The area south of Toronto's Financial District has come to be known as the South Core. This part of the city has been the site of substantial growth over the past decade, and is now populated by a phalanx of office and condominium towers, hotels, retail, restaurants, and the Air Canada Centre.
Back on August 12, 2006 it was just the Air Canada Centre surrounded by parking lots, but development of the area wasn't too far away, as a presentation centre was in place for Maple Leaf Square, a mixed-use development that added the first hotel, two condo towers, office, retail, and public space at the east end of Bremner Boulevard.
View north from Bremner and Lake Shore Blvd, August 2006, image by Edward Skira
Fast forward to November 5, 2015, and the view has been totally transformed. Maple Leaf Square is now an important part of the area's sporting culture; directly connected to the Air Canada Centre via a skybridge, the condos have become a popular home for athletes who play for the Raptors and Maple Leafs, while at the base of the building, a popular sports bar and public square help tie fans to the action happening within the ACC. The development has since been joined by other projects, including Telus House, a 30-storey office tower visible in the background of the image below. A sliver of the new glazed train shed at Union Station is also visible below the skybridge to the right of Telus House's podium.
View north from Bremner and Lake Shore Blvd, November 2015, image by Jack Landau
We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto!