Posts Tagged ‘Royal York hotel’

walking towards the Pinnacle… and beyond

Posted: November 21, 2025 in construction, locations, old buildings
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….with a group of friends on a grey November morning.

below: From Union Station, there are now plenty of routes to take indoors and we explored some of them (some for at least the second time but there are always changes or points of view that you miss the first time around).

legs and feet of people walking inside

below: Union Station has connected to Scotiabank Arena for a few years now.

large Canadian flag, and many people walking, inside Scotiabank arena foyer area between arena and Union station

below: And within the last year or two a pedestrian bridge over Bay Street has connected Scotiabank Arena with the new CIBC Square development on the other side of the street.  This picture shows the exterior stairs of that new CIBC building as seen from the south side of that bridge.  That’s a lot of climbing!  So glad for escalators.

exterior stairs on new CIBC building, Bay street

people on escalator inside CIBC building

below:  There is quite a view from the new CIBC Square park area including this one looking mostly southwest to the top of Scotiabank arena.  The architectural details (some sort of overhang?) are on the new CIBC building top of Scotiabank arena, view from CIBC park above tracks, looking southwest across Bay

below: Looking north up Bay past the shiny sparkly gold RBC building to Old City Hall that’s almost hidden behind the newer towers.

from new CIBC park above railway tracks, looking north up Bay street towards old City Hall.

below: You can also see the Royal York hotel on the other side of the railway tracks.

Royal York hotel seen through group of small trees in autumn colours, some leaves gone, at the new CIBC park over the railway tracks

below: Cranes and the CN Tower make for a very downtown Toronto photo.  Again, this is the view from the new CIBC Square.  If you are interested, a year ago I posted more photos from this new park – Above the railway tracks at CIBC Square.

CN Tower in the background, crane and its reflection in a building in the foreground

below: Work continues on the Union Station expansion and upgrades on the south side of the station.  This work will provide the infrastructure needed for increased GO train service (more trains, more often).  Comparing this photo to one taken a year ago there don’t seem to be many changes so I hope that most of the work has been inside (or else it’s going to be a very long time before this project is completed).

construction on the south side of union station

below: It is also possible to continue walking indoors through to the new GO Bus Terminal.  This is the glass wall at the south entrance of the terminal on Lakeshore Blvd.

wall of glass at south entrance to new GO bus terminal on Lakeshore Blvd

man wearing yellow and orange high viz jacket waits in line at a Second Cup coffee, Toronto Maple Leafs theme image on wall behind him

below: This is the view southwest from the corner of Bay and Lakeshore. Just beyond the exit ramp from the Gardiner is the Toronto Harbour Commission Building on Harbour Street – named as such back in the day when this was close to the shore of Lake Ontario.   It was built in the Beaux-Arts style and was completed in 1917.

looking southwest at the intersection of lakeshore and bay, old customs house on Harbour St is there as is the large parking lot beside it , also ramp from the Gardiner.

below: Harbour Commission Building, 1923, just over a hundred years ago.  Photo from the Toronto Public Library, found online in their digital archives. Harbour Street was right on the shore!  Everything that exists toady south of Harbour Street is built on landfill.  That includes most, if not all, of the developments on Queens Quay.

1923 black and white photo of the Toronto Harbour Commission Building, and its reflection in the water of Lake Ontario. From the Toronto Public Library website and was once used by the Toronto Star newspaper

 

below: A few steps later as we walked down Bay – this photo is now looking northwest back towards Scotiabank Arena and the Gardiner Expressway.   So many new towers!   The Telus building on the right is on York Street and immediately south of the tracks. On the left are twos tall building with an almost round structure on the top (with holes in it) – these are the ICE condo towers at 12 and 14 York.

looking northwest towards scotiabank arena and downtown skyscrapers, from Bay street, just south of the Gardiner

a couple on the sidewalk, walking past a hot dog and sausage vendor in front of the Westin Hotel

below: On Queens Quay, a contrast between the Brutalist type of architecture of the textured concrete Westin Hotel and the newer glass and steel condo tower beyond it.

looking east on Queens Quay in front of the Westin Hotel

Alexandros fast food Greek style on the waterfront, with construction cones and equipment around it.

