Tags:   toronto Ontario Canada Buildings Heritage Union Station Nice As It Gets-Level 1

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Excerpt from www1.toronto.ca:

Union Station: 71 Front Street West
Era: Pre-War
Style: Beaux-Arts
Heritage Status: Designated National Historic Site 1975

Heritage Character Statement:
“Union Station was built between 1914 and 1927, as a joint venture between the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Grand Trunk Railway (now the Canadian National Railway) to
consolidate their railway services into one facility. It was designed by a team of architects comprised of the Montreal
firm of G.A. Ross and R.H. Macdonald, Hugh Jones of the CRP
and John M. Lyle of Toronto.

Built at a time when the railway station was considered the gateway to a city, Union Station was the largest and most opulent station erected in Canada during the last great
phase in railway station construction. It was designed in the grand manner of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Its monumental scale, classic detail and rational ordered planning were
hallmarks of the style. At the time of construction, it was the largest building in central Toronto.”

Located on the south side of Front Street, Union Station encompasses the entire block from York to Bay streets. The building’s north elevation creates a cohesive street wall
facing Front Street and is defined by a Tuscan colonnade, which runs along the central third of the façade. A large public area extends the length of the building facing Front Street.
Union Station was conceived as part of a large redesign of central Toronto in a plan drafted by John Lyle. The plan called for the creation of a new north/south street called ‘Federal Avenue’, which was to run from Queen to Front streets, between Bay and York. It was to terminate on axis with the centre of the station. The plan called for the creation of
large limestone buildings in the Beaux-Arts style to run along Federal Avenue and Front Street. The Royal York Hotel and the Dominion Public Building were conceived and built
according to these plans. Although Federal Avenue was never created, Union Station and the accompanying grand buildings along Front Street remain as its legacy.

The interior spaces of Union Station are of particular value. According to the Union Station Heritage Guidelines report:
“The most significant part of the head house and one of the most important interiors in Canada is the ticket lobby located behind the entrance colonnade. Due to its unusually large proportions and the excellence of its design this area is called the ‘Great Hall.’ The vaulted and tiled roof of this room spans a length of 260 feet and a width of 85 feet. Natural light falls from the clerestory windows to bathe the immense volume of the interior. It illuminates the neutral surfaces of the walls, ceiling and floors and imparts a quiet sense of grandeur that is unparalleled in any other room in Canada. The intended use of this room has not altered from the original design intent; it continues to function as a ticket lobby and to signify the importance of one’s arrival in the city”

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Tags:   Union Station Toronto Ontario Canada

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Tags:   Union Station Toronto Ontario Canada

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