Downtown Toronto is getting a new high-rise at the foot of the city’s gay village.
Madison Group is developing Alias, a 45-storey tower designed by Teeple Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects, at the site of a former neighbourhood nightlife staple, Club120, which became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and was demolished last year.
For 14 years, Club120 was a popular venue for Toronto’s LGBTQ community, hosting music and comedy nights, and even though its owners had just signed a five-year lease, the pandemic created untenable circumstances.
Alias will wrap around McVeigh’s Irish Pub, whose owner reportedly refused to sell, and will remain.
Madison Group
The 475-unit development will be designed by Studio Munge and, in addition to 18,000 sq. ft. of retail space, will have more than 7,000 sq. ft. of grade-level retail on the southwest corner of Church and Richmond Sts.
Read: 79-Storey Tower Proposed for Toronto's Mink Mile
Although it would be difficult to argue that Toronto’s condominiums aren’t a dime a dozen as far as their exteriors go, Alias has upped its game and presented something out of the ordinary in a city replete with prosaic glass towers. Notwithstanding Madison Group’s Vice President of High Rise Josh Zagdanski overzealous description of Alias as a “blazing beacon of rock & roll attitude meets edgy sophistication,” the architecture deserves credit for actually taking the time to design something unique.
The exterior eschews light finishing in favour of gold window frames set up on black brick and metallic finishes. As part of its Section 37 contribution, Madison Group is developing a public park, which will surely enliven the neighbourhood.
And residents will know where to go, should they ever crave a pint.
