Making it their own

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Iconic Capitol Theatre development gets a personal touch from purchasers

From inception, The Capitol residences by Madison Group in midtown Toronto — an ode to the famed Capitol Theatre — was destined to be a star with its desirable location, boutique size and opulent design inspired by Hariri Pontarini Architects, Turner Fleischer Architects and Studio Munge.

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Then an interesting phenomenon took shape. The more affluent purchasers showed an interest in making it their next forever home, the more things started to change as they sought to define personal and exclusive residences that match their lifestyle.

“It was very much organic,” said Madison Group vice-president of highrise Josh Zagdanski. “We had our view of what the market was, but people came to us and asked for larger suite sizes more in keeping with the sizes of the homes they were selling.”

The result is an unprecedented trend in pre-construction personalization that will ultimately lead to a truly iconic living experience. And even though it comes with complexities and challenges, Zagdanski anticipates they would do it again given the right set of circumstances.

“We think it’s very validating,” said Zagdanski, adding that a future site would need to have the right make-up, such as location, fewer than 200 units, and ample outdoor living space per unit. “That package is what drives the interest for personalization of suites,” he added.

In addition to combining two or more units to obtain more square footage, purchasers are creating spacious chef’s kitchens, spa-like master bathrooms, extensive walk-in closets and more home office space.

The layout changes are extensive, involving structural, electrical and mechanical elements, but Madison Group is “happy to do it,” said Zagdanski, as long as it’s done in the timeframe before construction begins.

The process entails completing an in-depth personalization questionnaire with the Madison Group design team as a starting point and then ascertaining what’s feasible from there. Once all parties come to a mutual agreement, a deal is struck.

“We basically put together your wish list of what it is you want out of this home,” said Zagdanski, noting that they try to incorporate as many ‘like-to-haves’ as possible.

Recently, a fifteenth floor was added to the project and as soon as the announcement was made, a prospective buyer was considering taking half it, he said, adding the majority of purchasers are coming from large luxury homes. They’re not necessarily looking to downsize but to reformat their lifestyle in a worry-free condo.

With an estimated completion date now set for early 2026, The Capitol at Yonge and Castlefield still has some availability, he added.