Toronto’s architecture

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http://www.heygo.com 28th February - A Walk Through Toronto’s South Core



Our guide today focuses on the architecture of the city.



We started our tour outside the huge Union Station.

Construction on this iconic landmark began in 1914 amidst a materials shortage during World War I, but the station didn’t officially open until 1927. Since then, Union Station has welcomed waves of immigrants to Toronto, survived a major fire, and endured more than 90 years of wear and tear.



Union Station was designed in the grand manner of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris It was built by Canadian Pacific Railway and Grand Trunk Railway at a time when a railway station was viewed as the gateway to a city, Union Station was the largest and most opulent train station erected in Canada during the last great phase in railway station construction.



The Royal York hotel opened it’s doors on June 11, 1929. It was the tallest building in the British Commonwealth and quickly set the hospitality standard of the day. The magnificent hotel became known as a city within a city, rising in 28 floors of architectural splendor with mechanical genius and opulence never before seen in Toronto.

It boasted 1,048 rooms – each with radios, private showers and bathtubs. The 1.5 acres of public rooms included a 12-bed hospital, 12,000-book library and ten ornate passenger elevators. The Concert Hall featured a full stage and mammoth pipe organ weighing 50 tons, which surpassed anything else in Canada with 300 miles of copper wire. There was a glass-enclosed roof garden, the largest hotel kitchen in Canada with a bakery that could produce over 15,000 French rolls a day, a 66-ft.long switchboard manned by 35 telephone operators, its own bank and golf course.



Roy Thomson Hall first opened its doors in 1982. Designed by architect Arthur Erickson, it is considered a cultural and architectural icon in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district. It’s circular architectural design exhibits a sloping and curvilinear glass exterior. It was designed by Canadian architects. Itzhak Perlman the Israeli-American violinist, conductor, and music teacher acted as a special advisor to the architects on accessibility needs for disabled performers and guests.



Pecaut Square (formerly known as Metro Square) is a large concrete-and granite-clad plaza located in front of Metro Hall.

Metro Hall was opened in November 1992 to serve as headquarters of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The ground, second and third floors are public areas, while floors four to twenty seven house some City departments.



The 100 Workers’ Monument at Simcoe Park was built in 2000, commissioned by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Inscribed on the monument are the names of 100 people who died whilst at work in the 99 years between 1901 and 2000. The statue of a worker who has been placed to look as though he were building the wall itself, is wearing safety gear and this introduces the idea of hope to the monument.



CN Tower - Standing at a height of 1,815 feet (553 metres), it was the world’s tallest freestanding structure until 2007, when it was surpassed by the Burj in Dubai.

Construction of CN Tower began in February 1973 and involved more than 1,500 workers; the tower was completed in February 1974, and the attachment of its antenn a was finished in April 1975. First opened to the public on June 26, 1976, CN Tower was built by Canadian National Railway Company, was initially privately owned, but ownership of the tower was transferred to the Canadian government in 1995; it is now managed by a public corporation. CN Tower is by far Toronto’s most distinctive landmark.



Another interesting tour and if you were wondering about the figure on the bench outside the broadcasting studio it is Glenn Gould one of Toronto’s most famous classical musicians.

On our tour today he was partly covered so a quick search and I found an image of him uncovered.

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