Imperial Oil Building

Last Thursday, Heritage Toronto organized a mural presentation and plaque unveiling at the Imperial Oil Building.

This Modernist-style edifice was built in 1957, and was the head office until 2005, when the company moved to Calgary, Alberta.

It was sold to Camrost Felcorp in 2010, and converted to condos.
Despite the construction work. much of the interior was left intact, including the two murals.
They were painted by Toronto-born artist R. York Wilson, and are each 32 feet by 21 feet. They depict the "Story of Oil", beginning with its formation in prehistory, and ending with its discovery and eventual use in industry.

This picture shows one of the clocks, with its gold mosaic tile background at the entrance way.

Another photo in the lobby, shows the original Royal Mail box.

There were several dignitaries present for the unveiling, including the CEO of the developer, Scotiabank (plaque sponsor), HT staff members, York Wilson reps and the local City Councillor, Josh Matlow.

Finally, here is the plaque commemorating the 19 story pink granite building at 111 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto.

St. Matthew's Lawn Bowling Club House

Last Saturday Marcia and I attended a plaque unveiling for the St, Matthew's Lawn Bowling Club House, located on Broadview, near Langley Avenue.

From right to left Gerald Whyte, Riverdale Historical Society, Paula Fletcher, Ward 30 City Councillor, the Director of Toronto Parks and Trees, Ms. Chan, Scotiabank, and slightly hidden from view is Kevin Plummer, Heritage Toronto Board member.
The building was designed by Robert McCallum, Toronto's first City Architect.

It boasts a wide wrap-around veranda, two meeting rooms, each with their own fireplace, as well as kitchen on the first floor..
The Club House has served as a social and meeting place for its members since 1906.

If you look closely at the photo (below), you can see the Riverdale Isolation Hospital and the Don Jail in the background.

In 2007, the club was disbanded due to a lack of members, and the land was transferred to Bridgepoint Health.
As part of the renovations to the Don Jail, the City negotiated a Section 37 to pay for the cost of moving the club and restoring it.

Today, it is leased to the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation and is also available as a meeting space for city groups.

The presentation also featured a pop-up museum of trophies and sport memorabilia  from the City of Toronto Museums and Heritage Service collections.

Art Deco

Last Saturday, my friend and I ventured to the Market Gallery, to view the current exhibit, "Art Deco, Style Moderne and Their Contemporaries in Toronto".

It showcased some of the buildings from the decades between the two World Wars. Many of these have since been demolished to make way for new larger offices and condos.

This advertising poster, shows the Concourse building at 100 Adelaide Street West, that currently is gone. The owners, Oxford Properties, will be replacing it with a 41-story office tower. Apparently, they will be keeping the facade of the first three floors, as well as the archway.

Photo by Jack Landau

This magnificent archway was created by J.E.H. MacDonald of the legendary Group of Seven. Hopefully, the finished edifice will be just a nice as the original.

The structure was built by Baldwin and Greene in 1928, and was most notable for the archway, the lobby and the Art Deco motifs on the east wall.

Yonge and Queen

Yesterday I happened upon the "Urban Toronto" web site, and read an article about the construction planned for the NW corner of Yonge and Queen.
It seems that Cadillac Fairview (owners of the Eaton Centre) have submitted an application to the City of Toronto to build a 69 story rental tower at this busy intersection.

According to the writer of this article, the tower will contain 580 rental suites, with a bicycle parking space for each unit. Interesting.....no spaces for cars!

They also plan to provide better access to the Queen Street subway station; plus it will connect to the Eaton Centre (of course).
The application states that the heritage building will be restored and integrated with the new tower (see the picture above).

 Attributed to Octavius Thompson.
Albumen print.
Toronto Public Library

In the mid 1850's there was another building at this location (see picture above). 
It was for agriculture-related businesses, such as James Fleming & Co., a well-known seed merchant.

By 1880, Philip Jamieson, a merchant tailor, had a store in the building, and eventually he built the Jamieson Building in 1897. 
It was designed by Toronto architects Samuel Curry and Francis S. Baker.
 

The following is excerpted from the City of Toronto Heritage Designation p.d.f.

"The heritage attributes of the Philip Jamieson Building related to its design value are: 

• The 4 1/2 story plan with a cornice and parapet along the flat roof line 

• The uniform fenestration (proportioning and design of windows) in the second and fourth stories, with flat-headed openings in the second and third floors, as well as elaborate round-arched openings in the upper story.

• The terra cotta trim on the third and fourth floors

• In the attic level, the small rectangular window openings placed above a stone band course".
• The first floor storefronts have been altered and are not included.

It is a surviving example of a late 19th century commercial building with Classical detailing.

As well, the rounded corner is a unique highlight of the building design.

Over the years, the building's tenants have been H. Knox & Co., Woolworth's, Tower records, Good Life Fitness, Coast Mountain Sports, and presently, it is home to Atmosphere.

140 Wellington Street East

While surfing the internet, I happened upon "The Torontoist" web site and found some photos of Toronto that were taken more than 150 years ago.

One picture that showed "The Exchange" on the north side of Wellington, just east of Yonge Street, and adjacent to Leader Lane.

According to the web site, it was damaged by fire in the 1930's, and subsequently demolished during WWII.

 

Courtesy City of Toronto Archives, Fonds, 1498. 

Once I looked carefully at the photo, though, I realized that the building just east of it was somewhat familiar.

Curiousity caused me to crop the picture a little, so that the building at 140 Wellington was showcased a little better.

 

The lettering over the storefronts says "Hutchison & Co." and looks like it still stands today, despite the many fires on Wellington, over the years.

So I surfed over to "Google Maps" and "snipped" this picture, just to prove to myself that, indeed they were the same.

 

 Yep, when compared, they are definitely the same!

  

Queen and Bathurst

This is an old photo from the Toronto Archives of the building at Queen West and Bathurst (651).

It was a United Cigar Store, on the main floor, but according to Doug Taylor's web site (Historic Toronto) it was called the Occidental Building.
Built by none other than E.J. Lennox in 1876 for the Masons. 

The mansard roof disappeared when renovations were done in 1948.
For a while it was an ugly purple coloured bar called The Big Bop.

 

Just recently it was renovated again bringing it back to a better looking site on Queen.

 That's much better, it's hard to imagine that it is the same building.

Hockey Hall of Fame

Here we have a picture of the Bank of Montreal, taken around 1963 or 4, from the Toronto Archives (the cars parked along Front Street, date the picture).

The building was used by the bank as a head office until 1949, when they moved to a location at King and Bay Streets. After that, it continued as a branch until 1982, when it was closed for the last time.

 

It sat unused until around 1990, when it was renovated, and included in the development of BCE Place (now Brookfield Place).

It was originally intended to be an art gallery, but was secured by the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

In 1993 they moved from the CNE grounds to their new home at Yonge and Front Streets.

Somewhere along the line, the clock (above the main entrance) was removed and never re-installed.

This picture was downloaded from the Torontoist.

I am sure that there have been thousands of folks who have paid the admission price and toured through the building; but how many have stopped just inside the main entrance, and had a good look around?

Here you will find a 70 by 70 foot room that rises to a 45 foot high stained glass dome, that was rendered in the best traditions of classical symbolism.

It is the largest dome of its kind in Toronto, and features 24 (count them) fanned panels, depicting dragons guarding gold from eagles.

The eight circles bear emblems representing the provinces and Canada.

NB: In the late 1800's there was only seven provinces in Canada.