ELAD Canada celebrated the ground-breaking of the Galleria on the Park master-planned community on Thursday, marking a significant milestone for the West End neighbourhood. Galleria on the Park was one of the largest communities introduced to Toronto last year.

In total, the 20-acre site located at Dufferin and Dupont streets will include eight mixed-used buildings, encompassing nearly 2,900 condominium residences along with approximately 300,000 sq. ft. of retail, an eight-acre park, as well as a 95,000 sq. ft. brand-new community centre that is double the size of the current facility.

Representatives from ELAD Canada were joined by Councillor Ana Bailao and staff from the City’s affordable housing division, as well as project team members from CORE Architects, PSR Brokerage and Clark Construction Management, to commemorate the occasion on-site. 

“We are extremely proud to deliver such a significant project to the City of Toronto. We have always deeply believed in the West End – its rich industrial past, its strong sense of community, and its vibrant arts and culture scene. Today’s event demonstrates the strong momentum of Galleria on the Park and our continued commitment to delivering exceptional, thriving master-planned communities across Canada,” says Rafael Lazer, CEO of ELAD Canada.

As part of the first phase of the development, Galleria on the Park will include mixed-use towers Galleria 01 and 02, 150 affordable rental units, retail, the new Wallace Emerson Community Centre and Phase 1 of the expanded Park, which will become landmark amenities in the West End. Galleria 01 and 02 are now more than 95 per cent sold of released units.

“We are looking forward to the seeing this project’s new social and physical infrastructure come to this neighbourhood, which will create new opportunities for our existing residents and welcome in new neighbours,” says Ana Bailao, Toronto City Councillor for Ward 9. “The City has worked hard alongside local residents and the developer, ELAD, to ensure this is a complete community. With the brand new community centre, affordable housing, an enhanced park, along with new housing and retail, all of this makes for a very exciting project for this neighbourhood.” 

Galleria 01 and 02 are 29-storey and 24-storey mixed-use towers respectively, sharing an articulated podium with an approximate 40,000 sq. ft double-height retail space to support the growing local community. Designed by CORE Architects, the towers are clad with dark and rich metals, paying homage to the industrial character of the neighbourhood. The podium steps with stacked boxes, and a soft, earthy provides a welcoming environment at the pedestrian level.” 

The amenities and suites, by award-winning design firm U31, bring urban sophistication indoors. Suites feature modern interiors that take cues from the neighbourhood. Family-friendly amenities include an expansive co-working space that doubles as an event space opening out to a wrap-around outdoor terrace, an outdoor pool and a state-of-the-art fitness centre.

Coupled with the announcement of this milestone, ELAD Canada has also unveiled new public art by internationally acclaimed artist, Thrush Holmes, solidifying the evolving Galleria site as a community hub. Holmes has transformed the bays along the north side of the Galleria Shopping Centre facing Dupont St., into a series of vibrant, colourful rainbows. Spanning 150 feet altogether, the murals serve as a message of hope and positivity for the West End as the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic continues. 

Nods to Toronto’s nickname “The 6ix” are subtly woven into the design of the murals, as each rainbow contains six colours and a total of six murals are painted along the mall. The order of hues playfully ascends as the murals progress. 

“These rainbows were created to make people smile, the way a natural rainbow would. My hope is that these rainbows become a symbol of a bright future for the Dupont West neighbourhood,” says Holmes. “It’s quite special to be working with ELAD Canada on two large-scale and significant public art pieces on this very site.”

The collaboration marks ELAD Canada’s second engagement with Holmes, following the reimagining of the 60-ft-tall mall pylon that has now become a vibrant, neon beacon for the neighbourhood. The piece features Holmes’ signature bold mixed-media style, including a glowing Love Me Till I’m Me Again message.

“We have always viewed public art as a way to strengthen communities and invigorate public spaces. This aligns very well with our primary focus for Galleria on the Park, which is to create a new community hub for everyone with exciting new recreational, shopping and dining options. These public art installations are fantastic indicators for what’s to come, as we continue to support local artists using our site as a canvas for the arts” says Lazer.

Following the tremendous success of Galleria 01 and 02, ELAD Canada will be launching its next mixed-use building, Galleria 03 in Fall 2020. 

www.galleriaonthepark.com