This site is located in the heart the Annex, one of Toronto’s most dynamic and storied neighbourhoods. It is situated on traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. 

The existing church was built in 1889 in near-empty plots surrounded by farmland. From the beginning, it has been a place of community and social innovation – where a food bank, theatre initiative, and Canada’s first co-located daycare all thrived and where a diversity of people came together for over a century.  

The redevelopment of the Walmer Road Baptist Church represents a once in a generation opportunity. It’s a chance to build upon the areas living heritage and create a beautiful neighbourhood landmark that serves the community.  

TAS, along with our partners the Walmer Road Baptist Church, has been working with a team of designers, heritage experts and planners to develop a bold new vision for this site. Our proposal seeks to bring the site into the future while celebrating the rich history of the church, the site it sits on, and the Annex community. It includes: 

• Adaptive reuse of the sanctuary building, to include a new space for the Walmer Road Baptist Church and new commercial community hub.  
• 162 new condominiums in a 20-storey building.  
• A publicly accessible courtyard for residents and members of the local neighbourhood.  

The commercial community hub will be a welcoming, inclusive place that restores the sanctuary’s historical role as a place for community, connection and social innovation. 

The development of the condos will make it possible to build the new hub, congregation space and courtyard. 

We are excited to evolve this place at the corner of Lowther and Walmer in the Annex with and for the community and see this project as a tremendous example of our commitment to building for impact.

A New Hub for Community and Social Innovation   

The redevelopment of this site is centered around the adaptive reuse of the sanctuary to create a new commercial community hub. The hub will be an inclusive place that serves the local community and contributes to the vibrancy of the neighbourhood and city. We heard from the community about the importance of providing flexible, affordable space to host events, meetings, and activities.  Leveraging this input, we’re currently exploring the feasibility of a number of possibilities that will ensure the hub is both commercially viable and community enriching. 

Design Excellence that Celebrates Heritage and Prioritizes Accessibility  

This will be a truly unique and beautiful building – a landmark in the Annex neighbourhood.  The design restores the most architecturally significant and iconic parts of the existing church. The materials for the new residential building take cues from the existing sanctuary building and the architecture of the neighbourhood to create a thoughtful and sensitive design. The design also prioritizes accessibility, including the lowering of the main entrance to ground level, making the building both more inclusive and welcoming to the community.  The new courtyard will be an important community amenity that provides space for gathering, quiet reflection, and more.  

Honouring the Living Heritage of the Site 

TAS is committed to a more holistic, thoughtful, and equitable approach to heritage that includes the full living history of the site.  We engaged local historians, community experts, indigenous leaders, and residents in a series of discussions about the site’s history. We heard about the importance of honouring both the built form heritage, as well as the different stories and uses that have taken place on the site, including indigenous history.  We continue to engage with local champions who understand that history and help us integrate the living heritage into our plans for the sanctuary, courtyard and future programming.

TAS takes a ‘listen first” approach to community engagement. We started engaging with the local community in 2020, with the commitment to learn and incorporate a diversity of perspectives into the design and programming of the site.  

Our broad engagement process included a series of interviews, workshops, site tours, a survey and an art installation. We heard from a wide variety of groups and individuals about their vision for 38 Walmer Road. Some of the key themes were:  

• Ensure that the sanctuary program is inclusive and equitable 
• Prioritize the sanctuary’s role as a community space, and particularly as a multi-purpose meeting space 
• Acknowledge and share diverse histories on the site 
• Prioritize indigenous truth and reconciliation by partnering with local indigenous community members 
• Design to a higher standard for accessibility outdoor spaces that might include gardens, seating and landscaping. 

The community input informed the vision for the redevelopment, particularly the plans for sanctuary and courtyard and will continue to inform our work as we develop more detailed plans for the commercial community hub.  

We’re tremendously grateful to all who participated in the process and shared their ideas about the future of 38 Walmer Road. 

