Several months after we last covered the demolition of the rear portion of the historic Postal Station K, excavation is well underway for Rockport Group's Montgomery Square, a 27-storey rental tower by architects RAW Design soon to rise on Yonge Street, north of Eglinton. The development is one of many purpose-built rental towers being built in Toronto to address a pressing shortage of rental housing in central neighbourhoods.
Excavation at the site of Rockport's Montgomery Square, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor drum118
Excavation of the development's five-storey, below-grade parking garage is currently underway behind the historic Art Deco Postal Station K, a local landmark built in 1936 that will be incorporated into the base of the new development. The Postal Station was one of the few buildings in the world to reference Edward VIII who only reigned for less than 11 months during 1936 before abdicating. The preserved limestone building will be crowned by a third-floor restauarant space with an outdoor terrace that overlooks the public square. Above, the development will contain 223 rental units.
Excavation at the site of Rockport's Montgomery Square, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor drum118
With excavation now well underway, it should take a few months for crews to reach the full five-storey depth of the underground parking garage, after which, we can expect to see the installation of a tower crane and the first work on bringing the underground levels back up to grade.
Excavation at the site of Rockport's Montgomery Square, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor drum118
The Postal Station site itself is steeped in history. Almost 100 years prior to the post office's construction, the site was the location of Montgomery's Tavern, the birthplace of the historic Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837, and after which the project is named. The development will make an important contribution to the public realm by retaining and enhancing the existing public square on the site's Yonge Street frontage.
Rendering of Montgomery Square, image courtesy of The Rockport Group
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