Ontario Construction News staff writer
The new St. Lawrence Market North Building is set to open at the corner of Front and Jarvis on April 5, after decades of planning and construction.
The five-storey building will feature a permanent space for the Farmers’ Market on the ground floor, which has been housed in a temporary tent since 2016. The upper floors will be dedicated to new courtrooms and administrative offices for Toronto Court Services.
The project has faced numerous delays and cost overruns, with the budget swelling to $128 million. The City of Toronto first proposed replacing the 1967-built North Market in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2010 that an international design competition selected the winning design. Demolition of the old building began in the mid-2010s, followed by unexpected archaeological digs that further delayed the project.
Designed by London-based Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, with Toronto’s Adamson Associate Architects, the building’s design underwent several revisions before being finalized. Renowned architect Richard Rogers passed away in 2021 without seeing the completed project.
The City of Toronto previously announced in December 2024 that the building would open in spring 2025. With the April 5 date now confirmed, the temporary market structure will be vacated, and the City is currently planning next steps for the site, with preparations for public use expected to begin in late spring 2025.
The North St. Lawrence Market Redevelopment project is taking place in three phases. The project is currently in Phase 3, construction of the new North Market Building.
On May 15, 2019, Toronto city council awarded a contract for the construction of the building at 92 Front St. to a Buttcon Limited/Atlas Corporation joint venture. Construction started in July 2019.