below:  Also on Queens Quay (on the north side of Queens Quay between Bay and Yonge) there is a water feature at the horribly named Residences of the World Trade Centre

water feature in brownish colours on the wall of part of the residences of the world trade center at bay and queens quay and yonge

below: The same complex is also home to this mis-shapen peanut thing that is a sculpture, ‘Between The Eyes’, by Richard Deacon.   Also, the brown building on the left is the old Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge Street.  It was to be redeveloped into a condo tower but the market for condos is trash at the moment.  The owner/developer, Pinnacle Group, has announced that they might try to convert the building into a hotel instead.

large metal sculpture that looks like a stretched and twisted peanut, by Richard Deacon at Queens Quay and Yonge,

people walking past a bus shelter on yonge street

below: Now under construction is Sky Tower at Pinnacle One Yonge (on what was the parking lot behind the Toronto Star building).

new condo tower under construction, pinnacle, large podium at first few floors

below: 106 floors!!  Final height will be 352 metres. May they never have elevator issues.  May the underground garages never have water issues.  The tallest completed building in the city is Aura at Yonge and College at 272m.  A couple of others at Yonge and Bloor are under construction but even once they are finished, this Sky Tower will be the tallest.   Remember that picture of the Royal York Hotel – when it was built in the late 1920s it was the tallest building in the city, and the first one over 100m.

new condo tower under construction, pinnacle, large podium at first few floors with large sign advertising the fact that it is 106 floors high

workman working on exterior ground level finishes in front of Sky Tower condo development

below: When I was looking for older pictures of this area, I found this intriguing photo from 1984.  Not that long ago, right?  The Gardiner Expressway runs across the top and you can see the Toronto Harbour Commission building in the top left corner.   The Westin Hotel is there (the two towers on a triangular base, bottom left).  The rectangular tall building is the Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge.  In other words, this is almost a map of part of our walk.  A couple of things of note – first look how much surface parking there was! And second, what is that circular thing in the middle (and top) of the picture!!!  On closer examination, it’s just an old ramp for the Gardiner and all the wasted space in the center. Harbour Street follows the curve on its south side.  An incredible amount of space is devoted to the car.

1984 black and white aerial photo of westin hotel on queens quay, plus toronto star building at 1 yonge street, waterfront, from Toronto Public Library

below: Walking up the west side of Yonge.  The blue building with all the diamonds and triangles is the back of CIBC Square – we have almost completed a circle.

walking north on the west side of yonge between queens quay and harbour streets

below: More redevelopment and construction to the east of Yonge on Harbour.  Harbour then merges with Lakeshore Blvd.

construction on Harbour street

below: You should recognize the purpose of the exterior bracing on the brick building.  The facade of this 1950s brick LCBO headquarters and warehouse is being saved during its transition to ‘Sugar Wharf’ with new towers, a hotel, a park, and more.   A very familiar story that seems to play in a never ending loop.

construction on Harbour street

below: North on Yonge

tops of buildings on yonge north of the gardiner

below: Under the Gardiner

man walking a dog under the gardiner expressway

below: Bird in flight but stuck to the concrete –  a paper paste-up on a Gardiner Expressway pillar

man in brown jacket is about to walk under the gardiner expressway, past a concrete pillar with a black and white picture of a bird in flight, street art,

looking north on yonge from under the railway bridge, road repairs construction

below: I don’t think that this is Finch West.

on yonge street, near The Esplanade, a sign saying sidewalk closed use other side, but it also says Finch West LRT

below: Another bird in flight is ‘Eagle’ by Dean Drever, 2018.  His beak is pointing to another new pedestrian bridge over Yonge Street that hasn’t opened yet.  It is part of the CIBC development and will become part of the PATH system.

relief sculpture of an eagle head and wings in flight on the side of a building on Yonge street

below:  CIBC Square, north side construction.  In the distance is Union Station; we have come close to walking in a circle.  It wasn’t a very big circle but there were many changes and quite a few things happening.   The CIBC Square development includes two towers on the east side of Bay, one on the south side of the tracks and one on the north.  In case you didn’t realize it, the  one acre “park” that they have developed is actually over the railway tracks.  It’s a wonderful use of the space.  I hope that the city sees that it is feasible to create public space this way.  There has been a lot of chatter about how the city should create a park over more of the tracks and I hope that this spurs them on.

This walk was the 16th Anniversary walk for the Toronto Photowalks group.  It was a rather large group of us that started from Union Station last Saturday morning.

group shot, in great hall at union station

  Toronto Photowalks have walked twice a month since November 2009 with some exceptions during Covid lockdowns and restrictions.  I first walked with them in early February, 2012.  There have been 334 walks and most streets and alleys in the city (and sometimes beyond) have been covered at least once.  Some weeks the group is small while at other times the numbers are a bit overwhelming but all in all, it’s a great group!

