{"id":34948,"date":"2026-04-06T17:25:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T00:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/demolition-excavation-advance-at-49-ontario-street-in-torontos-old-town\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T17:25:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T00:25:15","slug":"demolition-excavation-advance-at-49-ontario-street-in-torontos-old-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/demolition-excavation-advance-at-49-ontario-street-in-torontos-old-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Demolition, Excavation Advance at 49 Ontario Street in Toronto&#8217;s Old Town"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article_body\">\n<p>Since work began earlier this year, demolition and excavation have progressed at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/projects\/49-ontario-street.39690\" target=\"_blank\">49 Ontario Street<\/a> in Toronto\u2019s Old Town neighbourhood, where <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/dream-unlimited.7880\" target=\"_blank\">Dream Unlimited<\/a>, in partnership with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/centrecourt.7674\" target=\"_blank\">CentreCourt<\/a> is preparing the site for a 46- and 50-storey purpose-built rental development near the under-construction <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/projects\/ontario-line-corktown-station.47571\" target=\"_blank\">Corktown station<\/a> on the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/projects\/ontario-line-3.47842\" target=\"_blank\">Ontario Line 3<\/a>. The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/architectsalliance.7955\" target=\"_blank\">architects\u2014Alliance<\/a>-designed project, with heritage conservation overseen by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/era-architects.7982\" target=\"_blank\">ERA Architects<\/a>, has required the phased removal of a mid-rise office building and other low-rise structures, while carefully retaining the facades of Victorian-era houses along Berkeley Street.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Looking northwest from Adelaide Street East in January, 2026, the site had been largely cleared, with mounds of excavated soil stockpiled toward the centre. On both the east and west edges of the frame, remnants of the former low-rise structures remain in various stages of demolition. To the right, the retained sections of the heritage row houses are supported by extensive shoring and bracing systems.<\/p>\n<p><imgx class=\"image-display_default\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195990.jpeg\" data-entity-uuid=\"insert-display_default-6591ab28-75a6-451a-a923-4a227dd1ca36\" data-entity-type=\"file\" alt=\"49 Ontario Street, Toronto, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" title=\"Looking northwest across the cleared site from Adelaide Street East, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy\" onclick=\"photo('https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195990.jpeg', true, 'Looking northwest across the cleared site from Adelaide Street East, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy'); return false;\"><span class=\"image-description\">Looking northwest across the cleared site from Adelaide Street East, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In February, 2026, the retained Victorian-era row houses were enveloped in a scaffold, with green netting wrapping the upper levels. Along the south elevation, construction crews can be seen working within the scaffold tiers.<\/p>\n<p><imgx class=\"image-display_default\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195988.jpeg\" data-entity-uuid=\"insert-display_default-a551db0e-168b-47f2-b98d-030f424560e7\" data-entity-type=\"file\" alt=\"49 Ontario Street, Toronto, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" title=\"Looking northeast at heritage fa\u00e7ade retention scaffolding along Berkeley Street, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic\" onclick=\"photo('https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195988.jpeg', true, 'Looking northeast at heritage fa\u00e7ade retention scaffolding along Berkeley Street, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic'); return false;\"><span class=\"image-description\">Looking northeast at heritage fa\u00e7ade retention scaffolding along Berkeley Street, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Demolition of the former office building continued, with the concrete columns stood as floor slabs were eaten away between them. On the right, an excavator&#8217;s scoop clears debris following work by the hydraulic jackhammer in the foreground.<\/p>\n<p><imgx class=\"image-display_default\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195989.jpeg\" data-entity-uuid=\"insert-display_default-293666d6-ebd6-434d-b90a-11fe07928358\" data-entity-type=\"file\" alt=\"49 Ontario Street, Toronto, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" title=\"Looking west at demolition of the former office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic\" onclick=\"photo('https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195989.jpeg', true, 'Looking west at demolition of the former office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic'); return false;\"><span class=\"image-description\">Looking west at demolition of the former office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor AlexBozikovic<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Another vantage point gives a broader view over the site, with a lineup of hydraulic excavators is spread across the site, handling soil removal and debris sorting. Along the right edge, orange tarp covers a growing shoring wall.<\/p>\n<p><imgx class=\"image-display_default\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195991.jpeg\" data-entity-uuid=\"insert-display_default-a9311077-3c35-4d7f-a677-ecdb5a580948\" data-entity-type=\"file\" alt=\"49 Ontario Street, Toronto, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" title=\"Looking west across active excavation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy\" onclick=\"photo('https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195991.jpeg', true, 'Looking west across active excavation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy'); return false;\"><span class=\"image-description\">Looking west across active excavation, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor skycandy<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This month, demolition of the former office building continues with the north end of the structure now largely removed. To the left is a neighbouring wall wrapped in white weatherproofing.