[URBAN NOTE] "Quirky Exterior Details Appear as Casey House Nears Completion"

[rfmcdonald]

Urban Toronto's Jack Landau reports on the interesting new renovations expected for Casey House, Toronto's long-standing HIV/AIDS hospice.

The 1875-built William R. Johnston House—formerly known as the Grey Lady of Jarvis Street—is now awash with colour, as exterior details appear at the Jarvis and Isabella construction site. The home is becoming the Jarvis Street face for a brand new Casey House expansion. Years of paint and grime have been meticulously cleaned from the historic house's red brick exterior, while a modern addition designed by architect Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects will soon be home to a much improved HIV/AIDS care facility.

Following the 2014 start of restoration on the existing building, construction of the 58,000 ft² addition commenced in Spring 2015 with a ceremonial ground breaking event, followed a year later by the April 2016 topping off of the four-storey addition. By this past December, work on Casey House's exterior was substantially complete, and work is now being carried out on the interior build-out and final exterior elements before the building's anticipated early 2017 opening.

Inspired by memorial quilts made by volunteers to honour past Casey House patients lost to HIV/AIDS, Siamak Hariri's design for the building incorporates a range of exterior finishes. This quilt effect is achieved through a mix of three different tones of reclaimed brick, crust-faced limestone, and a combination of mirrored and pattern-enameled glass.