 

below: I am sure that the Bearded Prof is saying “Thanks for joining us!”

a sticker graffiti slp by bearded prof, of a bearded man in a baseball cap, holding a folded umbrella

above the railway tracks, at CIBC Square

Posted: November 18, 2024 in construction, locations, public art
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There are so many new buildings in Toronto!  One of them is the new CIBC building at 81 Bay Street which is immediately south of the railway tracks and across the street from Union Station.  It is also adjacent to the new GO Bus station.

below: If you take the elevator to the 4th floor of the new CIBC building,  you can access the new park.   This is the view that greets you. The park extends over the railway tracks – a great use of space!

elevated park over railway tracks that is part of cibc square development,

below:Looking east from the park (on a foggy morning, and with a spot of dirt on the glass fence).   The trees on the right mark the spot where a strip of land separates the railway tracks from the Gardiner Expressway/Lakeshore combination.  Between Yonge and Parliament there are no buildings adjacent to the tracks on the south side.    That tall splotchy looking building is the Sugar Wharf Condos which, as the name suggests, are close to the Redpath Sugar property.

eastward view from cibc park, over railway tracks, tall buildings on either side of the tracks,

below: Looking north across the roof over the railway tracks.  The gold building is another bank building, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada).  On the right, the building that looks like there are diamond shapes in the glass, is a second CIBC tower but on the north side of the railway tracks.

below: Construction continues on the north side.  It too will have a park that extends over the tracks.  The two parks should merge into one once construction is completed.

construction site, park above the railway tracks at part 2 of cibc square, on the north side of the tracks, gold coloured r b c building also in the photo

man working at construction site, park above the railway tracks at part 2 of cibc square, on the north side of the tracks, gold coloured r b c building also in the photo as is Royal York Hotel

CIBC square, park

CIBC square, park, in November

below: Westward

looking west from cibc square, red leaved plants in foreground, CN Tower in background

below: In the center of the park is a large shiny metal leafless tree.   This is “New Amalgam” by Roxy Paine (2022).   It is 72 feet high.

public art, tall tree made of metal, cibc square

public art, tall tree made of metal, cibc square, cn tower in the background

below: Looking over the covered tracks at Union Station and all the ventilation system components on the roof.

looking west from CIBC square, long railway tracks, past covered tracks at Union Station with ventilation systems on the roof, CN Tower,

looking west from CIBC square, long railway tracks, past covered tracks at Union Station, CN Tower, with construction on south side of railway tracks

below: A closer look at the nearby construction at track level (and lower).

union station infrastructure construction

There are also stairs on the exterior of the CIBC building that lead to the elevated park.

looking into a few levels of cibc building, through large windows, from exterior stairs

Bay street side of CIBC office building, west side, lower three levels with tall white pillars

below: Looking south on Bay Street where Scotiabank arena takes up most of the street scene.  That’s the Gardiner Expressway as it crosses Bay.

looking south on Bay street rom CIBC building, Scotiabank arena takes up most of the street scene,

below: Through the window to the interior of CIBC  where Steve Driscoll’s artwork shines brightly.

interior of cibc building on bay street as seen through large window from exterior stairs, glass artwork, little round tables with a couple of people seated at them

below: “A light stolen from the sun” is a collection of 12 digital prints on laminated glass.   they can also be viewed from the 4th floor but access is controlled.   Also, camera use will get you a nice chat with a security guy.  The usual, phones are allowed but even little cameras are a no no.

Steve Driscoll artwork, red and blue, trees, tall, vertical works on glass

below: An outpouring of red poppies is the stunning centerpiece in this Remembrance Day tribute (created by Fresh Floral Creations).

an arrangement of red poppies for Remembrance day in the lobby of an office building,

two women on exterior stairs by CIBC sqaure, downtown toronto

With thanks to Nancy and Merle who went exploring with me that day.

a December morning walk

Posted: December 9, 2022 in locations, old buildings, people, public art, windows and walls
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Ahhhh December, that time of year when the mornings are dark, and even darker when it’s raining.  But that’s no reason to stay at home!

people walking past Starbucks on Yonge Street, morning, still darkish outside, people inside the coffee shop, man with umbrella outside, another man standing by wall looking at his phone

below: The northwest corner of Yonge and Queen is still behind hoardings.