<\/p>\n<p><imgx class=\"image-display_default\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195986.jpg\" data-entity-uuid=\"insert-display_default-a5fd1162-ca65-417b-be9d-052f4b9d8a58\" data-entity-type=\"file\" alt=\"49 Ontario Street, Toronto, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" title=\"Looking northwest at advanced demolition and exposed wall conditions of the office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad\" onclick=\"photo('https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195986.jpg', true, 'Looking northwest at advanced demolition and exposed wall conditions of the office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad'); return false;\"><span class=\"image-description\">Looking northwest at advanced demolition and exposed wall conditions of the office building, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Meanwhile, excavation has progressed toward the rear of the property, where the shoring wall continues to deepen. Below, the pit reveals stepped grades and pooled water where there will soon be two underground levels.<\/p>\n<p><imgx class=\"image-display_default\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195987.jpg\" data-entity-uuid=\"insert-display_default-001a7ab7-5096-400f-a09c-139cf492f240\" data-entity-type=\"file\" alt=\"49 Ontario Street, Toronto, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" title=\"Looking north into the excavation showing shoring wall and below-grade progress, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad\" onclick=\"photo('https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195987.jpg', true, 'Looking north into the excavation showing shoring wall and below-grade progress, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad'); return false;\"><span class=\"image-description\">Looking north into the excavation showing shoring wall and below-grade progress, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor GameOnBrad<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Upon completion, 49 Ontario Street will reach heights of 146.57m and 160.05m, and house 1,226 rental units.<\/p>\n<p><imgx class=\"image-display_default\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195985.jpg\" data-entity-uuid=\"insert-display_default-fa53b5f3-4ff4-4753-bd7f-847867b4444d\" data-entity-type=\"file\" alt=\"49 Ontario Street, Toronto, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" title=\"Looking northeast to 49 Ontario Street, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited\" onclick=\"photo('https:\/\/cdn.skyrisecities.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/2026\/04\/60735\/60735-195985.jpg', true, 'Looking northeast to 49 Ontario Street, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited'); return false;\"><span class=\"image-description\">Looking northeast to 49 Ontario Street, designed by architects\u2014Alliance for Dream Unlimited<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">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&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" dir=\"ltr\">* * *<\/p>\n<p>UrbanToronto&#8217;s research and data service,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/Pro\/\" target=\"_blank\">UTPro<\/a>, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe\u2014from proposal through to completion. Other services include\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/reports\/\" target=\"_blank\">Instant Reports<\/a>, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/NDI\/\" target=\"_blank\">New Development Insider<\/a>, that tracks projects from initial application.\u200b<\/p>\n<table class=\"layout-article-companies\">\n<tr>\n<td class=\"article-companies\">Related Companies:\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\n<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/arcadis.8006\" target=\"_blank\">Arcadis<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/architectsalliance.7955\" target=\"_blank\">architects\u2014Alliance<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/bh-architects.7960\" target=\"_blank\">B+H Architects<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/bousfields.7652\" target=\"_blank\">Bousfields<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/dream-unlimited.7880\" target=\"_blank\">Dream Unlimited<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/era-architects.7982\" target=\"_blank\">ERA Architects<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/jablonsky-ast-and-partners.35673\" target=\"_blank\">Jablonsky, Ast and Partners<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/rwdi-climate-and-performance-engineering.43563\" target=\"_blank\">RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/studio-tla.8179\" target=\"_blank\">STUDIO tla<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/tarra-engineering-structural-consultants-inc.45151\" target=\"_blank\">Tarra Engineering &amp; Structural Consultants Inc<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/urban-strategies-inc.26840\" target=\"_blank\">Urban Strategies Inc.<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/database\/companies\/vortex-fire-consulting-inc.41348\" target=\"_blank\">Vortex Fire Consulting Inc. <\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/imgx><\/div>\n<p><script>\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\ndocument,'script','\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');<\/p>\n<p>fbq('init', '1760257484204295');\nfbq('track', \"PageView\");<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/urbantoronto.ca\/news\/2026\/04\/demolition-excavation-advance-49-ontario-street-torontos-old-town.60735\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Since work began earlier this year, demolition and excavation have progressed at 49 Ontario Street in Toronto\u2019s Old Town &#8230; <a title=\"Demolition, Excavation Advance at 49 Ontario Street in Toronto&#8217;s Old Town\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/demolition-excavation-advance-at-49-ontario-street-in-torontos-old-town\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Demolition, Excavation Advance at 49 Ontario Street in Toronto&#8217;s Old Town\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1088],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-urban-toronto","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34948\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}