Tommy & Lefebvre Reconstruction: Part 9

This is the last major post in the series on T&L's rise from the ashes. There are a few finishing touches to be done on the building, and I'll probably post a few photos once that's done.

In the previous post, the walls went up and a plastic bubble enshrouded the building while the brickwork was installed, as seen below in early February 2010:

In mid-February, the McLeod side was revealed. Double-tall black bricks surrounded the two ground-level display windows, and red brick covered the rest of the building. The corner remained unfinished.

One night in early March, the interior was lit, making it possible to see inside to the showroom, also unfinished.

The same night, you could see the progress on the front corner section.

A few days later, the plastic enclosure was removed from the Bank Street side, which has five display windows, plus office windows above. Already they're framing up behind the display, which unfortunately means that there won't be any natural light shining into the showroom.

Round the back of the building, two ladders lead to the top of the building. These have since been replaced with permanent emergency ladders. At the corner of the building is the rear public entrance, and at the right of the photo is the loading entrance. Some site services are located next to an emergency exit.

In early April, we can see the building flush up against the former wall of the old T&L building. Some flashing was added to connect the two. The grey band at the middle of the front of the building is steel I-beam sticking out at a shallow angle, flush with the building here, but sticking out as it gets to the corner of Bank and McLeod. There is also a recessed emergency exit, which as we saw in the previous post, has a reinforced ceiling leading to it.

In early April, the corner was more defined, with sliding doors installed at ground level and a decorative curved window frame above. The divider between the two display windows on McLeod was also more finished. At the roofline, one piece of metal cornice was installed near the corner, with the rest of the roofline awaiting more.

Above the front doors, the gap beneath the windows provided space for the door's electronics. This would later be covered up with more aluminum covering.

And the rest of the window display space was finishing construction.

In mid-April, new signs appeared in the black-brick sections next to the display windows. A sheathing was also installed on the first-storey cornice. It has factory-installed wrap covering it during installation to protect its surface treatment.

A week later, the sheathing installation was complete, at least at this end. The red-and-white Tommy & Lefebvre signs light up at night. We can also see two of the cross-members forming an "X" in the windows, which we saw during the earlier stages of construction.

The decorative band comes away from the wall as it approaches the corner, and is like a box around the support frame. It stops at the corner because a large grille--still being built at the time the store opened--will later be installed over the corner section.

It may or may not be related to this construction, or possibly the two large condo buildings going up across the way, but three penthouse units at the condo next door at 400 McLeod are for sale. There were also other real estate signs on other properties on McLeod.

This shot is from mid-April, at night. The "Open Winter 2009-10" sign was covered over with "Open April 2010", and the deadline was fast approaching.

But at noon on Wednesday, April 28, the new T&L store officially opened to the public. Let's take a look inside!

As you walk in, you immediately notice the vast two-storey showroom. There are many spacious displays of bike helmets, tennis rackets, and many other things. On the side wall is a projector showing live TV.

At the back is the stairway to access the offices, and also a mezzanine display level. Large posters wrap around the corner wall. The top of the stairs gives a good view of the ground floor showroom.

Obviously, the majority of the construction is complete. All that's left is to install the grille over the corner of the building, and the sign over top of it. Here's how it should look.

I hope you enjoyed this series. Make sure to check out the others by clicking on the Tours label. With it out of the way, I hope to get back to regular blogging very soon.