The creation of a 9,000- square-foot space atop the soonto- be built Four Seasons Hotel marks a coming of age for Toronto, co-designer Brian Gluckstein said in a recent interview.
The 55-storey tower at Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue will house 103 private residences above a 253-room hotel, while a second 25-storey tower will include 101 private residences.
The hotel-condo combination is not new, but the eye-popping asking price signals a change in the appetites of Toronto buyers.
"Before, [Torontonians with money] did not value communal living," Mr. Gluckstein said. "Now people with affluence want this type of lifestyle."
The lifestyle of which he speaks will allow residents to travel freely without worrying about property maintenance; to cater dinner parties from the condo's adjoining restaurant; or to go down a hallway to receive a manicure, pedicure or massage at the 28,000-square-foot spa.
"It's a level of service few people in houses can afford," he said.
The penthouse will provide room enough for large family dinners, storage of designer clothes, a live-in housekeeper or nurse and a grand piano, Mr. Gluckstein suggested. Such trappings have traditionally kept the wealthy in their homes, he said.
Stone floors and counters, nickel plumbing fixtures, natural wood and state of the art mechanical systems will be available in each suite, he said, adding that purchasers are free to hire interior designers of their choosing.
Mr. Gluckstein, the designer behind the product line Gluckstein Design Interiors and a fixture on the Toronto talk show CityLine with Marilyn Denis, and architect Peter Clewes admit to occasionally driving past the spaces they have created, but say they only do so for reassurance that the people inside are enjoying themselves.
Mr. Clewes, who designed the recently constructed 18 Yorkville, the condo towers directly east of the new building, said the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences will illuminate the block with an exterior that "celebrates glass."
The deliberately transparent building will have a taut and slick glass "skin," held together by a cladding that cannot easily be seen, he said.
Mr. Clewes, the Montreal-native, who has also been commissioned to overhaul the Bloor Street shopping district, believes those buying into the Toronto real estate market are ready for unapologetic opulence.
Cost for the project has previously been estimated at $500-million.
A presentation gallery at the northeast corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue opens this week.
canada.com
Toronto real estate. TORONTO'S MOST EXPENSIVE CONDO
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