A massive tent that has stood south of St. Lawrence Market for almost a decade could finally be removed this year.

The large tent at 125 The Esplanade has served as a temporary replacement space hosting the farmer's market that was housed in the former St. Lawrence Market North building at 92 Front Street East, and has remained in place while the site is redeveloped with a modern building.

Approaching the ten-year anniversary of the temporary market's opening and a quarter century since plans for the new market were first conceived, construction is finally wrapping up on the new North Market building, a glittering $128 million landmark at the northwest corner of Front and Jarvis.

Toronto's stunning new $128 million landmark now just months from openinghttps://t.co/OMgZzOObgr

— blogTO (@blogTO) November 20, 2024

The five-storey structure — designed by U.K.-based architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners working alongside local firm Adamson Associates Architects — will house a permanent home for the long-displaced farmer's market on its ground floor, along with new Toronto Court Services courtrooms and administrative offices above.

While an official opening of the replacement North Market has not yet been announced, the facility is expected to be fully operational in the coming months, paving the way for the removal of the temporary tent that has been in place south of the main St. Lawrence Market building since July 2015.

The temporary market location on The Esplanade was first approved in 2009 with an estimated lifespan of three years, though the tent would not be erected for another six years, and the new market building has yet to open over a decade and a half later.

Excavation prior to the temporary structure's installation unearthed many relics of the area's industrial past, including rail ties and a buried wharf from the late 1800s.

A City of Toronto representative declined to share a specific timeline for the tent's removal, but told blogTO that the City "is currently developing next steps for the temporary market structure at St. Lawrence Market, including preparation of the existing lot for public use once the structure is removed."

City representatives say that the initial planning of these next steps is expected to be complete by late spring, meaning the structure could come down in the months that follow.