One Bloor, previously One Bloor East and Number One Bloor, is a

mixed-use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to som ...

skyscraper at the intersection of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Park ...

and

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial H ...

in downtown

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. The project was initially launched by developer Bazis International Inc. in 2007, before being cancelled and re-developed by Great Gulf Homes. As of 2018, it is the tenth-tallest residential building outside of Asia and the 40th tallest residential building in the world. One Bloor in the pink

History

There were several attempts to build a residential building at No. 1 Bloor Street East. In 2005, a 60-storey tower was proposed by Young and Wright. The site was sold to Bazis International and then to Great Gulf Homes. The site was formerly a two storey retail building with a Harvey's and City Optical on the ground floor, which was demolished once the One Bloor project proceeded.

Bazis proposal

In 2007, an 80-storey proposal was announced with much fanfare by Bazis International. The existing two-storey buildings located on the site were demolished in December 2008. It was to be approximately tall and was designed by Rosario Varacalli. The proposal called for a semi-transparent metal and glass tower with environmentally friendly and efficient technology. The building planned to include 189 hotel rooms and 612 condominium units. In July 2009, both the final scope and the eventual fate of the project were called into question. News reports stated that the height would be reduced to 67 storeys to reduce the construction costs. The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'' also reported that a group of lenders sought to have their $46 million loan be repaid, or that the court allow them to buy the vacant land. The lenders reportedly made a failed bid of $50.5 million to Bazis for the land. Bazis purchased the site for $63 million in 2007, and cited the global lending crisis as a reason for the height reduction and the loan being in default.

Sale to Great Gulf

On July 22, 2009, the ''Toronto Star'' reported that Bazis had sold the property to privately held Great Gulf Homes, who have expressed interest in building a skyscraper on the site. The Bazis proposal died as a result of the sale. Great Gulf Homes relaunched the plans to build a condo tower there with a new design, reduced height (initially 91 to 80, but then 80 floors to 65), and a new name. Buoyed by strong sales, One Bloor grew from the downsized 65 floors to 70 floors and again to 75 floors. The skyscraper's final height is , making it the second tallest residential tower in Canada, after nearby Aura. The building is designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, overseen by David Pontarini. Number One Bloor features over of resort-inspired amenities on the sixth and seventh floors designed by Cecconi Simone. On the seventh floor terrace, there is of outdoor amenity space designed by Janet Rosenberg + Associates, Landscape Architecture/Urban Design. The six-storey podium includes of retail space. One major tenant, the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

-based

Nordstrom Rack Nordstrom Rack is an American off-price department store chain founded in 1973. It is a sister brand to the luxury department store chain Nordstrom. As of 2021, Nordstrom Rack operates 352 stores in 41 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces ...

chain opened a store in May 2018 and closed it in May 2023. It was the chain's first Canadian location.

Chick-fil-A controversy

American chicken sandwich chain Chick-fil-A opened its first standalone Canadian location at street level on September 6, 2019 amid protests over the homophobic beliefs held by the

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

owner of the restaurant chain and donations to anti-LGBT organizations, especially given the location's proximity to Toronto's main LGBT community of

Church and Wellesley Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Construction

The final scheme comprises a 76-storey condominium tower built by Great Gulf Homes. The two-storey buildings located on the site were demolished in December 2008. Construction began in August 2011, and the tower topped out in late 2015. File:Number One Bloor site.jpg, One Bloor site, September 2009 File:1BloorEast Toronto JAN2013 Foundations.JPG, Foundations of One Bloor in January 2013 File:NumberOneBloorConstruction.jpg, One Bloor construction site in April 2015

Notes

References

External links

Official website

1 Bloor East at Emporis

1 Bloor East at urbandb.com
{{Toronto skyscrapers Residential skyscrapers in Toronto Buildings and structures in Toronto Residential condominiums in Canada