It's hard to believe it's been 5 years since we opened our doors at Waverley. Ultimately, it's the people who call Waverley home and the energy within the community that make it such an incredible place. We took some time to sit down with some of the faces behind Waverley to hear what it means to them today.
birdO — featured artist
When I paint, I know I'm responsible for every brushstroke as I build toward the finished piece. I take that process very seriously. Because I painted the mural in the Waverley lobby while it was still under construction, I had to imagine how the work would look within the completed space. Five years later, I'm ecstatic to have made a small contribution to its overall atmosphere. I love the curation of the surrounding artwork by some of Toronto's best artists, the furnishings, and, of course, the boutique coffee. As an artist, I'm very proud of the piece I created, but as a Torontonian, I'm always stoked to bring my laptop and spend time in such a stylish and comfortable environment.
Dan Jamieson — featured artist
Feel very lucky to have been included in the roster of chosen artists for the wonderful Waverley development and am proud to have my work sit there permanently. As Ronan Keating sang some years ago, 'Life is a rollercoaster, just gotta ride it' and feel this is advice we can all take note of. Five years on, I have happily become immersed in the world of ceramics, making my 'hate plates' full time. Projects like the Waverley have helped give me the confidence to chase those dreams.
Malik McKoy — featured artist
It's nice to know my works have a permanent home at Waverley in Toronto, the city in which I got my start. I'm still fond of these paintings as they represent the first of many significant shifts in my painting practice that would be to come, which makes their permanence in Waverley's collection even more special. With these works, I learned to trust my instinct and lean into what feels natural. A fun fact: the little idols in the cake in we-you; we-you are derived from my digital 3D modeled scenes and are still referenced in my paintings today. It has become my signature and an easter egg for viewers to look out for.
Anwar Mekhayech, Founding Partner — DesignAgency
Five years of The Waverly.
What made this special – for me the attachment to the project started with the location, I literally grew up around the corner on Huron Street south of College Street in the 70's and 80's so this corner of Spadina and College was pretty much the centre of my universe as a kid. Unfortunately I was too young at the time to see Bob Dylan at the Silver Dollar but I remember there being a really cool music scene between there, the El Mocambo and Grossman's Tavern and eventually even The Comfort Zone.
So, when I met Adrian at a dinner party for another friend/client, I was super excited to have DesignAgency join the team and help Fitzrovia build out their boutique lifestyle purpose-built rental concept. What was great is we had experience in hotels and Adrian approached it in a very similar way, so the objectives were in line right from the beginning. High design for great amenities and service, with a real sense of the location and community with a coffee shop, screening room, amazing fitness on the rooftop and we brought in local artist friends like Thrush Holmes and Adrian commissioned birdO for that iconic mural. We had been doing projects like this in Europe before so it was great to have the chance to create something like this in our own backyard in Toronto, and we went on to work on a bunch of other projects with Fitzrovia.
Matt Nichol, Director of Player Health and Performance — Ottawa Senators
The Temple at Waverley holds a special place for me - not just as a project, but as the culmination of nearly 30 years of friendship with Adrian Rocca. I remember him sharing his vision for Fitzrovia long before it existed, and watching it actually come to life was something else entirely.
When Adrian asked me to design the gyms for the Fitzrovia properties, it was both an enormous honour and a genuine opportunity to create something world-class. He was unequivocal - no compromises, no cutting corners. The brief was simple: build a facility that any professional or Olympic athlete would be proud to train in and so great that none of our residents need to pay for a membership anywhere else. That kind of trust and ambition is rare, and it brings out your best work.
What I'm most proud of is that The Temple by Fitzrovia spaces are as beautiful as they are functional and to me, those two things are inseparable. Waverley was the first, and that's why it sits nearest to my heart. Every project after it carried its DNA. The best gyms have a feeling that's almost impossible to put into words – an energy, a vibe – but when it's there, you know it the moment you walk in. Waverley has that. Those city skyline views from the penthouse floor don't just inspire the space, they inspire the people training in it. Five years on, that's exactly why it still feels timeless. Great design doesn't chase trends. It just endures.
Adrian Rocca, CEO & Founder — Fitzrovia
Five years ago, we opened the doors to Waverley – Fitzrovia's first managed community and a project that helped define The Fitzrovia Standard™.
