On May 1, 2004 the Toronto Star's Condo Section ran an article about a hotel in west end Toronto that was converted to a condominium.
The article, 'Builder relives a triumph from his past; Hotel built in 1975 to become condos', included an introduction to Joe Ieradi, the man who was making it all happen, and his motivation - the restoration of a building that he worked on as an immigrant labourer thirty years prior. Here an excerpt of the article:
As a construction labourer, Joe Ieradi helped build the Triumph Hotel on Keele St. at Wilson Ave. in North York in 1975.
This year, he bought the 10-storey hotel and is now in the process of converting it into an innovative condominium residence.
Shortly after arriving in Canada from his native Italy in 1969, Ieradi went to work in construction.
He has worked on many buildings since finishing the Triumph, mostly as the project manager or the developer.
He was a principal in the team from the Sheppard Group that built The Atrium condominium at Bathurst St. and Queens Quay and the Residences of Victoria Gardens in Georgetown. He has even built townhomes in Cuba.
Because of his roots, he loves the process of building, but what he likes best is to put new life into older buildings.
He did that at the old CBC building at 135 Maitland St., just north of Maple Leaf Gardens, which became one of downtown Toronto's first residential conversions. In 1998, Ieradi and his partners transformed the seven-storey office building into a nine-storey condominium, adding new life to the neighbourhood.
Now, the commercial area centred on Keele St. and Wilson Ave. is undergoing a rejuvenation, and Ieradi is happy to be making one of his old creations part of that revival.
The Triumph Hotel will become the Westmount Condominiums, with up to 247 suites. Prices range from $98,000 for a 405-square-foot bachelor unit (with a bed that folds up sideways into the wall) to $440,000 for a 1,700-square-foot, three-bedroom unit. A 1,700- square-foot, two-bedroom unit with a den starts at $295,000.
There are 17 different suite configurations available, and Ieradi is willing to adapt the plans to accommodate buyer requests - suggesting he could even offer a two-storey unit of up to 3,400 square feet if desired.
A stroll through the model suites reveals upscale standard features such as granite counter tops in the kitchens, marble floors and counters in the bathrooms, hardwood flooring throughout, brushed nickel door handles, one-piece toilets, and baseboards that are 6.5 inches high. Every unit also comes with five appliances.
The exterior of the hotel is being refinished with stucco.
"The beautiful thing about converting this building to condominiums is that I know the structure is very well built. I watched it go up. I helped to build it," Ieradi says.
"I think we knock down too many buildings that have a long useful life still ahead of them, just to build something new. Just think of the amount of resources it takes to do that."
Roy Varacalli of Burka Varacalli Architects has designed the conversion.
The conversion includes two buildings on the site, one nine storeys, the other 10, both of which were built in 1975.
The hotel's recreation facilities are being renewed as condo amenities and will include a swimming pool and a large fitness centre. The elevated parking garage will be accessible through an underground walkway.
The hotel's lobby and ground floor will accommodate various services, such as a cafe, some medical facilities, a dry cleaner and various retail boutiques, the developers say.
The large mall on the north side of Wilson at Keele will undergo a facelift, according to Anthony Peruzza, an official in the office of Ward 9 Councillor Maria Augimeri.
"It is a good area for intensification and redevelopment. A significant amount of money has been budgeted for and approved. We are just waiting for the construction season to start," said Peruzza.
He said there are four major new developments proposed for the immediate area around the Keele and Wilson intersection.
There are model suites and a sales office on the 10th floor of the hotel, now called the Travelodge, at Keele and Wilson, the first intersection north of Highway 401.
