…“Still, for all his focus on beauty, Mr. Gillespie has taken on projects that don’t rely only on aesthetics to make bold statements. In Toronto, he jumped at the chance to redevelop the prominent Honest Ed’s site, for which Westbank paid $72-million in 2013. (For Honest Ed’s, as well as both Shangri-Las, Westbank again partnered with Peterson Group.) The project – which includes a planned community of buildings with 800 rental apartments – doesn’t necessarily break the mould in terms of design like Mr. Gillespie’s other ventures, but it’s sure to leave a mark on the city because of its historic location on Bloor and Bathurst Streets…”

to read the full Globe and Mail article click here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-ian-gillespie-a-builder-on-a-mission-to-stretch-the-boundaries-of/

 

“Web developer and civic activist Melody Ma created a parody website, skewering Westbank for raising housing prices upmarket and pushing out local residents. Dubbed “the Real Fight for Beauty,” the project cites local artists who say it’s in fact the luxury condos built by Westbank that have created a city with “no room for artists.” More than a hundred local artists signed an open letter of protest against the developer, saying he “treats housing as an elite commodity.”

to read The Real Fight for Beauty website, referenced in the Globe article, click here: http://www.therealfightforbeauty.ca/