Brick and Mortar of the North: Canada’s tallest, 1950
 

This is a companion thread to my list of the pre-war giants of the United States, and is in honor of the little festivities over in Vancouver. Unlike the U.S. list, this combines all the Canadian cities, so it’s dominated by Toronto and Montréal, who were neck-to-neck in population with Montréal slightly ahead (1,395,400 to 1,117,470 in 1951). Vancouver was third in population with 530,728 inhabitants.

The national population in 1950 was 13,712,000, and the Prime Minister was Louis St. Laurent of Quebec. His Liberal government saw Newfoundland join the Federation in 1949, and construction commenced on the Trans-Canada Highway in 1950. The St. Lawrence Seaway would begin four years later. The Governor General was Viscount (later Earl) Alexander of Tunis, representing HM George VI. The King was in increasingly frail health, and it was only a little over a year from the end of 1950 until the crown passed to his daughter, Elizabeth.

Feel free to point out any mistake, and if you're curious I'm south of the border. ;)

The buildings:

1) Commerce Court North, Toronto, 145 m, 1931
This slender building would be Canada’s tallest until Place Ville-Marie was completed in Montréal in 1962
http://www.sixty7architectureroad.co...=1236480650335
(sixty7architectureroad.com)

UC) St. Joseph's Oratory, Montréal, 129 m, not finished until 1967
Construction started in 1924, but the Oratory never was Montréal's tallest as Ville Place-Marie was completed four years earlier.
http://www.imtl.org/image/big/oratoi...treal_2007.jpg
(imtl.org)

2) Royal York Hotel, Toronto, 124 m, 1929
http://huzefa58.files.wordpress.com/...rkexterior.jpg
(Wordpress)

3) Sun Life Building, Montréal, 122 m, 1931
The largest building by floor area in the Commonwealth at the time.
http://www.imtl.org/image/big/IMG_1085.jpg
(imtl.org)

4) Tour de la Banque Royale, Montréal, 121 m, 1928
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...que_Royale.jpg
(Wikimedia)

UC) Bank of Nova Scotia Building, Toronto, 115 m, 1951
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...Aug08-002a.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

5) Hotel Vancouver, 111 m, 1939
Now under the Fairmont brand; is in the Olympics SSP banner.
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...00909-009a.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

6) City Hall, Toronto, 104 m, 1899
The modern City Hall was built in 1965.
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...Aug08-010a.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

http://www.gothereguide.com/Images/C...l_toronto_.jpg
(gothereguide.com)

7) Marine Building, Vancouver, 98 m, 1930
Also in SSP’s Olympics banner.
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...00909-002a.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

http://www.track0.com/japh/archive/i...g_06-25-04.jpg
(track0.com)

8) Aldred Building, Montréal, 97 m, 1931
http://citynoise.org/upload/25426.jpg
(citynoise.org)

9) Bell Building, Montréal, 96 m, 1929
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...ilding-001.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

10) St. James Cathedral, Toronto, 93 m, 1809
http://geoconger.files.wordpress.com...s-toronto.jpeg
(Wordpress)

11) Parliament, Ottawa, 92 m, completed 1927
http://www.canada-maps.org/ontario/i...t-building.jpg
(Canada-maps.org)

12) Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec, 91 m, 1923
http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/medi...hurch_9521.jpg
(hickerphoto.com)

13) Victoria Tower, Toronto, 88 m, 1927
Despite its national top ten position in 1950, today this building does not make the top 100 for Toronto.
http://www.emporis.com/img/6/2002/11/169715.jpg
(Emporis, sorry about the huge watermark)

14) Canada Life Building, Toronto, 87 m, 1931
http://www.trailcanada.com/images-ph...0792113828.jpg
(trailcanada.com)

15) Toronto Star Building, 87 m, 1929
Demolished in 1972 to make way for First Canadian Place
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rontoStar3.jpg
(Wikimedia)

16) Royal Bank Building, Vancouver, 85 m, 1937
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...00909-001a.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

17) Sun Tower, Vancouver, 84 m, 1912
http://images.travelpod.com/users/me....sun-tower.jpg
(Travelpod.com)

18) Édifice Price, Québec, 82 m, 1930
http://www.quebechebdo.com/imgs/dyna..._Price_lum.jpg
(quebechebdo.com)

19) Sterling Tower, Toronto, 82 m, 1928
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ling_Tower.JPG
(Wikimedia)

20) Château Frontenac, Québec, 80 m, 1924
http://www.digitalapoptosis.com/arch...0Frontenac.jpg
(digitalpoptosis.com)

