[ad_1]
4 Redevelopment of Former Shell Building on University Avenue Reworked
Cartareal Corp has filed reworked plans for the redevelopment of 505 University Avenue, where a 63-storey, predominantly residential mixed-use tower designed by BDP Quadrangle is proposed. The 3,328m² site on the northeast corner of University Avenue and Edward Street in Toronto’s Discovery District is currently occupied by the former Shell Oil Building, a 20-storey, Modern Classical office tower.
The building was designed by Marani and Morris, and originally built in 1958 for the Shell Oil Company as a 13-storey structure, with the upper 7 storeys added in 1966 to a design by the successor firm, Marani, Rounthwaite & Dick. It is clad in Indiana limestone, while the ground floor has Norwegian blue granite accents. Single-storey wings that provide retail space face University Avenue to the north and south of the tower, while surface parking can be found behind them. Conceived as part of a mid-century vision for University Avenue that emphasized uniform setbacks, verticality, and dignified stone facades, it now sits among a mix of heritage structures of various ages and styles, and newer high-rise developments.
Plans to redevelop 505 University surfaced in August, 2022, when Cartareal submitted a rezoning application for a mixed-use complex with over 25,000 m² of replacement office space in its base, plus 704 residential units in a tower rising to 64 storeys above. The proposal called for demolishing the tower and the wings, and reusing some of the limestone on a 12-storey volume on the south half of the site that would have resembled the original tower. The north half of the site was to get a similarly sized volume, but be clad mainly in glass. The proposal drew criticism with objections to the loss of one of University Avenue’s landmark mid-century towers.
When City Council did not render a decision within the statutory timeframe, the Zoning By-law Amendment application was appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) in October, 2023. In 2024, Cartareal advanced a related Official Plan Amendment (OPA) seeking to remove Downtown Plan requirements for replacing the existing office component, a move that has become increasingly common in resubmissions across Downtown Toronto following the post-pandemic drop in demand for office space. Instead, developers are now often proposing to reduce or eliminate office space in favour of residential space to ease the housing crisis. The OPA application was also appealed to the OLT that summer.
At the same time, the City adopted a Part IV heritage designation for the Shell Oil Building in May, 2024. Both the designation and the issue of office replacement were subsequently appealed, setting the stage for an extended planning and heritage dispute.
This month, Cartareal filed a Heritage Permit Application requesting consent to demolish the designated property, but for a new plan detailed below. 505 University’s heritage strategy, overseen by GBCA Architects, proposes to dismantle the Shell Oil Building because of structural incompatibility between its limestone cladding and steel frame, with the firm concerned that the limestone requires a more rigid concrete structure behind it to prevent cracking of the panels in the future.
The reworked plan would retain the overall configuration with a 20-storey volume flanked by single-storey wings, while a new stepped-back tower would rise from atop it. The limestone would be catalogued, salvaged, and reinstalled to recreate the full height of the original tower in its original location. The rebuilt podium would incorporate original details and stone materials, with minor alterations including a podium roof handrail, east-facing windows to support residential adaptation, and new glazing at grade. The reconstruction would also reinstate portions of the north wall at the east and west ends, ensuring the original massing and symmetry of the tower base are fully re-established.
Above, a residential tower would rise to 63 storeys and 217.56m. The new tower above would feature a smaller floor-plate of roughly 950m² compared to the original building’s proposed 1,100m². Step-backs are proposed on the east, south, and west elevations, but the new tower would project to the north of the lower volume from above the single-storey north wing. The new massing strategy aims to emphasize the 20-storey podium as the primary street presence along University Avenue.
Two approaches to office space replacement are under review: Option 1 would reinstate 16.3% of office GFA on levels 3 and 4, while Option 2, currently reflected in the submitted architectural plans, would retain only 3.9% of the existing commercial space, with the possibility that the rest of the former office GFA could be reassigned for affordable housing.
In Option 2, the residential program would deliver 892 units. Gross Floor Area would total 62,353m², 61,500m² allocated to residential and 853m² to retail. Four levels of underground garage would house 63 vehicular parking spaces for residents and 15 for visitors, as well as 803 long-term and 90 short-term bicycle spaces for residents, alongside 2 long-term and 6 short-term spaces for non-residential uses.
The residential program would be complemented by 2,707m² of indoor amenities and 896 m² of outdoor amenities, distributed across multiple levels of the podium to serve residents. A total of eight elevators are planned, providing roughly one cab for every 112 units. High speed motors would be required to provide prompt response times.
Located in the heart of the city, the building has a number of transit options close to it. St Patrick station on Line 1 is located only about 100m south, a one-minute walk, while Queen’s Park station lies roughly 450m to the north, or seven minutes on foot. Looking ahead, the site will also benefit from proximity to the future Osgoode interchange station on the Ontario Line 3, approximately 650m south or a nine-minute walk. Streetcars provide east-west transit service along all of the nearby subway-station streets.
The proposal now proceeds to the Toronto Preservation Board on September 22, 2025, where members will weigh the Heritage Permit Application and provide advice to City Council on the request to demolish and reconstruct the Shell Oil Building. Council’s decision will shape the City’s position in ongoing settlement discussions, with the matter already under appeal at the OLT, where the next Case Management Conference is scheduled for November 25, 2025.
Plenty of other development activity is nearby. To the south, the 54-storey United BLDG is under construction, rising from its own reworked heritage base. Southeast, 191 Dundas West is proposed at 41 storeys, and to the east, 123 Edward is proposed at 53 and 59 storeys. On the west side of the street, 250 and 522 University Avenue propose towers of 58 and 64 storeys, respectively. To the north, the Hospital for Sick Children’s Peter Gilgan Family Patient Care Tower is proposed at 29 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this developments, 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, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — 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.
