Leaside Towers

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The Leaside Towers
The Leaside Towers.jpg
The Leaside Towers viewed from Overlea Blvd. and Thorncliffe Park East Intersection
Leaside Towers
General information
TypeUpscale Residential Apartment
Address85 Thorncliffe Park Drive
Toronto, Ontario
M4H 1L5
Coordinates 43°42′27″N79°20′26″W / 43.707454°N 79.340665°W / 43.707454; -79.340665
Completed1970
CostCA$20,000,000(equivalent to $139,507,389 in 2021) [1]
Height
Roof129 m (423 ft)
Technical details
Floor count44
Design and construction
Architect(s)Alexander Benedek
Other information
Number of rooms494 [1] (per tower)

The Leaside Towers are the tallest buildings in the East York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a twin set of Brutalist-style apartment towers, with one facing north-south, and another facing east-west. Located at 85 and 95 Thorncliffe Park Drive near Overlea, it is the tallest building in East York prior to amalgamation.

Contents

With a structural height of 129 m (423 ft) and both towers having 43 floors, it was once the tallest apartment towers in the Commonwealth and in Canada. [2] [3] Construction concluded in 1970. [3] Located along the perimeter of E.T. Seton Park, they provide panoramic views of Toronto's skyline, Don Valley and Don River.

Mechanical

All suites within the two towers include seasonal central air-conditioning, and heating provided through a 4-pipe fan coil unit.

A mixture of water and glycol is chilled to approximately 4 Celsius through water cooled centrifugal chillers located in the basement's utility room of both towers. A mechanical pump circulates the liquid through chilled water risers extending the length of the building before branching out into separate cooling circuits for the individual fan coil units located in every unit.

The chillers use municipal water to cool their condensers. Cooling water exchanges its heat from atmospheric air using three evaporative cooling towers fitted on ground level, south of 95 Thorncliffe Park Drive.

In colder months, a natural gas fired boiler located in the mechanical penthouse of 95 Thorncliffe Park Drive heats the water-glycol mixture before it is circulated through the risers, and subsequently, fan coil units in every suite.

The hot and chilled liquid risers, along with the rest of the building are insulated with polyurethane foam insulation as part of a case study completed by the architect. [4]

In order to minimize the unwanted consequences of the stack effect during winter and summer months, the entrance to the towers feature an air-lock created by revolving doors.

Notable residents

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East York</span> District of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

East York is a district and former municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a semi-autonomous borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The borough was dissolved in 1998 when it was amalgamated with the other lower-tier municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto to form the new "megacity" of Toronto. Prior to its amalgamation, East York was Ontario's last remaining borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaside</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Leaside (/'liːˌsaɪd/) is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located northeast of Downtown Toronto, in the vicinity of Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue. The area takes its name from William Lea and the Lea family, who settled there in the early years of the 19th century. The area first developed as farmland along with Toronto through the 19th century. It was incorporated as a town in 1913. In 1967, it amalgamated with the township of East York to form the borough of East York. In 1998, it became part of the city of Toronto. It is one of the most expensive and exclusive neighbourhoods in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorncliffe Park</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Thorncliffe Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the former Borough of East York.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorncliffe Park Raceway</span>

Thorncliffe Park Raceway was a Toronto-area racetrack that operated from 1917 until 1952. It was located east of Millwood Road, south of Eglinton Avenue East and the CPR's railroad tracks. It was the first home of the Prince of Wales Stakes. The name is retained today by the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East York Town Centre</span> Shopping mall

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Nealson</span> First and last woman mayor of Leaside, Canada

Beth Nealson was a Canadian politician, community planner, and journalist. She was elected mayor of Leaside, Ontario, in 1962, making her the first woman mayor in Metropolitan Toronto. Known as "Mrs. Leaside", Nealson was also the last mayor of Leaside, which was amalgamated with East York township in 1967. In 1966, Nealson ran and lost against True Davidson for the mayoralty of the newly formed borough of East York, in a historic election billed by the Canadian media as "The Battle of the Belles". Before becoming mayor, Nealson served on the Leaside Education Board and the Leaside town council, and was vice chairman of the Ontario Division of the Community Planning Association of Canada. Beth Nealson Drive in Toronto is named after her.

References

  1. 1 2 "East York Tidbits" (PDF). East York Historical Society. East York Historical Society. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  2. LeBlanc, Dave (8 October 2015). "Two towering figures in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 Micallef, Shawn. "Forget the CN Tower, Toronto. The Aura condo is the city's newest landmark. | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  4. https://www.demilec.ca/documents/Technical-Literature/28-CUFCA-Case-Study_Leaside-Towers-(2).pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. Murder investigations continue at Thorncliffe apartment