A lot of exciting smaller developments are bringing more residential flexibility to the city; take the nine-storey, 86-unit Enigma Lofts, one of two local projects from Vancouver's Aragon Properties (the other is Leslieville's Showcase Lofts). Enigma's going in at 138 St. Helen's Avenue in Bloordale, an up-and-coming neighbourhood that's often overlooked by developers, despite having its own stop on the Bloor subway line. The site backs onto MacGregor Park; the project's exterior images take advantage of that, showing wide green lawns sweeping gently away from the building. Prices range from around $232,000 for a 422 sq.ft. studio to just under $1M for a three-bedroom, 1567 sq.ft. penthouse. Aragon haven't released the full list of amenities yet; so far they're listing a gym, theatre and courtyard.
The building promises to shake up the local streetscape; designed by Quadrangle Architects (the folks behind eyecatching projects like 36 Hazelton and Duke), its wacky zigzag profile—it looks a little like a cruise ship for cubists—will be sure to draw mixed reactions from neighbours used to the modest two-storey homes that line the street now. And what kind of coverings will even work on those angled windows? Maybe that's the real Enigma.
· Bloordale Gets a Condo With a Brash New Look [Globe]
· Bloordale/Bloorcourt Archives at Curbed Toronto [Curbed Toronto]
· Three New Restaurants Herald the Blooming of a Gentrified Neighbourhood [Toronto Star]