Check out this video about our engagement process. Walmer Road Baptist Church Redevelopment Engagement on Vimeo 

The site proposed for redevelopment is located in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood (Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth) – which is just east of the downtown core with easy access to the Don Valley, trail systems, waterfront, a wide variety of bustling retail, and community services.  

TAS acquired the redevelopment site in early 2020. It is rectangular in shape and encompasses approximately 2,710 square metres. It currently includes three addresses: 880 Eastern Avenue (mechanic and autobody workshop), 888 Eastern Avenue and 80 Knox Avenue (warehouse used for newspaper and magazine printing). Sears Street, a unique public laneway, borders its northern edge.  

Today, this particular section of Eastern Avenue serves as a distinct boundary between residential Leslieville to the north and industrial and employment uses to the south. The area is poised to change significantly over the coming years, and this project will help set a high standard for the quality and livability of a new development. 

This project presents a tremendous opportunity to drive positive impact by prioritizing the environment as well as the health and wellbeing of future residents and their neighbours.   

Our proposal is for a 12-storey purpose-built rental building that will provide a vibrant new point of transition between residential Leslieville and the industrial grit found south of Eastern Avenue.  

Determined to design this building in a locally responsive manner, we set out on a comprehensive research, engagement and consultation process. Since 2020, we connected with dozens of people who live and/or work nearby and learned that they most cherish the diversity and inclusiveness of their neighbourhood.  

Our project enthusiastically seeks to enhance local strengths by: 

1. Seamlessly mixing a range of housing types, including larger family-oriented apartments, live-work apartments and townhomes. 

2. Integrating flexible commercial spaces intended for businesses and organizations that serve the local community. 

3. Providing ample opportunities for social connection, by including a new outdoor courtyard and maintaining the well-loved shared laneway. 

Introducing a Range of New Housing Options   

Determined to consider the housing needs of people from all stages of life and integrate the unique residential mix found in the surrounding neighborhood, we designed this project to include a range of housing options. Its design seamlessly integrates 167 new homes, in a wide range of layouts –  including larger family-oriented apartments, live/work apartments and townhouses.   

Eliminating Harm on the Environment  

We are targeting net-zero carbon with this building – an ambitious goal that is driven by our commitment to eliminating negative impacts on the environment. We’re using a variety of sustainable building materials such as low carbon concrete and incorporating best practices to reduce heat loss, improve energy efficiency and increase air quality.  

Prioritizing Resident Health and Wellbeing   

Our future residents’ health and quality of life have been thoughtfully considered. Ample natural light and cross-ventilation have been prioritized with over half of the apartments having sunlight exposure on two sides. The building will be anchored by an outdoor courtyard, promoting livability, social connection and access to the outdoors. Our proposal also maintains the well-loved laneway along Sears Avenue as a space for utility, play and delight. 

Honouring Each Street  

This urban in-fill site is unique as it fronts onto three different streets. The proposed design recognizes the distinct character of each street, by considering the animation, scale, setbacks, access and programming differently across all three of these frontages. For example, the focus for Sears Ave is on limiting traffic and maintaining safety and access for pedestrians. On Knox, the focus is on maintaining the residential character of the street. Whereas Eastern Avenue will have commercial spaces for businesses and organizations that serve the local neighbourhood.  

At TAS, we engage local communities early and thoughtfully to ensure their needs and potentials can be integrated into our projects.  

As such we initiated a comprehensive research and consultation exercise in summer 2020 seeking to:  

1. Learn all about how those living and/or working nearby currently experience their neighbourhood  

2. Establish an open line of communication for ongoing transparent discussions regarding the site’s future  

3. Gather input to inform redevelopment project vision and design principles 

While COVID-19 related health and safety protocols impacted our methodology, we still managed to engage with over 40 local stakeholders (at a distance of course!).  

This diagram (click for a larger version) visually summarizes what we learned through these conversations, with one bar representing one comment from a community member.