Sapphire Tower
Encyclopedia
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
/ condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in Toronto
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...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, to be built by developer Harry Stinson
Harry Stinson
Harry Stinson , born in Toronto and educated at the University of Toronto Schools, is a high-profile real estate developer from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is president of Stinson Properties, Inc. He has been called Toronto's "condo king"...
. It would have stood at 196 metres (643 feet) or 62 floors. Scheduled to begin construction in Spring 2007, the previous 90-storey
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
proposal on Temperance Street, which would have stood at 342 metres (1,122 feet), was rejected because of shadow and height concerns.
According to the Globe and Mail newspaper (February 16, 2007), after acquiring the property in 2003, high-profile Toronto developer Harry Stinson toyed with a skyscraper condo-hotel project for about a year, then withdrew it because, "It was not sufficiently sexy [in concept] to carry the sales."
On November 15, 2005, the Toronto and East York
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
Community Council, a division of Toronto City Council, refused permission for the tower to be built on its proposed site. At issue was the inevitable thin shadow that would have been cast by the building over Nathan Phillips Square
Nathan Phillips Square
Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza that forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toronto from 1955 to 1962. The square opened in 1965, and, as with the City Hall, the square was...
, site of Toronto's City Hall. The Council argued that it needed to "protect City Hall's public square." Stinson was to appeal the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
.
The design evolved to its proposed height in response to the approval of the Trump International Hotel & Tower
Trump International Hotel and Tower (Toronto)
Trump International Hotel & Tower, Toronto is a mixed-use skyscraper currently under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is being built by Talon International Development Inc., which is owned by Val Levitan and Canadian businessman Alex Shnaider....
by the city council. Stinson intended to create a friendly rivalry between himself and famous developer Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
for the tallest residential building in Canada. Sapphire Tower would have been 17 metres taller.
In early January 2006, Harry Stinson announced his intent to compromise with city council. Instead of a more than 90 storey building, the focus shifted to designing a shorter building of approximately 70 storeys, with a slanted roof that would further minimize the shadow concerns.
Sapphire Tower was originally to be operated much like Stinson's earlier hotel project 1 King West
One King Street West, Toronto
One King Street West or 1 King West is a condo hotel in the heart of the financial district in Toronto. Completed in 2006, a tower was added onto the heritage Dominion Bank Building , itself an early 12-storey skyscraper. The Dominion Bank Building was designed by Darling and Pearson in the...
. Each of the over 1,000 suites was to be individually owned by its purchaser, with the opportunity of generating revenue through enrolment in a central management system.
Facing high levels of dissent from 1 King West owners at the hotel's lack of profitability, Stinson has decided not to offer the same system to Sapphire Tower purchasers. Instead, the building will now consist primarily of private residences, where the purchaser may occupy the suite or lease it out themselves in a traditional fashion. There will be a small hotel component to the building of roughly 200 suites, but they will be retained and operated by Stinson himself. With all the design and use changes, a new name to replace "Sapphire Tower" was expected but did not occur.
Second proposal
After numerous designs the finalized height for the second proposal had been approved at 196 metres (643 feet) or 62 floors and 58,993 m² (635,000 sq. ft.) in density. Construction was expected to start in spring 2007, with an opening in early 2009. Levels 2 through to 11 would have been office space, Level 12 would have been an amenity floor for residences, Levels 13-42 would have been 'house like apartments', Levels 43-60 would have been a long stay boutique hotelBoutique hotel
Boutique hotel is a term popularized in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or unique hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities...
, and Levels 61-62 would have been the sapphire penthouse
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
suites in the crystalline part of the tower.
On July 20, 2007, Sapphire Tower Development Corp., the parent company fully owned by Harry Stinson, was approved for bankruptcy protection. All future plans of development for the Sapphire Tower were stopped. Sapphire Tower Development Corp. is currently listing the development (including land) for sale to respective buyers in order to repay creditors.