At the lively intersection of Church Street and Richmond Street East on the east side of Downtown Toronto, Madison Group’s Alias is growing vertically in more than one way. As construction continues, with the podium formed and having reached the initial tower floors, the recent approval of a Minor Variance submission to the Committee of Adjustment has bumped the final goal of the tower up from 45 to 48 storeys.

Alias, designed by Teeple Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects for Madison Group

Designed by Teeple Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects, the building has progressed considerably since UrbanToronto last checked in on it in February, 2024. Seen below to the left of the venerable McVeigh's Irish Pub, the development's first four storeys stand formed in March, 2024. Wooden formwork is in place on the fourth and fifth storeys. Above it, a blue concrete boom pump stands in front of the tower crane, which is caught hoisting materials.

Progress on the podium along the east elevation adjacent to McVeigh Pub, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor RedMars

By May, 2024, a look to the south elevation shows the initial installation of windows with their reflective dark-toned glass on the third storey, marking the beginning of cladding and glazing. Below, construction crew members are engaged with aluminum struts hanging from the second level ceiling.

Initial window installation seen on the third floor of the south elevation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor lightarchitect

As of this earlier month, the structure had ascended to 11 storeys, with yellow shoring posts visibly supporting the upper levels. The inner layers nof cladding on the podium levels are evident, with white vapour barrier being applied to prepare for the exterior masonry cladding to come. Notably, the curvature of the building's corners has begun to take shape, highlighting a distinctive architectural feature of Alias.

Looking southwest from Richmond Street to the podium and initial floors of the tower, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Rascacielo

Captured from the intersection of Richmond and Church streets more recently, Alias has ascended to its 12th storey. The concrete boom arm and tower crane stand above, and between them, we spot wooden formwork for ongoing work on the 13th floor. To the right, the wavy curvature of the balconies on the north elevation provide some aesthetic flair. Below, McVeigh's Irish Pub stands cradled in stark contrast to the modern building that is now surrounding it.

Looking southwest from Richmond Street East and Church Street, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor Rascacielo

As the tower continues its ascent, the Minor Variance approved in early 2024 will extend the final height of the building from 158.69m to 160.52m. It also adds 42 residential units, for a total of 592.

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.​​​​​

Related Companies:

Astro Excavating Inc., Bousfields, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Madison Group, Turner Fleischer Architects