Tridel at 90: Almost a century of shaping Toronto's skyline

“Everyone's talking about housing today,” Tridel President and CEO Jim Ritchie shared with UrbanToronto in a recent interview, “and that's something that's been in our DNA for nine decades.” That's right, Tridel has a lot to celebrate in 2024, as it celebrates 90 years in business, the year the city of Toronto itself celebrated its centennial, founded in 1834 out of the former York City.

Jack Delzotto and his family, photo by Tridel

Jack Delzotto, an Italian immigrant mason, built his first house in the town in 1934. He founded Tridel, and eventually passed the company on to his sons. It would become one of the city's most prominent developments and now with nine decades under its belt, Tridel has delivered more than 90,000 homes in the Greater Toronto Area.

“We're a homebuilder first and foremost,” Ritchie told UrbanToronto, “whether that's an apartment building in a prime waterfront location or a community we're building for families.” This perspective has not changed. over the years and continues to guide us.”

From suburban life to city life

As Toronto began to transition to high-density living in the 1960s, Tridel was at the forefront, moving from suburban developments to pioneering the city's first condominiums. The 1980s marked another important direction as Traidel focused on high-rise construction, responding to the growing demand for urban living space. This expansion saw Tridel's portfolio grow into different communities across the GTA.

“I'll tell you, it was like our master plan to do this, and we're going to be very successful,” Ritchie reflected. “We were an early adopter and did the first condominium developments. in Oakville and developed from there.”

Since then, Tridel has introduced a customer support program, an after-sales service program that ensures every homeowner feels supported, informed and valued throughout their journey. When it comes to sustainability, the company's motto is “Built Green. Built for Life.” philosophy is not just a catchy slogan; As evidenced by BILD's record 14 Green Builder of the Year awards, Traidel is a leader in sustainable development.

Leo DelZotto, son of Jack DelZotto, speaks at the opening of Ten York Condos, Toronto, photo by Edward Scira

Tridel portfolio

Tridel's impact on the GTA real estate market is a legacy of building over 90,000 homes, and their portfolio is now too large for a quick overview, but Ritchie shared some of his favorites:

A well

The Well is one of the largest mixed-use projects in the country, comprising 1,700 residential units in seven buildings. Located at 410 Front St., it was led by a powerful team that included architectural talent from Hariri Pontarini Architects, BDP Quadrangle, architects Alliance, Wallman Architects and Adamson Associates Architects, as well as Tridel's development partners, RioCanied Pro REIT. REIT and Woodbourne Canada Management, Inc. Ritchie noted its complexity and scale: “We had the best bidders to build three million square feet above grade and one and a half million square feet below grade of infrastructure to keep this community buzzing. .

The Well to the southeast, photo by AHK of the UrbanToronto forum

Bayside Toronto

Bayside Toronto is a prime example of waterfront revitalization built in partnership with Hines and transforming a former industrial port area into a residential and community hub. Aqualuna, which is currently under construction – and has a unique wave-like design by Danish architects 3XN – will join the Aqualina, Aquavista and Aquabella buildings to the west. Their architectural adventure and diversity, as well as their focus on sustainable living, set new standards for urban waterfront developments, with Ritchie noting that Aqualuna is “self-island-like, designed to maximize water sightlines.”

Aquabella (left) and Aqualuna at Bayside (right), photo by skycandy of the UrbanToronto forum

Village of Lakeview

“Somewhat similar to Bayside, our work at Lakeview Village in Mississauga shows that different locations can have different shapes and sizes of homes for buyers, so that's how we're diversifying,” said Ritchie as this large-scale development breaks ground soon. It is expected to bring in an influx of 20,000 residents, including 8,000 units including townhouses. 10-12 acres of land has been set aside for campus and cultural development, with layout and architectural design emphasizing eco-friendly practices. Sasaki Associates Inc. company and Argo Developments, Greenpark Homes, Branthaven Homes, Caivan, Opus Corporation and Deco Homes, the site at 1300 Lakeshore Road East also points closer to the Waterfront Trail site. lake

An evening waterfront promenade in Lakeview Village, designed by Sasaki Architects for Lakeview Community Partners.

MRKT

Tridel is actively revitalizing the Alexandra Park community near Kensington Market, working with Toronto Housing Corporation on an 18-acre master plan. Along with the completed SQ and SQ2 condos, Ritchie has MRKT and its design by CS&P Architects and SvN. While construction is underway, he notes that MRKT's “architectural expression is just beginning to emerge, which is unique in a certain environment, appealing to small families, singles and professionals.”

Looking southeast through MRKT developed by CS&P and SVN for Tridel

A century of community building

As Tridel approaches its centennial, the company is committed to continuing to do what it does best. “I'm pleased to say that our future development pipeline will see us through the next 10 years and beyond,” Ritchie concluded. “We can't think of another urban center in Canada or the U.S. that would serve us better for what we do. We look forward to great things for the future housing market in the GTA.”

UrbanToronto will continue to monitor progress on these developments, but in the meantime you can learn about them in the Database files linked below. If you like, you can join the conversation in the related project forum or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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Greenloc Environmental Hoarding, Adamson Associates Architects, ANTAMEX, Architects — Alliance, ASSA ABLOY Canada Ltd., Bass Installation, BDP Quadrangle, BVGlazing Systems, CCxA, Doka Canada Ltd./Ltee, Entuitive, EQ Inc. Building, Perform3 Architects, Hines, II BY IV DESIGN, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, Knightsbridge, Kramer Design Associates Limited, Live Patrol Inc., LiveRoof Ontario Inc, LRI Engineering Inc., Mulvey & Banani, Myles Burke Architectural Models, NAK Design Strategies, New Release Condo, Ontario Panelization, Peter McCann Architectural Models Inc., Pliteq, Precise ParkLink, PreCon Real Estate, Rebar Enterprises Inc., RioCan REIT, RJC Engineers, Skyscapes, SvN, The Fence People, Trideltect , Trillium Archiums , ULMA Canada, Unilux HVAC Industries Inc., Urban Strategies Inc., Vortex Fire Consulting Inc.