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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Excerpt from www1.toronto.ca:

Royal York Hotel: 100 Front Street West
Era: Pre-War
Style: Chateau
Heritage Status: Municipally Listed 1974

The Royal York Hotel was completed in 1929 in anticipation of the completion of Union Station. It was designed by the Montreal architects Ross and Macdonald who also worked
on Union Station, in conjunction with the Toronto firm of Sproatt and Rolph.

According to the listing information:

“At the time of its opening as the flagship of the Canadian Pacific Railway chain of hotels, it was the largest hotel in North America, as well as the tallest building in the British Empire. The hotel also included an underground connection to Union Station, marking an early beginning to the PATH system. The Royal York is noted as an excellent example of Chateau design; a style favoured by the Canadian Pacific Railway for its accommodations.

The design is distinguished by its picturesque copper clad roof, which is visible from many vantage points in downtown Toronto.”

Situated to the west end of the block of Front Street between York and Bay streets, the hotel was designed in anticipation of Federal Avenue proposed by John Lyle in 1911. The building’s exterior character is defined by its stepped massing and limestone facade. Additional contributing elements, include the building’s bronze and copper detailing and its distinctive rooftop signage. A complementary east wing was added in the 1950’s, as the John Lyle plan failed to fully materialise. While this addition shares many contributing exterior elements, it was not part of the building’s original design and is not regarded as a significant heritage attribute for the district in that it blocked the expansion of the Beaux-Arts plan symetrically centred on Union Station.

The primary interior spaces of the Royal York have been a point of intersection for visitors and residents of Toronto for three quarters of a century, and as a result hold particular heritage interest. The main lobby, which encompasses the majority of the ground floor, acts as the hotel’s public space under its beamed and coffered, painted wood ceiling. The more private space of the Imperial Library Bar, Imperial Room and the 18th floor Ballroom, have held many prominent social functions and become embedded cultural history of the Toronto.

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Excerpt from www1.toronto.ca:

The Dominion Public Building: 121 Front Street West
Era: Pre-War
Style: Beaux-Arts
Heritage Status: Municipally Designated 1974

The Dominion Public Building was completed in 1935. Its design was begun by Thomas W. Fuller – Dominion Architect – and was completed by J. H. Craig.

According to the Official Designation:

“The building is an important example of Beaux-Arts Classicism in Canada, and was designed to complement the grandeur of Union Station. The manner in which it follows the curve of Front Street gives it a streetscape significance that is unique in Toronto. In conjunction with Union Station and the Royal York Hotel, the Dominion Public Building helps to form one of the grandest streets in Canada.”

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Excerpt from www1.toronto.ca:

Harbour Commission Building: 60 Harbour Street
Era: Pre-War
Style: Beaux-Arts
Heritage Status: Municipally Listed 1973

The Harbour Commission Building was completed in 1917, and was designed by Alfred Chapman of Chapman & McGiffin Architects. The Harbour Commission was chartered in 1912, with the mandate of overseeing the massive public works involved in “modernizing Toronto’s disorganized harbour of ramshackle wharfs”. The Commission headquarters was located directly on the shore of Lake Ontario. As projects of harbour modernization and industrial activity continued from the 1920’s through 1950’s, the resultant series of shore in filling placed the building farther and farther from the shore. Its current location is many hundreds of metres from the lake, north of the Gardiner Expressway.

The building is important for both historical and architectural reasons. It is representative of the grand Beaux-Arts style used for public architecture. It is also one of the few visible
reminders of the era predating the infilling of the Harbour.

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Excerpt from www1.toronto.ca:

The Toronto Club: 107-109 Wellington Street West
Era: Pre-War
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque
Heritage Status: Municipally Designated 1990

Reasons for municipal designation:
“The Toronto Club was completed in 1888, 1912(renovation) is designated to be of historic and architectural value as one of the oldest club buildings in the City and at the same time as a notable example of the work of an important firm of architects working in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.”

The building has been recognized for the “important humanizing effect of its smaller scale and warmly-toned materials amidst the extensive rebuilding of the downtown core”. It is one of the few remaining 19th century buildings in the Financial District, and a reminder of a time when office towers were not the predominant type.

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