FROM GAS PUMPS TO BIKE PUMPS
A downtown gas station is being replaced by a bicycle-friendly condo tower
Motorists who used to fill their tanks on the northeast corner of Church and Dundas streets have had to move on. After the downtown site’s former occupant, an Esso service station, was shuttered in July, both its canopy and convenience store were swathed in black cladding and repurposed as the sales centre for Centricity, a 53-storey condo tower by Graywood Developments.
“We like that the canopy reminds people it was once a gas station,” says Neil Pattison, Graywood’s senior vice-president of development. “We have set the goal of making Centricity the most bike-friendly building in Toronto, and the idea of turning gas pumps into bike pumps really resonates with us and with everyone following the project.”
Centricity’s cycling infrastructure is extensive. Next to the tower’s residential entrance, a street-level bike lobby with service and wash stations allows cyclists to either leave their rides in secure short-term parking or take a dedicated elevator to underground storage for nearly 600 bicycles. “I bike to work every day, and I brought that knowledge to this building,” Pattison says. “Cycling infrastructure is usually an afterthought in condos, with cyclists treated as second-class citizens. That’s why we decided to change the narrative by treating cyclists with the same level of care as car owners.”
As well as being within a few blocks of the dedicated bike lanes lining Shuter, Richmond, Adelaide and Sherbourne streets, Centricity is steps from subway stations and Union Station, while the Dundas 505 streetcar runs right past its illuminated and canopied front entrance. “You can live in this building without needing an automobile, and that’s a huge relief on the pocketbook,” Pattison says, adding that he expects the building’s 63 car parking spaces to be used mainly by families occupying three-bedroom units. “Centricity is about redefining what life should look like at the centre of our cities. We’re located right next to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and steps from Yonge and Dundas. This is a textbook example of developing where amenities already exist. Our goal is to build on the existing urban fabric and make it easy for future residents to take advantage of alternative modes of transportation.”
The building’s inverted podium is home to amenities designed to suit downtowners. In addition to standard-issue co-working spaces and a gym with a spin studio and yoga room, there’s also a photography studio and podcast room to get residents’ creative juices flowing. Outdoor amenities atop the podium include a children’s play area, barbecue stations, a dog run, an outdoor fitness area and communal gardens inspired by a pair of neighbouring TMU buildings with urban farms on their rooftops.
“We reached out to TMU’S School of Architecture to find out what students felt were important amenities, and what came back, which was quite surprising, was the need for quiet, contemplative space,” Pattison says. “So we added areas for meditation and relaxing outdoors in gardens, and challenged our interior designers to come up with a calming esthetic.”
From the lobby’s eye-catching artwork to the wide-plank laminate flooring used in all 594 units, Toronto’s Designagency has employed an interior palette of warm tones and vibrant colours. These are complemented by nine-foot smooth ceilings and modern 3.5-inch baseboards in suites that range from studios to three bedrooms plus den.
Starting with a mix of masonry, metal cladding and glass at street level, the tower’s exterior morphs into a balcony-ringed spire that “reflects the nature, history and spirit of this neighbourhood,” says Michele Gucciardi, design director at the architecture firm Turner Fleischer, adding that the inverted podium is directly inspired by the nearby Sears building on Jarvis, which has a distinct reverse angular plane. “It is clearly a very urban place and we wanted to address that in the design while paying homage to the history and evolution of the area, as well as making sure the development coexists well with the nearby buildings.”
Pricing will be available when the Centricity sales centre at 241 Church St. opens to the public in early 2023. For more information, visit centricitycondos.com.