After nearly two years on the market, the Torno penthouse suite at 155 Cumberland Street may have finally sold. At 10,000 square feet the two-storey, four-bedroom, five-bathroom property in what was originally known as the CIL Building is one of the largest residential condos in the city. Originally listed at $28m, its price eventually dropped to $19m (the selling agent, Jimmy Molloy, declined to confirm the sale price).
The CIL Building was built in 1960. Most of its 12 storeys have been used as headquarters for various companies and embassies, but the penthouse was the private residence of Toronto philanthropist and wine/spirits exec Noah Torno and his wife Rose. Torno engaged American star architect Philip Johnson to design the interior of the penthouse. In the fifty-plus years since, it's remained substantially unchanged, thanks in no small part to the City designating the penthouse as a Heritage property in 2007 (Johnson's involvement was a major factor in the City's decision). In 2006 the building's current owner, King Street Capital, hired Quadrangle Architects (Candy Factory Lofts, CityTV) to add a seven-storey addition to the existing structure. The main entrance was moved off of busy Bloor Street to a discreet doorway on Cumberland Street, and 155 Cumberland is now marketed as an exclusive, almost-secret enclave of fifteen luxury suites.
· Inside Canada's Most Expensive Apartment [Globe]
· CBC News Tours the Cumberland Apartment [CBC]
· 155 Cumberland and 130 Bloor Street West [UrbanToronto]
· Perchance to Dream of a Penthouse [National Post]
· Five Luxury Homes in Toronto [Curbed National]