The modernist marvel at Yonge and Carlton is set to be replaced by an 80-storey behemoth

Replacing mid-century charmers with dense and austere residential towers is a story Toronto has told—and will tell—over and over again. This time, the protagonist and antagonist (depending which side you’re on) are 2 Carlton and Northam Realty Advisors.

Northam, owner of the post-war office building on the northeast corner of Yonge and Carlton, has been trying to redevelop it since 2016. First, the real estate corporation proposed a pair of matching towers, each reaching 72 storeys, but in 2017, the plan shifted to a single spire that would be both chunkier and taller. Eight years of radio silence later, Northam is back with an application to build an 80-storey giant designed by Arcadis. If approved, it would become one of Toronto’s top 10 tallest towers (say that 10 times fast).

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The new behemoth would offer 1,014 residential units above the College subway station. With 1,191 parking spaces for bikes, there’s plenty of room for cyclists, though motorists may have to duke it out over the property’s proposed 162 car spaces. As the city’s population continues to explode, vertical sprawl presents an urban-planning dilemma: striking a balance between density and livability. Without corresponding enhancements to transit infrastructure, future tenants may feel overcrowded.

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And what about the humble structure that stands there now? Unfortunately, it’s not heading to an idyllic farm up north. If the city approves Northam’s vision, the late-modernist masterpiece will be demolished—even though the Toronto Preservation Board applied to have it listed on its heritage registrar.

With 2 Carlton’s blocky lines and tower-on-podium design, it doesn’t exactly have the fantastical features and old-world glamour many associate with heritage architecture. Still, it celebrates a coming-of-age moment for Toronto, when the city was booming with new businesses and sheer optimism. The building has also been home to key cultural institutions, with tenants like the Ontario Press Council, the Film Reference Library and Pink Triangle Press. While the space itself may soon be gone, its legacy will hopefully help determine what the area’s future should look like.