Something magical happens when you head east from downtown Toronto. As you cross the bridge over the Don Valley Parkway, the city’s looming financial district shrinks into a framed photograph as the tall buildings of the city’s core slope down to meet lower, smaller buildings.

Welcome to life on a human scale; to the open and airy embrace of Riverside, on the edge of Leslieville. A neighbourhood of tree-lined streets, full of families that have called it home for 50 years. A place where the buildings speak to one other. 

They’re telling a generational story. A tale as old as Toronto, of sprawling, multipurpose brick buildings that are part of a bustling community, changing at a steady pace all its own. On the corner of Queen & Saulter, the old Post Office-turned-Library stands ready to welcome the newest addition to the rich tapestry of Queen East: BIBLIO Lofts.

BIBLIO Lofts—an NVSBLE Development project—set to break ground in Spring 2023, will be the latest chapter in the story of Toronto’s East End. Built with the neighbourhood in mind, sensitive to the cultural context, with a design-driven aesthetic that’s made to fit in and stand out, BIBLIO is poised to set the new standard for luxury living in Leslieville. The building’s distinctive red brick arches will cast a knowing glance across Queen Street to long-standing staples, while providing a welcoming entrance to its exciting retail spaces at grade.

BIBLIO’s facade was imagined by BDP Quadrangle in concert with heritage architects GBCA to reflect and reinforce the neighbourhood’s heart and aesthetic. BIBLIO’s design is a collaborative effort to highlight and enrich the area’s history, served in an attractive and coveted mid-rise package. “Missing middle buildings are unique in that they are usually experienced at close range,” explains Lisa Spensieri of BDP Quadrangle. “They are intrinsic contributors to the neighbourhood, by being in dialogue—having elements that speak to historic adjacency in a newfound way.”

A joint effort between NVSBLE Development, BDP Quadrangle, Commute Design, Biography Design, and Unique Urban Homes, BIBLIO is a team-led project aimed at delivering a building full of real homes, designed for entertaining and living on a scale that always elevates its surroundings. “People want to live right in the fine fabric of the neighbourhood, amidst the crowds,” says Paul Johnston of Unique Urban Homes. “Mid-rise development is the type of housing that homebuyers crave, presenting the right scale and size of living where the very essence of city life is within reach.”

With detail-led design, and interiors developed by Commute Design, BIBLIO promises to be an exceptional addition to the architectural and stylistic conversation that is Queen Street East. Learn more and pre-register today at bibliolofts.ca.