The Entertainment District – prestigious destination on the rise
By NextHome Staff
February 17, 2020
February 17, 2020
Long a hot spot filled with some of the city's best theatres and restaurants, Toronto's Entertainment District is in full-on transition mode – into also becoming one of the most prestigious condo destinations.Indeed, if you haven't been to the Entertainment District lately, you're in for quite the surprise. You might not even recognize this booming neighbourhood.
Play, eat and live
Yes, the same Entertainment District punctuated by landmarks such as Roy Thompson Hall, the Princess of Wales Theatre, and Canada's Walk of Fame, known as a place to play and eat, is now becoming known as a place to live.With big name developers such as Great Gulf, Empire Communities and Plaza building signature projects in the area, the neighbourhood is alive with redevelopment. Population growth is on the rise, not just from new residents, but also from new businesses and an expanding bar and restaurant scene.Born in the 1990s essentially as an entertainment and tourist hub, with a burgeoning nightclub scene elbowing its away among the existing theatres and restaurants, the early 2000s brought the first wave of a condo boom.More recently, SoHo Metropolitan Hotel & Residences, Festival Tower, and Bisha Hotel and Residences are among some of the notable condo projects that are up and running.Abuzz with excitement
One key cultural attraction, TIFF Bell Lightbox, opened in 2010 on the northwest corner of King Street and John Street. The first five floors of this 42-storey tower serve as headquarters for the Toronto International Film Festival, while the Festival Tower residences sit atop. With TIFF Bell Lightbox serving as host to countless international stars and pre-screenings during the annual festival, the area is often abuzz with excitement.Add to this, more recent landmark developments such as Nobu Residences, being built by Madison Group, and you have an expanding array of notable residential opportunities.Then there's Wahlburgers (of the Wahlburgers restaurant chain and famed brothers Donny and Mark Wahlburg), and the popular Loose Moose and other hot spots... all of it a stone's throw from the Rogers Centre, Scotiabank Arena, Ripley's Aquarium, the CN Tower and Metro Toronto Convention Centre.Transition to excellence
And more is on the way. Great Gulf is proposing Mirvish+Gehry, a two-tower condo project atop two six-storey stepped podiums with 85,000 sq. ft. of multi-level retail space. And CentreCourt is building No. 55 Mercer at the corner of Mercer Street and Blue Jays Way, the site of Wayne Gretzky's restaurant.All of it adds up to an area in transition indeed – to excitement and excellence.Location, location, location
Bordered by Spadina Avenue, King Street West, University Avenue and Front Street.Key landmarks
- Roy Thompson Hall
- Princess of Wales Theatre
- TIFF Bell Lightbox
- Rogers Centre
- Wahlburgers