Real estate developer Peter Freed of Freed Developments announces the first Freed Hotel and Residences tower located located in Toronto. This $800M skyscraper will bring both Katsuya by Sam Nazarian's Disruptive Group by sbe and artwork by renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to Toronto.
Designed by Chicago-based tall building experts Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, reknowned for the next 'world's tallest and most luxurious skyscraper' Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, as well as Central Park Tower in New York, the project will have 100 luxury hotel rooms and 400 luxury condominiums with a Skybar/restaurant on the 63rd floor, a boutique spa and a 10,000-square-foot Katsuya Restaurant on the second floor.
Sam Nazarian's sbe, the lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates restaurants, lounges and nightclubs, will open the first Katsuya restaurant in Canada on the second floor of the Freed Hotel and Residences, expected to launch in fall 2028. This announcement follows Nazarian's 2020 sale of Nazarian's hospitality brand and management platform which included over 100 hotels, more than 150 restaurants and lounges, and over $4 billion of luxury residential sales.
sbe's Katsuya is a fusion that ignited a new sushi trend that swiftly spread throughout the culinary industry with locations in Dubai, Miami, Los Angeles, New York and the Bahamas. This restaurant will mark the first location in Canada and the 12th globally. The menu, curated by Katsuya Uechi, who merges Japanese cuisine with modern techniques and flavors, will have staples from the 20-year tradition of excellence that has brought Katsuya international acclaim, and new dishes imagined specially for Toronto.
"We are so thrilled to be bringing the iconic Katsuya brand to Canada for the first time with Peter Freed and his best-in-class team at Freed Developments," sbe Founder and CEO Sam Nazarian said in a statement. "Katsuya is going to be a destination for locals, hotel guests and residents alike, and we cannot wait to share Chef Katsuya's contemporary Japanese culinary experience with the discerning people of Toronto."
In addition, artist Takashi Murakami's artwork, "Together with the Flower Parent and Child," will be featured prominently in the lobby of the Freed Hotel and Residences launching. Murakami is celebrated globally for his contributions to contemporary visual culture. Murakami's most iconic motif, the flower, takes on the role of a parent and child holding hands and standing in synchronicity.
"As the largest owner and operator of the Ontario hotel and resorts portfolio, this project is a testament to my profound love for Toronto," said Freed, Freed Developments founder and CEO. "Freed Hotel and Residences represents a groundbreaking moment for Freed Developments with the opportunity to merge art, culture and sophistication through hotel-style living. Building on Freed's 30-year legacy of best-in-class projects, Freed Hotel and Residences will proudly display a captivating piece of artwork by Takashi Murakami, adding a unique cultural dimension to this venture, while also bringing forward the first-ever Katsuya Restaurant to Canada, which will further enhance the city's culinary landscape, and best-in-class hotel experiences for both residences and guests."
The Design
Freed Hotel and Residences will bring an unprecedented sophistication and luxury that is a signature of Freed Developments in Toronto, said AS+GG Partner Gordon Gill. "Located at the corner of Adelaide and Duncan Streets, the tower will offer residents and visitors spectacular views of the city and Lake Ontario. The tower shines against the city's already impressive skyline, becoming an instant icon," Gill continued. "The formal geometry of the tower is defined by both its arrival and skyline expressions. Diamond-shaped facets create a distinctive arrival and retail experience at street level, while the complementary faceted silhouette of the tower's top creates an iconic identity within the Toronto skyline. The tower boasts luxurious hotel and residential functions with abundant amenities including terraced, outdoor garden spaces."
Toronto's DesignAgency leads the interior design of Freed Hotel and Residences. In harmony with the contemporary architecture and landmark Murakami sculpture, the interiors will bring together a creative collection of spaces and amenities that transport residents and hotel guests into magical, fun and exciting worlds of design. Melding moments of poetic simplicity and dramatic juxtapositions of color, mood and scale, the identity-defining interiors will express a feeling of transformational luxury that embodies the project's iconic aspirations.
"Freed Hotel and Residences is already an iconic project. By assembling a world-class creative team, Peter Freed has set the stage for innovation and imagination on a grand scale. Together with these exceptional collaborators, DesignAgency is excited to explore new realms of possibility to create immersive interiors that exude great wonder and style," said Anwar Mekhayech, founding partner, DesignAgency.
Key features of the Freed Hotel and Residences project include:
- Multi-functional tower: The project will have 100 luxury hotel rooms and 400 luxury condominiums with a Skybar/restaurant on the 63rd floor.
- Katsuya, Contemporary Japanese Restaurant: The hotel will house the Katsuya Japanese restaurant by Sam Nazarian's Disruptive Group by sbe on the second floor.
- Takashi Murakami art integration: Takashi Murakami will bring forward his artwork, "Together with the Flower Parent and Child," that will be featured prominently inside the lobby of the Freed Hotel and Residences.
- Amenities include: 62nd floor Sky Lobby with grand staircase leading to 63rd floor restaurant and bar featuring 70-foot-tall space below a sloping skylight, a boutique spa, terrace and outdoor garden, private spaces for entertaining and dining, fitness and yoga studio, private theater room, valet parking, full-service concierge, and more.
Freed Developments is excited to bring this innovative and iconic project to Toronto, setting a new standard for luxury living in the heart of the city. Freed's President Corey Shepherd added: "Freed is a true thought-leader that has transformed lifestyle residential condo living in Toronto over the past number of decades and this project will be like living in a piece of modern art."
The Freed Hotel and Residences is scheduled to begin sales in March 2024. Potential buyers can expect a diverse range of units ranging from 270 square fee to more than 9,800 square feet.