21) St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto, 79 m, 1848
http://www.biocrawler.com/w/images/0...ls-toronto.jpg
(biocrawler.com)

22) Laurentian Hotel, Montréal, 78 m, 1948
Demolished in 1978, only thirty years after opening.
http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4599/123712du6.jpg
(Imageshack)

23) Victory Building, Toronto, 78 m, 1937
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3417/...db0da828d8.jpg
(Flickr)

24) Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, 75 m, 1935
On the photo’s left edge
http://www.uhn.ca/media/image_galler...ter_atrium.jpg
(uhn.ca)

25) Manitoba Legislative Building, Winnipeg, 74 m, 1920
Tallest in the Prairie Provinces
http://images.travelpod.com/users/sa...e-building.jpg
(travelpod)

26) Royal Bank Building, Toronto, 72 m, 1915
http://www.butlerme.com/images/Royal-Bank-Canada.jpg
(butlerme.com)

27) Église Saint-Pierre-Apôtre, Montréal, 72 m
http://www.imtl.org/image/big/_MG_8847.jpg
(imtl.org)

28) Delta Bessborough, Saskatoon, 71 m, 1932
Tallest in Saskatchewan
http://saskatoonlive.com/images/plac...roughfront.jpg
(saskatoonlive.com)

29) Canada Permanent Trust Building, Toronto, 70 m, 1930
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...Aug08-002a.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

30) Canada Building, Windsor, 70 m, 1928
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ldgWindsor.jpg
(Wikimedia)

31) Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, Montréal, 70 m to tip of spire, 1886
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/...736a79ddc1.jpg
(Flickr)

32) Christ Church Cathedral, Montréal, 70 m, 1859
http://www.imtl.org/image/big/Christ...thedral_08.jpg
(imtl.org)

33) Basilique Notre-Dame, Montréal, 70 m, 1829
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...e-montreal.jpg
(tripadvisor.com)

http://www.spawl.com/albums/montreal...e_basilica.jpg
(sprawl.com)

34) St. Patrick's Basilica, Montréal, 69 m, 1847
http://www.travelandtransitions.com/...finalwalk1.jpg
(travelandtransitions.com)

35) Concourse Building, Toronto, 68 m, 1928
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3391/...11ffaf88d7.jpg
(Flickr)

36) Holy Rosary Cathedral, Vancouver, 66 m, 1900
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Im...00909-005a.jpg
(Glass, Steel, and Stone)

37) Whitney Block, Toronto, 65 m, 1933
http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/photos/2...ing_cop_01.jpg
(topleftpixel.com)

38) Pigott Building, Hamilton, 64 m, 1929
http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarkin...012e32a04b.jpg
(groundspeak.com)

A few more:
Alberta Legislative Building, Edmonton, 57 m, 1912
Tallest in Alberta
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/202/5...fdb347.jpg?v=0
(Flickr)

Fairmont Palliser Hotel, Calgary, 55 m, 1914
Tallest in Calgary
http://static.booking.com/images/hot...28/1288741.jpg
(booking.com)

Dominion Building, Vancouver, 53 ft, 1910
When completed the tallest building in the Commonwealth.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...n_Building.jpg

Some damn fine buildings there!

I would sell off a state to have the Marine and Sun Buildings in my country.

Great list, would the Dominion Building in Vancouver not fall into this list as it was at one point the tallest building in the Commonwealth.

It's too short to make the top 25, but I'll stick it in the additional section.

You're missing the 129 m Oratoire Saint-Joseph in Montreal, 104 m (old) City Hall in Toronto, 93 m St. James Cathedral in Toronto, 79 m St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, 72 m Saint-Pierre-Apôtre Church in Montreal, 70 m Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal, and 69 m Saint Patrick's Basilica in Montreal...perhaps more, but thats all I've seen so far from a brief check through Emporis, after noticing the absence of those first three.

:previous: Fixed.

I go by the diagrams here to make these lists and for some reason the diagrams push city halls and churches to the end, after all the highrises. Thus, I missed them. :shrug: Edit: looks like "roof height" is a better sort than "official height."

Also, with the 1952 cutoff for the diagram St. Joseph's Oratory is left out as it wasn't finished until '67, and some of those churches (St. Michael's, Saint-Pierre-Apôtre, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick's) are not even in the diagrams. Hmm...

Thanks for the correction. I also missed another basilica in Québec. The old Hotel Vancouver would have made this list but it was demolished in the late 1940s.

