75 Broadway Ave., also known as Manhattan Towers, in mid-town Toronto. A 10-storey tower built in 1962 is being retrofitted and connected to a new 40-storey addition.Hazelview Investments
“Going Like Hotcakes,” trumpeted the October, 1962 classified ad in The Globe & Mail.
Above that, a few simple words informed readers that “75 Broadway,” a new, 10-storey, “Adults Only” rental apartment building in the Yonge and Eglinton area was ready for occupancy. But one would need to act fast to gain access to the roof deck, pool (since removed), the “brightly lit vinyl papered halls, doors in French decor, beautiful prestige entrance … attractive Arborite kitchens … and heated underground parking.”
When all is said and done and construction dust settles in the spring of 2025, 75 Broadway Ave. (also known as Manhattan Towers), will likely retain its hotcakes status since, rebranded as The Story of Midtown Toronto by Hazelview Investments, it will feature 21-century amenities such as a yoga room, spin studio, party room with private dining, games room and a children’s play area.
Of course, most of those things will be housed within the new, shiny, 40-storey tower by WZMH Architects at 73 Broadway. But long-time residents at No. 75 will not only have access, they’ll enjoy completely new interiors as well.
“It’s been a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, supporting residents and helping them stay in place,” says Colleen Krempulec, Hazelview’s head of sustainability and brand. “We were very transparent about what was about to happen. … People who chose to stay, we gave them a rental discount. … We helped residents move from units that were maybe closer to some of the disruption into other units.”
The disruption, mostly, was caused by the herculean task of bolting the new building onto the 1962 building, which necessitated lopping off 20 of the 204 units (no matter, there’ll be more than 500 units combined when the new building opens) along with replacing outdated plumbing and electrical, and adding individual heating and air conditioning units to the remaining 184. However, terrazzo stairs, plaster walls, those “doors in French decor” – which meant three squares of moulding – and some features in the “prestige” entrance will remain, even after Mason Studio completes their interior design update.
“We took some features and context from the existing building and tried to roll it in through the designs,” says Mike Williams, Hazelview’s head of development, “so it’ll show a bit [like] an eclectic hotel [which is] hard to do on the outside.”
The three-brick-thick exterior, actually, won’t look much different than it did six decades ago, save for a new lick of paint. And that gesture, to this Mid-Century Modern obsessed writer, is a very good thing indeed. But if, to you, gentle reader, it seems like too much ado about a common mid-century structure that would’ve been easier to tear down, well, the times they are a-changin’.
“We actually used a drone to fly the entire existing building to identify spots of weakness so we could repair them from the inside so we don’t have to change the entire façade,” Mr. Williams says.
Poking into one of the renovated units in the 1962 building presents a nice mix. The window placement, walls, popcorn ceiling, balcony (repaired and re-waterproofed), and room layout will likely bring to mind fond memories for the many Torontonians who lived in these buildings during their college years, while new lighting, kitchens and bathrooms will ensure the parallel, not-so-fond memories of panicked calls to the Super will be eliminated.
“The other thing we love about this building, especially when right adjacent to the new building – this one-bedroom suite is about 10 per cent bigger than a one-bedroom suite next door,” Ms. Krempulec. “They built apartments larger many years ago.”
“This bedroom is the size of my condo,” Mr. Williams says.
Our little group next visits a unit in a less finished state. Here, Hazelview’s director of capital and sustainability, Tyler Berg, points to a large hole in the wall: “As part of this process, we’re obviously ripping out the old, galvanized, pressurized piping, putting in new copper [piping], insulating it and putting proper fire separation between the floors.” And not a moment too soon, since even a layperson can see a few MacGyvered repairs in there
We climb aboard the buck hoist (construction elevator) and climb to the 11th floor of the WZMH building. After walking through the high-ceilinged amenities spaces, we exit onto the roof of the 1962 building, which will be an outdoor oasis and escape – with barbecues and greenery – for all tenants.
“All the old mechanical systems, we put them together, we upgraded them … all the old stacks, we had to work around and incorporate into the landscaping,” says Mr. Williams.
From the 10th floor down in the WZMH building, units that face the 1962 building have been separated by a glass-walled corridor: “There was a lot of feedback from [existing] residents about privacy … and that brings down a lot of the eye traffic,” says Ms. Krempulec.
We finish our tour with an examination of a few units in the new building. With big, 21st-century window openings and higher ceilings, they’re quite bright and cheery, which makes up for their smaller square footage.
“What will be an interesting concept here because we have new and old on-site,” Mr. Williams says, “will be how they age together because you have a bit of a case study. Now, I may never see what it’ll look like in 50 years, but you’ll start to see how the window-wall holds up, the façade, the interiors … even the corridors.”
With all due respect to today’s hard-working tradespeople, this writer knows which side he’d put his money on in this May-December romance.