From the moment you walk into Waverley's airy Lobby Lounge, there's a feeling that sets it apart. The great vibe and energy are there immediately – it's something you feel every time you enter.
I am incredibly proud of what we created, but even more proud of the residents who have made Waverley what it is today: inclusive, welcoming, and full of lasting connections. This community's success paved the way for the expansion of the Waverley brand into other student rental markets, and five years later, the community continues to stand the test of time, setting the standard for boutique rental living in Canada.
Nadiia Semenichenko, Regional Manager — 10 DEAN
Waverley taught us early on that we never want to be cookie-cutter. Waverley showed us something we couldn't have anticipated – that when you commit to serving a community on its own terms, the response is extraordinary. The community at Waverley surprised us. You'd expect a student crowd given our proximity to U of T – and students are very much part of who we are – but the range of people who've made this their spot pushed us to think more deeply about the neighbourhood we're in and let it shape our identity.
The Waverley space itself shaped our hospitality model. It's large enough that a standard coffee shop experience wouldn't do it justice, so we started delivering coffee to the table and creating more real interaction with guests than you'd typically find in a cafe. That same size opened the door to community programming like matcha & coffee classes, community events. Because of that Waverley became our most identifiable from a brand perspective.
Waverley is really where the emphasis on feature drinks became a defining pillar for 10 DEAN. Many of our early signature drinks trace back to the space and energy of Waverley.
But what I'm most proud of are the bonds we've built with our residents. Our baristas know most of them by name, we celebrate their wins, and that's what has given us our deepest roots in the community. Those connections are honestly one of my favourite parts of the job – for me and the team both. I have no doubt our regulars feel the same way. Waverley was built with community at its core, and I think we've delivered on that.
Brent Whitby, Partner & Architect — Kirkor Architects
This was Kirkor's first project with Fitzrovia, and working directly with Adrian Rocca. It was this experience that brought the greatest learning to Kirkor. Fitzrovia believed in a foundational narrative throughout all aspects of the Waverley design, which centered on reimagining the rental experience. It is in these narratives, and in a commitment to them, that leads to exceptional architecture. Fitzrovia was unwavering in their vision for this project, and this focus empowered the design team to explore with Fitzrovia unique concepts for suites, amenities, heritage restoration, and neighbourhood connectivity that unlocked the ultimate success of the project. Fitzrovia's commitment to their narrative reinforced the time-tested truth in architecture that strong stories excite people, including the many voices that contribute to project approvals and advancing the design into construction. Strong stories can create urgency to just "get-er-done", and Fitzrovia telling and retelling of the Waverley story is what left the largest impact on Kirkor.
For us, the execution of the narrative that Fitzrovia wanted to see for this community was of fundamental impact 5 years ago. This was a narrative that fully embraced community, understanding that targeting a younger resident demographic could activate a unique amenity programme. It includes a multi-purpose lobby that merged public/private realms with a lively retail cafe, and a luxury rooftop lounge and fitness, that hopefully would contribute to the programming of the reinstated Silver Dollar, which in itself was exciting work to restore the interior of this cultural heritage gem while technically isolating it from the suites above (we didn't want to disturb sleep during the midnight hours of the club). The lobby, co-working space, and roof-top pool are still buzzing now five years on – as fully envisioned by Fitzrovia and fulfilled by the design team.
On the façade, Kirkor worked closely with Fitzrovia to explore and develop the expression of a basket weave in the precast panel façade, a pattern that transitions in flow differently across the elevation from top to bottom. The ridges of the weave catch the light to create shadows within the white field of panels to create the subtle gestures of the weave from significant distance. As for the use of the project, it is of its neighbourhood. The suite types, suite fit-out details, and the project amenities continue to create a resident community that is young and inherently urban. The ability for this project to hold this base of residents because they believe in the design and project programming, whether students or young professionals, bring and hold important contributors to the vibrancy of this College/Spadina core neighbourhood. People, and how they use their building and grow their own lives therein, is as much a part of a lasting design legacy as is the physical manifestation of cladding and windows. This project, 5 years on, is still thriving.
Here's to another five incredible years of Waverley!
