, public art was also incorporated into the Burano, including a large abstract fresco created by Italian artist Sandro Martini installed in the building's atrium, on the side of the heritage building.

McLaughlin Motor Car Showroom

Construction of the Burano preserved the facade of the former

Samuel McLaughlin Colonel Robert Samuel McLaughlin, (September 8, 1871 – January 6, 1972) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He started the McLaughlin Motor Car Company in 1907, one of the first major automobile manufacturers in Canada, which e ...

's McLaughlin Motor Car Showroom, a two-storey heritage building designated in 1999 under the Ontario Heritage Act. Built in 1925 as the R.S. McLaughlin Building, the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

building was one of the first automobile dealerships in Toronto, and remained continuously occupied by car dealerships for eighty-two years. Despite its long history, that use ended as part of a reorganization and consolidation of the car dealership industry in Canada. Due to the soft soil at the site, and to facilitate excavation, the historic facade was dismantled and stored off-site during construction of the seven-floor underground garage. After the garage and foundation appropriate for the fifty floors above ground were completed, the facade was reconstructed, incorporating the important heritage components. The historic building is marked with a plaque, placed in 2013 by Heritage Toronto.

References

External links

*
Former official web siteDeveloper's web sitearchitectsAlliance web siteCity of Toronto - Staff Report
{{Toronto skyscrapers Residential skyscrapers in Toronto Residential condominiums in Canada City of Toronto Heritage Properties

History

McLaughlin Motor Car Showroom

See also

References

External links