Greatest Canadian Brick-and-Mortar Skyscraper Thread

[TorontoDrew]

The HNR Building in Toronto.

HNR Building by Bill Smith, on Flickr

HNR Building by Gary Baker, on Flickr

source: https://cdn.skyrisecities.com

[MonkeyRonin]

Martin inspired me - here are bunch more in Toronto not already covered: (trying to keep it above 10 stories or so)



Canada Permanent Trust Building (centre) and Toronto Trust & Guarantee Building (left)


https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/320-...o-ON/16443730/


Sterling Towers


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...BuildingID=163



Traders Bank Building


https://www.emporis.com/buildings/13...toronto-canada


Canadian Pacific Building


https://www.emporis.com/buildings/11...toronto-canada



2 King St. East


http://carolien.eu/fotodir2/USAenCan...wer/foto6.html



Dominion Bank Building


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...BuildingID=956



Dominion Trust Company Building


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...BuildingID=166



Northern Ontario Building


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...BuildingID=168



36 Toronto St.


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...uildingID=1692



Concourse Building (reconstruction)


https://www.flickr.com/photos/571567...48391/sizes/l/



Victory Building


https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=...AAAAAdAAAAABAb



Balfour Building


https://tayloronhistory.com/2012/07/...-and-adelaide/



Commodore Building


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=2939



Tower Building


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=2659



Fashion Building


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=2271



Hermant Building


https://www.eraarch.ca/project/19-dundas-square/



Manulife Tower


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...BuildingID=234



Medical Arts Building


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=2991



Park Hyatt


https://tayloronhistory.com/2017/02/...el-park-hyatt/



Toronto Western Hospital


https://www.belroc.com/portfolio/tor...tern-hospital/



Princess Margaret Hospital


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...uildingID=1717



Merchandise Building


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M...e_Building.JPG



Arthur Meighen Building


https://www.acotoronto.ca/show_build...uildingID=6839



Park Lane Apartments


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=6530



W.C. McBrien Building


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=4547



Bank of Canada Building


https://www.flickr.com/photos/18378305@N00/28441165667



Imperial Life Assurance Company


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=3323



The Federal Building


https://acotoronto.ca/show_building.php?BuildingID=3396

[TorontoDrew]

They've done a beautiful job of restoring The Federal Building.

[harls]

I worked in both of these buildings, for the same company, a few years apart.

[MolsonExport]

Great sets. these buildings must be preserved at all costs.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Unbelievable Post. What a great journey.

Yes, must be every building in the city.

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Martin inspired me - here are bunch more in Toronto not already covered: (trying to keep it above 10 stories or so)



Canada Permanent Trust Building (centre) and Toronto Trust & Guarantee Building (left)


https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/320-...o-ON/16443730/

Reminds me a lot of the RBC Tower in Vancouver...


https://vancouver.skyrisecities.com/...ward-march-cbd

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RBC_WHastings.jpg

[Architype]

^ The Vancouver RBC building (1931) was meant to have more built on the right to make it a symmetrical design (only the western half of the building was built. The eastern half was cancelled due to the depression). I like the asymmetry the way it is however.

https://www.heritagesitefinder.ca/lo...-vancouver-bc/

[Rico Rommheim]

Excellent sets by Monkey and Martin

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by Architype

Yes, must be every building in the city.

I like to be thorough, and in my defense I stopped in 1930 😉

[Rico Rommheim]

As a complement to Martin's excellent post, here are more Montreal brick and mortar 'scrapers.

The Ross Memorial pavillion: 46m, 10 floors including tower. Built in 1916.


https://imtl.org/image/big/1925_anonyme.jpg



Royal Victoria Tower by Rommheim, on Flickr

Royal Victoria Hospital Women's pavilion: 42m, 9 floors. Built 1926.


https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1..._960/image.jpg


Women's Pavilion - Montreal by Rommheim, on Flickr



The Women's (left) and Ross (right) pavillions


http://www.memorablemontreal.com/doc...000882-001.jpg


20160429_065713 by Rommheim, on Flickr


McGill University, Montréal by Daniel Kelly, on Flickr

The Montreal neurological institute: 40m, 10 floors built in 1933.


University Street - Montreal by Rommheim, on Flickr


Green Tower by Rommheim, on Flickr


Montreal Neurological by Rommheim, on Flickr



Canada Malting: 50m. Brick and steel tower and terracotta silos built in 1904.


IMG_0915 by Rommheim, on Flickr


IMG_0862 by Rommheim, on Flickr


IMG_0900 by Rommheim, on Flickr

Montreal children's hospital art deco wing. 45m 10 floors

https://imtl.org/image/big/DSCN0404.jpg


Montreal Children's Hospital by Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose, on Flickr

Sadly and regrettably demolished a few years ago for a massive condo development.

[MolsonExport]

^how much of the Montreal Children's hospital has been retained in the redevelopment?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

^how much of the Montreal Children's hospital has been retained in the redevelopment?

Just the small (I assume original) building on the corner, sadly.


https://imtl.org/montreal/building/C...n-Hospital.php

[Rico Rommheim]

Here are a few brick and mortars that are usually forgotten about, probably due to the fact that they were built in the 1940's and 1950's.

