Completed in 1990, the Residences of the World Trade Centre condo complex at the northwest corner of Yonge and Queens Quay was among the first modern developments to be constructed south of the downtown rail corridor. In the quarter century since their completion, the city has grown rapidly around them, and the development now sits on the eastern edge of the neighbourhood that has become known as the South Core.
Back in August of 2009, construction was in progress on the twin-tower Maple Leaf Square mixed-use development and the adjacent Telus House office development at 25 York Street. The Telus House office tower and Maple Leaf Square's north tower are both framed by the two Postmodern towers of the Residences of the World Trade Centre in the image below.
View facing northwest from Queens Quay and Yonge, August 2009, image by Marcus Mitanis
Fast forward to 2016, and all of Telus House and a portion of Maple Leaf Square's north tower have been blocked from view by 33 Bay at the Pinnacle Centre, while a sliver of the new Bremner Tower at the Southcore Financial Centre fills in the remaining gap.
View facing northwest from Queens Quay and Yonge, January 2016, image by Jack Landau
A wider view reveals the full impact of 33 Bay Street on this angle, while a short distance to the west on Queens Quay, and visible just below the yellow traffic signal on the left, the WaterPark Place development, both an earlier PoMo tower in front and behind it the newly built RBC WaterPark Place III.
View facing northwest from Queens Quay and Yonge, January 2016, image by Jack Landau
We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto!