Massive site for that area. I grew up a few blocks north of here on Briar Hill. Worked at Sporting Life Bikes (which is now a BMO branch) on the right hand side of the picture. And used to park cars as a valet at Centro (now Cibo Wine Bar) in the parking lot here that is now this building site.

Fun fact the big building on Duplex right behind the dig was never supposed to be that tall. It's totally out of scale for this side of Yonge, but was done in a dirty deal to make sure 33 and 55 Harbour Square weren't even taller.
 
Definitely lots of changes among the Yonge & Eg area retail landscape in the past decade or so. I'm just glad Gamerama is still around after their original spot got redeveloped
 
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hawc said:
Massive site for that area. I grew up a few blocks north of here on Briar Hill. Worked at Sporting Life Bikes (which is now a BMO branch) on the right hand side of the picture. And used to park cars as a valet at Centro (now Cibo Wine Bar) in the parking lot here that is now this building site.

Fun fact the big building on Duplex right behind the dig was never supposed to be that tall. It's totally out of scale for this side of Yonge, but was done in a dirty deal to make sure 33 and 55 Harbour Square weren't even taller.
Click to expand...
500 Duplex was indeed precedent setting and was the final nail in the coffin for R-zone apartments, but (unless I'm very much mistaken), it didn't have anything to do with Harbour Square or Campeau. Bob bought 16 acres of waterfront land for $10M in 1968 and had intended to start construction in May 1969 but was unable to get going until 1972 when he sorted out his construction financing. By that time, 500 Duplex, which had been approved by the Board in October 1969 (By-law 184-69), was finishing up and occupying. A subsequent Board ruling in August 1972 (By-law 143-72) permitted the townhouses on the north side which were constructed as a later phase.

The timing might be close, but what's the quid pro quo?
 
From yesterday, Wednesday, March 19. Good progress for a massive site - the formwork has now started for the ground floor slab in the south-east corner of the site. More workers 'in the hole' than any project I have seen since The Well was just starting up. Makes the effort that Pemberton Group is making on The Pemberton on their Yorkville site look like absolute pikers.

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Formwork for the ground floor slab:

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