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The University of Toronto is nearing completion of a new residence that will alleviate some of the pressure for student housing close to its St George campus. Rising in Harbord Village at the northwest corner of Spadina and Sussex avenues, the Oak House Student Residence brings a 23-storey tower and 3-storey townhouse row to a site long anchored by a heritage-listed red brick building that was recently home to the Ten Editions bookstore.
The tower is designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects with heritage conservation led by ERA Architects, and was developed by the university in partnership with The Daniels Corporation. UrbanToronto last provided an update in July, 2023, when the tower had recently topped off.
Viewed from Sussex Avenue in May, 2024, construction continued at street level, with work concentrated on the podium’s south elevation. An articulating boom lift is seen in use by crews installing exterior cladding elements. The podium showcases brick-faced precast panels with a smooth finish, alongside warm grey precast concrete fins. Scaffolding wraps around the retained heritage facade at the southeast corner. To the left, the separate townhouse component is visible with white weatherproofing lining the concrete-sheltered balconies, while the construction hoist remains attached to the centre of the west elevation.
By October, 2024, the construction hoist was fully dismantled and replaced with cladding. A staggered arrangement of glazing units and brick is seen across the facade, articulated by concrete bands every two floors. The tower showcases brick veneer cladding in an upright Soldier Bond pattern, while the townhomes are clad in an unstaggered Stack Bond pattern.
Seen from the north on a snowy February morning, the tower asserts itself within the corridor, joining the neighbouring 25-storey 666 Spadina as one of the tallest in the immediate vicinity. The tower’s distinct two-volume massing features the northern section positioned closer to Spadina Avenue and the southern volume stepped back to preserve the prominence of the heritage building.
Captured in March, 2025, a clear view across Spadina Avenue reveals most of the scaffold removed from around the heritage building, its brickwork now painted in a vermilion tone, helping to extend the life of the masonry. To its right, a glazed curtainwall system rises through the centre bay of the tower, forming a two-storey reveal between the podium and upper floors.
This month, finishing work continues along the Spadina Avenue frontage, with the sidewalk and streetscape currently excavated and fenced off for improvements. A telescopic boom lift with its raised basket is stationed to the right. The brick podium extends down to the edge of the cantilevered second level, while in the foreground, the heritage facade’s painted wood cornice and ornamental trim are visible above the southeast entrance.mark a corner.
Standing at 75.55m, Oak House is scheduled to open in time for the 2025/2026 academic year, offering 230 new student housing units.
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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