Grand Harbour (Toronto)
Encyclopedia
Grand Harbour is a lakefront condominium community in the Etobicoke district of Toronto
. It consists of three condominium towers and several dozen townhouses. Grand Harbour is located on the shore of Lake Ontario just west of Humber Bay Park
and Mimico Creek
.
The site was originally home to the Mimico Motor Hotel and the Westpoint Motel and Restaurant, two of the many motels along the Lakeshore strip that became a prominent landmark in the 1950s due to the prominent advertising of the motels competing for travellers on the main highway west of Toronto. Beginning in the 1960s Highway 401 rose to become the primary east/west and the motel strip lost business, eventually becoming best known for its somewhat seedy side. In 1988, at the height of a property boom, the prime waterfront real estate was purchased by Rylar Development Ltd for $15.5 million.
Larry Boland and Richard Weldon, principles of Rylar, opted to build a set of luxury condominiums designed by Matsui Baer Vanstone. They opted for a distinctly Neo-Eclectic
and Postmodern style. Christopher Hume, architecture critic for the Toronto Star
described it as "a hybrid of classical, neo-gothic, and Georgian...mixed together and applied - incongrously but felicitously - to 20th-century-sized structures." Its most striking feature is the 14 storey archway that connects the two tallest towers.
Buildings containing a pastiche of historical styles were at their most popular in the late 1980s an early 1990s, but this coincided with a sharp downturn in the Toronto real estate market that saw few buildings erected. Thus the Grand Harbour is one of only a few such condo towers in Toronto from this era. The early 2000s saw more such towers built, but the style had noticeably declined in favour of new Modernism. One other example from its era is the Flatiron-shaped 25 The Esplanade
, also designed by Matsui Baer Vanstone. The entire project consists of three towers, the tallest being 27 storeys. It is connected by the arch way to the shorter 20 storey tower. This paid contains 276 unites, while a third 17 storey tower contains 109 unites. At ground level there are 55 townhouses.
The original sales went well, and construction began with some 80 per cent of the unites sold. However, the recession caused many buyers to abandon the project and the remaining inventory could not be sold. Construction continued, and the complex was completed in 1991. But Rymark was unable to finance the project banks and court-appointed receivers took control of it in 1994.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. It consists of three condominium towers and several dozen townhouses. Grand Harbour is located on the shore of Lake Ontario just west of Humber Bay Park
Humber Bay Park
Humber Bay Park is a waterfront park located in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. The park consists of two landspits situated at the mouth of Mimico Creek. The park is on Lake Shore Boulevard West at Park Lawn Road. Humber Bay Park East, connecting to the Humber Bay neighbourhood that existed there...
and Mimico Creek
Mimico Creek
Mimico Creek is a 33 km watercourse with its headwaters in Brampton, Ontario, and its mouth in Toronto, Ontario.The watershed lies between the Humber River to the east and Etobicoke Creek to the west....
.
The site was originally home to the Mimico Motor Hotel and the Westpoint Motel and Restaurant, two of the many motels along the Lakeshore strip that became a prominent landmark in the 1950s due to the prominent advertising of the motels competing for travellers on the main highway west of Toronto. Beginning in the 1960s Highway 401 rose to become the primary east/west and the motel strip lost business, eventually becoming best known for its somewhat seedy side. In 1988, at the height of a property boom, the prime waterfront real estate was purchased by Rylar Development Ltd for $15.5 million.
Larry Boland and Richard Weldon, principles of Rylar, opted to build a set of luxury condominiums designed by Matsui Baer Vanstone. They opted for a distinctly Neo-Eclectic
Neo-eclectic architecture
Neo-eclectic architecture is a name for the architectural style that has dominated residential building construction in North America in the later part of the 20th century and early part of the 21st...
and Postmodern style. Christopher Hume, architecture critic for the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
described it as "a hybrid of classical, neo-gothic, and Georgian...mixed together and applied - incongrously but felicitously - to 20th-century-sized structures." Its most striking feature is the 14 storey archway that connects the two tallest towers.
Buildings containing a pastiche of historical styles were at their most popular in the late 1980s an early 1990s, but this coincided with a sharp downturn in the Toronto real estate market that saw few buildings erected. Thus the Grand Harbour is one of only a few such condo towers in Toronto from this era. The early 2000s saw more such towers built, but the style had noticeably declined in favour of new Modernism. One other example from its era is the Flatiron-shaped 25 The Esplanade
25 The Esplanade
25 The Esplanade is a skyscraper located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is noted for its similarity to the nearby Gooderham Building in Toronto, and other Flatiron-style buildings.- History :The building was completed in 1988...
, also designed by Matsui Baer Vanstone. The entire project consists of three towers, the tallest being 27 storeys. It is connected by the arch way to the shorter 20 storey tower. This paid contains 276 unites, while a third 17 storey tower contains 109 unites. At ground level there are 55 townhouses.
The original sales went well, and construction began with some 80 per cent of the unites sold. However, the recession caused many buyers to abandon the project and the remaining inventory could not be sold. Construction continued, and the complex was completed in 1991. But Rymark was unable to finance the project banks and court-appointed receivers took control of it in 1994.