12 Feb 24 | Urban Toronto

Freed to Brand Hotel and Condo Project in Entertainment District

By Anthony Teles

Freed Developments will be branding its proposed hotel and condo project at Adelaide and Duncan streets in Toronto's Entertainment District as the Freed Hotel & Residences. Located at 240 Adelaide Street West, this $800M skyscraper will mark the first foray of Freed Developments into Toronto's luxury hotel market, alongside the introduction of Canada's first Katsuya Restaurant.

The new tower is designed by the esteemed Chicago-based firm, AS + GG Architecture, known for their work on the world's tallest skyscrapers, including the planned Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia that could become the world’s tallest building, and the currently completing 160 Front West here in Toronto. AS+GG Partner Gordon Gill, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), elaborated on the design, sharing that “the formal geometry of the tower is defined by both its arrival and skyline expressions. Diamond-shaped facets create a distinctive arrival and retail experience at street level, while the complementary faceted silhouette of the tower’s top creates an iconic identity within the Toronto skyline.”

Set to rise 63 storeys and stand 219m tall, the project will feature 117 five-star luxury hotel rooms and 376 luxury condominiums, topped with a Skybar/restaurant on the 63rd floor, and the approximately 10,000 sf Katsuya Restaurant by Sam Nazarian’s Disruptive Group by sbe, a leading lifestyle hospitality company, on the second floor. With locations in Dubai, Miami, New York, and more, this will be the first Katsuya in Canada.

Speaking as the owner/operator of the largest portfolio of hotels and resorts in Ontario, Peter Freed, Founder and CEO of Freed Developments describes this project as being "a testament to my profound love for Toronto.” The developer's Toronto-based projects include Art Shoppe Condos on Yonge near Eglinton, and many in the King West area, including Seventy5 Portland. Freed adds that "building on [their] 30-year legacy of best-in-class projects, Freed Hotel and Residences will proudly display a captivating piece of artwork in the hotel and condo lobby by Takashi Murakami entitled “Together with the Flower Parent and Child,” Murakami's work is renowned globally for his contributions to the arts, with the flower acting as his most iconic motif.

Peter Freed's vision for the project is to merge art, culture, and sophistication for hotel-style living. This vision is supported by a collaborative effort from partners including AS+GG Architecture and Toronto’s own DesignAgency, responsible for the interior design. The interiors will boast hotel and residential functions, including a Sky Lobby on the penultimate floor, a grand staircase leading to the 63rd-floor restaurant and bar, terraced outdoor garden spaces, and a boutique spa.

Anwar Mekhayech, Founding Partner of DesignAgency, lauded the partners involved in the project. “By assembling a world-class creative team, Peter Freed has set the stage for innovation and imagination on a grand scale,” he said.

The Freed Hotel and Residences’ sales launch is scheduled for March 2024. The site, a short walk to Osgoode or St Andrew stations on University Line 1, is the former home of Crocodile Rock.