Crane Removal Marks Latest Milestone at 75 on The Esplanade

Harhay Developments and Carttera Private Equities' new 75 on The Esplanade development has been speeding past construction milestones on the southwest corner of Church Street and The Esplanade in Toronto's St Lawrence Market area. The 29-storey, architectsAlliance-designed project surpassed yet another important point in construction this past weekend, when the tower crane used to construct the building was removed from the now-complete superstructure.

Two years and a month since 75 on The Esplanade's tower crane was installed at the base of a three-level-deep pit in January, 2019, the crane's job was completed earlier this month following the topping out in late 2020, and the final heavy lifts required in the weeks that followed.

The intersection of Church and The Esplanade was cordoned off temporarily to give a wide berth for a large mobile hydraulic crane. This rig was extended beyond the tower's approximately 100-metre-high roofline to assist in the removal of the tower crane.

Crew members – attached safely to arresting gear – fixed individual sections of the tower crane to the mobile rig using lines. The sections were then unbolted from the main crane assembly and carefully lowered down to waiting flatbed trucks at street level.

With the tower crane disassembled by Saturday afternoon, the mobile crane continued assisting in bucket lifts of concrete and other minor tasks. On Sunday, the mobile crane had completed its work on site, and has since been removed.

When we recently checked in on construction right at the start of this year, the tower had freshly topped out, and cladding installation was making an impact on the podium and tower levels: the mid-2020 start of installation for the building's exterior details had advanced to enclose much of the 11-storey podium at the time. Now, the window wall with black aluminum mullions and louvres – along with a grid of red brick finishes – enclose practically all of the podium. The start of installation of clear balcony glazing with black metal frames has further added to the tower's look in recent months.

Tower cladding installation has also taken big steps forward in recent weeks, revealing more of the full-pane windows and slender dark mullions, surrounded by a frame of white metal panel finishes. Only the final seven residential floors and mechanical penthouse above still await their exterior envelope.

Construction is due to wrap up on 75 on The Esplanade later this year, bringing another 308 condominium units to the Saint Lawrence neighbourhood, the surrounding blocks already home to high-rise developments from the last several years including London On The Esplanade Condos, the L Tower, and Backstage on The Esplanade.