Graywood Developments and Alterra have teamed up to redevelop a former bread factory into commercial space and hard lofts as part of a larger mixed-use development featuring an eight-storey residential condo as well as townhomes. Wonder Condos, slated for Eastern Avenue and Logan Avenue in Leslieville, will also feature such amenities as a co-working lounge and multi-purpose family room.
Plans for the project come at a time of transition in the neighbourhood popular with creatives as well as the stroller set.
“It’s a unique moment in history for the east end. You have the established, sought-after charms of Leslieville, with great restaurants and shops along Queen and a family-centric residential feel that is going to remain intact,” said Stephen Price, president and CEO of Graywood. “At the same time, to the immediate south you have a generational shift that is about to take place where former industrial lands are going to transform into a new urban centre with new transit, new places to work and new places to entertain.”
The adaptive reuse of the former bread factory needed to honour its industrial roots, said lead architect Don Schmitt, principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects. This will be accomplished by preserving such features as the original masonry of the building.
“In terms of building height, we’re transitioning from three storeys to the north and terracing up to the new construction,” added Schmitt. “That transition creates very special residences with very large outdoor terraces.”
Kettlebells and bumper plates will be right at home in the industrial-looking gym, which will also be equipped with standard fitness machines such as ellipticals and treadmills.
“There is a great heritage story with the architecture, and we wanted that story to continue with the interiors,” said Michael Krus, principal of TACT Design. “We’ve identified artifacts throughout the building that will be preserved and brought into the common areas and amenities, enriching these spaces like works of art.”
Sales for Wonder Condos are due to launch this fall, with prices starting in the mid-$400,000s.
