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Since UrbanToronto’s last update in August, 2025, when the towers of ROQ City topped off, the most obvious recent progress at the site in Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood has been on the retained heritage components and rebuilt public realm. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects with Graziani + Corazza Architects as Architect of Record, with heritage conservation overseen by ERA Architects, Tricon’s development at 261 Queen Street East pairs 24- and 33-storey purpose-built rental towers with the retention of 19th-century warehouse and factory fronts along Queen and Richmond streets.
From a high vantage point in December, 2025, the 33-storey south tower crane can be made out, shortly before its dismantling, while the 24-storey north tower had already had its crane removed that October. Both mechanical penthouses appear complete, with the taller tower distinguished by continuation of the exterior grid frame above the last residential floor.
Catching up to near present day, this image from May, 2026 highlights the near final stages of heritage restoration below. Along Richmond Street East, cleaned red-brick masonry, restored arched window openings, and reconstructed heritage detailing are visible on portions of the retained warehouse facades. A scaffold with white protective tarping remains along the western section, where restoration work continues.
Looking southwest, the 33-storey south tower rises above the retained heritage warehouse frontage with its period commercial space proportions and repetitive fenestration pattern. A multi-level scaffold remains against the eastern portion of the facade, while adjacent sections reveal restored masonry, and reconstructed stone lintels at the regularly spaced windows. At grade, crew members indicate ongoing site work.
Looking southwest from across Queen Street, the north tower rises above a podium articulated by corner step-backs. Light-coloured masonry cladding wraps the two-storey streetwall, framing expansive floor-to-ceiling glazing. At the northeast corner, a notch has been enclosed with glazing while installation of a steel entrance canopy continues. Temporary fencing, construction barriers, and unfinished hardscaping remain along the Queen Street frontage as work continues on the future pedestrian environment.
At the northwest corner of the north podium, restoration of a retained heritage building is nearing completion. The restored two-storey red-brick facade features rebuilt masonry, refurbished cornice detailing, and reconstructed pilasters framing the upper-storey windows. A worker on a scissor lift is completing finishing work while large storefront glazing has been installed behind the retained facade at grade. Surrounding it, the new podium’s light-coloured masonry and curtain wall glazing are largely complete, with temporary blue waterproofing still visible at select openings awaiting final sealing and trim installation. Formwork and grading work indicate ongoing reconstruction of the public realm.
Along the Richmond Street East frontage, restoration has advanced to the point where much of the access scaffold has been removed. A telescopic forklift lifts scaffolding pieces as workers dismantle a second-storey scaffold bay. With the temporary works coming down, restored masonry, window openings, and reconstructed light-coloured horizontal banding are increasingly visible, while protective fencing remains along the sidewalk.
Upon completion, ROQ City will contain 859 purpose-built rental units across towers rising 88.5m and 113.48m.
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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UrbanToronto’s research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.