1.2K 
A short walk east of Yonge-Dundas Square at the southwest corner of Church Street and Dundas Street East, 252 Church Street has topped off and is now almost fully clad. Designed by Arcadis for CentreCourt, the development has garnered attention for its ‘piano key’ cladding taking its place in Downtown Toronto’s skyline, as well as the heritage elements of its base. GBCA Architects has overseen the restoration of the heritage walls at the site's northeast corner, formerly a bank building and later a Pizza Pizza. This restoration involved preserving the masonry and ornamental detailing characteristic of early 20th-century architecture.
When UrbanToronto last provided an update six months ago, the building had risen more than halfway to its final height, with cladding visible on the lower levels.
As of May 2024, the structure reached the mechanical penthouse level, with the primary tower crane recently dismantled. In its place, a CDK 100-16 Luffing Jib Derrick crane, manufactured by Terex Corporation, remained operational for the final stages of forming. The distinctive cladding of alternating white frames and black accent panels around windows, continued to take shape, then extending up to 34 storeys, with the upper 18 storeys still to go. A construction hoist remained attached on the west side.
By early in August cladding had reached all but the last couple storeys. In this southeast-facing view, scaffolding surrounded the north end at the mechanical penthouse level, where work was ongoing. The northwest corner of the building exhibits an indent, breaking up the massing of the overall structure.
Looking northeast from Bond Street, 252 Church is seen nearing completion of the west and south elevations. A pair of step-backs tops the podium levels on the west elevation, above which the 'piano key' cladding begins. On the south elevation, a soffit with a curved edge covers a cantilevered overhang, marking a different transition from the podium to the tower here.
The building will feature about 2,000 ft² designated for retail space. While 252 Church has ascended to a height of 166.1m, and interior work scheduled for completion by July, 2025, the building will bring 681 residential units to the busy area.
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.
* * *
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.