Cathedral of Christ the King, Hamilton
built 1933
52 m (170.5 feet)

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...march/0035.jpg

edit...ah, sorry, i didnt catch the jist of this thread...these are the tallest buildings in canada in 1950?...anyways i'll leave my post for interests sake.


union bank tower in winnipeg (47.58 metres - 156 feet) boasted the highest flagpole in the british commonwealth when it was built in 1903....ive never heard it referd to as the tallest building in canada in 1903, but im not sure what was (discounting spire buildings)

it is currently being restored and turned into a student residence for the downtown college and will house a main floor cooking school with two restaurants.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/...b1039bf1_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/...b1039bf1_b.jpg

Royal Connaught Hotel, Hamilton
built 1916
50 m (164 ft)

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...amilton/78.jpg

Connaught Corporate Centre, Hamilton
built 1931
52 m (170 ft)
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ale/100079.jpg

That's fine. I welcome posts like yours with shorter but just as interesting buildings, especially for the smaller cities.

bump for a lovely thread.

Didn't realize how many well designed buildings and churches Canada had before 1950.
A lot theses buildings are amazing. Just wish they were still building structures like these.

Nice list of good looking buildings.

The tallest buildings between Ottawa and Winnipeg before 1950:

Whalen Building, Port Arthur (Thunder Bay).
Built in 1913. When it was finished, Port Arthur only had about 14,000 people, and the region only had about 30,000 people.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/...f370e1a0_z.jpg

Royal Edward Arms Hotel, Fort William (Thunder Bay)
Built 1928. Fort William had a population of about 23,000 and the region had around 50,000. Members of the community all bought shares to have it constructed.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/...284bb4fa_z.jpg

Not really a skyscraper, but if we're including churches, why not?

Grain Elevators of the Canadian Lakehead
Between 1910 and 1945
The largest were constructed in the late 1920s. At their peak, there were about 30 grain elevators lining our harbour. The one pictured below was the largest single grain elevator in the world for over 60 years, and with its twin is still the largest grain handing facility in the world. In terms of capacity, Thunder Bay still has the most grain storage capacity for a single location on Earth, even though more than half of the elevators have been demolished and half of those remaining are vacant or idle.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/...aa1a454e_z.jpg
They're the tallest buildings in the city, equivalent to 20-25 storey buildings. This one isn't the tallest.

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/5...rabbittmou.jpg
unknown source -- all the tall white buildings in the distance are grain elevators, and all of them were there before 1950.

Outside of Thunder Bay, there is the Windsor Park Hotel in Sault Ste. Marie:
http://members.shaw.ca/pepsi.kid/ima...ent%20home.jpg
Source

I don't know when it was built.

Bump!

Wow I'm sorry I missed this thread, its great!

A few notes and observations.

The ssp diagram are an incomplete and at times unreliable source concerning canada's old skyscrapers.

For example, St James Cathedral in Toronto (aka Cathedral Church of St. James) was certainly not completed in 1809, relying wikipedia seems more reliable here, as it dates the completion date to 1853.

Also, there is a sad omission in the canadian diagrams, that of the Universite de Montreal Roger-Gaudry pavilion (the campus' main building). One of Canada's finest example of modern art deco, it is 92m tall and built in 1943. Whoever drew the diagram forgot to list this date, which explains why was omitted in this list...

Diagram here http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?
Picture here: http://www.imtl.org/montreal/buildin...e-Montreal.php

^indeed, one cannot omit that fantastic tower at UofM.

^Hey man that tower's rad. My God-Mother actually was one of Cormier's last mistresses and he apparently told her that his actual intention when designing this tower was to build a giant penis. True story.

Nice list! A great tribute to the classics!

There is also an other Montreal Omission, the Architects Building, now demolished :(.

A 17 storey art deco tower built in downtown in 1932.

diagram here: http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?

Again, I question the diagram's height, which lists the building at a mere 55 metres. I'd put it at 68 metres at least.

http://www.erudit.org/livre/lachapel...1d3_img01n.jpg
http://www.erudit.org/livre/lachapel...1d3_img01n.jpg

http://www.erudit.org/livre/lachapel...1d5_img28n.jpg
http://www.erudit.org/livre/lachapel...1d5_img28n.jpg



Here's one that is not even in the Montreal diagram section (no idea why); the historic Windsor station.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...n_Montreal.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...n_Montreal.JPG

The station was built in 1888, the 15 storey tower was built in 1916. According to a book I own, its height is 226 feet (69m).