1980 Sherbrooke West: 1953, 39m 10 floors


imtl.org


imtl.org

A little late-deco gem, with an unfortunate 4 storey pomo addition on top. 630 Sherbrooke West: 1956, 30m 8 floors


imtl.org


imtl.org

1950 Sherbrooke West: 1951, 42m 10 floors
A rather charming little late-deco / early modernist building, incredibly difficult to photograph or fir that matter, to find photos online. So here;s the best one i could find supplemented with a google earth capture.




Gramercy on Sherbrooke 3 by Vanishing Montréal, on Flickr


Screen Shot 2021-03-05 at 3.27.48 PM by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr

The Shawinigan Water and Power Building, 12 floors 60m built in 1948


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JCEFT87SNx...s400/where.jpg


In_it_2020_10_08 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr

Kaplan Building: 37m, 11 floors built in 1954



Prudential building: 58m, 13 floors built in 1959



1255 Phillips Square: 47m, 12 floors 1949


Sternthal Building: 1950, 43m 12 floors

https://imtl.org/image/big/sternthal_building.jpg

Canada Post building, now renaissance Hotel
1951, 39m 12 floors



Another one from the 1950's, which is extremely difficult to find pictures or info of.
The Eaton's annex. I believe it was added in the 1950's.



streetview
https://earth.google.com/web/@45.504...Vm1kZVRXS0EQAg

[Martin Mtl]

The Sternthal Building is Montreal's masterpiece of mid-century architecture. It's an absolute gem, especially for being so well preserved in its original condition, including the entrance, the sign, te windows, the interior including the elevators. It's fabulous.

(my pics)

[Rico Rommheim]

Agreed. I love the Strenhal. Also, It's the kind of little gem only an architecture nerd could ever notice.


The Ogilvy flour mill, better known as the Farine Five Roses. The 10 storey brick structure is another example of the late 1940's art deco wave common in Montreal. I would say that this art deco flour mill, which is still operational today is Canada's best single industrial building.


City_of_Industry_in_February_Series_22 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr



Closer_on_Farine_for_February_Series_20 by Foofoo MacShoe, on Flickr


Famous building with the Farine Five Roses, Montreal by Stanislav Nikulich, on Flickr

[MolsonExport]

some good stuff in that last addition. Goes to show that there is actually a decent amount of good quality brick-and-mortar skyscrapers (and midscrapers), at least in Montreal and Toronto, with nods also to Vancouver, and maybe Winnipeg and QC. Most other large Canadian cities have at least a couple of good examples, including Calgary, Edmonton, and Halifax, as demonstrated by postings. Haven't seen much representation yet from New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and BC outside of Vancouver.

[shappy]

Originally Posted by Rico Rommheim

The Ogilvy flour mill, better known as the Farine Five Roses. The 10 storey brick structure is another example of the late 1940's art deco wave common in Montreal. I would say that this art deco flour mill, which is still operational today is Canada's best single industrial building.

White Birch Paper in QC is also pretty epic:

source

As is the Toronto Carpet Co. building:

source


source


source

[Architype]

To go along with the subject matter of this thread, anybody up for a deeper dive into the architectural history of Canada's (read: Toronto's) early skyscraper history, and the influence of American architecture on it might find this article interesting, and even if you're not, the illustrations alone are worth a gander:


Toronto's Edwardian Skyscraper Row

This paper will investigate exemplars of commercial architecture from Toronto’s prolific early twentieth century building period (1900 to 1916), often referred to stylistically in Canada as Edwardian through two lenses. The introduction of the skyscraper—that most American of built form—to Toronto’s flourishing new banking district is the first lens. That story aims to unravel the influences on Toronto architecture emanating from Chicago (through technological advances in commercial architecture), New York (where Beaux-Arts rules were stretched to compose tall building façades), and London (through adherence to Imperial architectural taste). The second lens considers two contemporary, competing architectural practices that succeeded in tall building design: Carrère and Hastings of New York (in association with their Canadian alumni) and Darling and Pearson of Toronto.

We must look to the technical and structural innovation of 1880s Chicago to understand the allure of American architecture for Canadian patrons.

The many large buildings that have been erected in Toronto within the last six or seven years and those which are in process of erection at the present time, have given a metropolitan character to the city which it did not formerly possess. The appearance of most of these buildings, including the new City Buildings (City Hall) and Foresters’ Temple, now nearing completion, is satisfactory. It seems to us subject of regret however that the important structures have been situated in such close proximity to each other. Both would have gained in appearance had they been farther apart. The view of the new city buildings at present obtainable from Bay Street is very meagre and unsatisfactory indeed, partly due to the towering structure at the north-west corner of Bay and Richmond street, which has reached a height of eleven storeys . . . The new city buildings are now sufficiently advanced to show that they will present, when completed, a character at once imposing, pleasing and refined in comparison with the American creation in Queen’s Park.

https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/bits...=1&isAllowed=y

[Rico Rommheim]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by shappy

White Birch Paper in QC is also pretty epic:

source

Damn, I think white birch paper in QC might indeed take it away from the ogilvy mill in montreal. It really is badass.