early on a dark and wet morning, the northwest corner of Queen and Yonge, 2 Queen West, a building under renovation and behind hoardings, people waiting on the sidewalk for traffic lights to turn green, reflections on wet pavement

below: Even on a dark and foggy morning, Dundas Square is radiant.  The colours that it casts on Yonge Street  are dependent on the electronic billboards that dominate the space.  A constantly changing light show.

looking north up Yonge street early on a dark morning, lots of red lights reflecting off buildings and pavement from the lights and large signs at Dundas square

below: Old style, simple, sidewalk to subway access.

looking north on yonge street, by entrace to TTC subway on sidewalk on east side of yonge street, people coming and going, dark morning, rainy, reflections,

a woman crosses the road, early morning, rain, wet pavement with reflections, she is wearing a bike helmet and roller blades that light up. Pedestrians and cyclists waiting for the light

large red planters at Yonge Dundas square with evergreen boughs, ribbons and other Christmas time decorations,

below: The Christmas tree arrives at Yonge Dundas Square

morning, on a dark wet day, Yonge Dundas square, wet pavement,

below: When a damp December day gets wetter it’s time to go inside!

back of a grey haired man's head as going up escalator, with some white lights in star shapes on the ceiling

orange coloured faceless mannequin in a store, holding a large bowl of facke food - lettuce, peppers, eggplant,

below: Snowpeople frolicking among the Christmas lights.  December of course means Christmas and you know that the stores have been decorated for weeks already!  Lots of Christmas stuff on display….

a red christmas sweater with many little white snowmen on it,

two white female mannequins stand beside a large white nutcracker figure and two very pink magenta fake Christmas trees. One mannequin in a slinky blue dress and the other mannequin in a silvery glittery dress with spaghetti straps. she is holding a gold sparkly handbag

below: Multicoloured shiny balls on this Christmas tree

large fake christmas tree with bright coloured balls on it, in uniqlo, a clothing store, with mannequins in winter puffy jackets

white eyeless mannequin with bright red lipstick, wearing a high necked embroidered top with flowers and leaves on black background, in a store

a woman comes out of the apple store at the eaton center

below: Hockey and rainbows

beaded christmas tree ornaments for sale, hanging on hooks, red maple leaf with silver accents on the left, a red and white hockey shirt with maple leaf in center, and a rainbow on the right

below: Another typical tree scene

mannequins standing beside a decorated christmas treee in a store, with wrapped presents under the tree, and handbags for sale

below: Many trees in gold and silver in this Christmas dream (nightmare) bedroom scene.  Jokes about Santa and naughty or nice are running through my head now!

decorated bedroom scene in a store, white bedding, gold and silver christmas trees, a large gold and silver nutcracker, wrapped presents with gold ribbon and bows, large white stars hanging from the ceiling

below:  Are those meant to be trees?  An anti Christmas statement?  Someone thinks this is being edgy or radical – a wink at climate change?  The Christmas budget was slashed to smithereens and this was all that was left?

two mannequins with black face, dressed for winter, Boss store, mannequins standing beside two very small and awful looking tree shapes made of grey sticks

below: Come on in! I’ve been waiting for you (no trees here!)

in a store, looking in the door, a faceless mannequin sits on a counter with legs crossed,

looking out a small window in a pedestrian bridge over queen st., yellow school bus on the street below

below: Christmas shopping 2022.

lots of stuffies on shelves, for sale for christmas time, mallow, round characters,

looking in the window of a barber shop or hair stylist, partially translucent window

below: A very tall tree stands on its own in a quiet corner behind the elevators.

a large christmas tree in office building, partially obscured by a bank of elevators

man on a lift washing interior windows, office building lobby, with danger sign below him, man in background looking out window while talking on the phone, christmas lights and decorations outside

below: A marble wall with a bas-relief artwork by Nicolas Baier with the title, “Mappemonde”It was made by cutting way pieces of the marble, leaving a tree-like network  that could be roots and branches or it could be more technical man-made communication infrastructure….

a wall, interior, lobby of an office building, white, textured, artwork by Nicolas Baier called Mappemonde, Bay Adelaide Centre, bas-relief work made by cutting away at the marble, network of lines and shapes like roots and branches of trees

below: Watching the World Cup 2002 from Qatar.   As of this morning (9 Dec), eight teams remain – Brazil, Croatia, Argentina, Netherlands, Morocco, Portugal, England, and France,

people watching a large tv screen, world cup soccer, football, game,

below: Not a tree; instead it’s a collection of red, gold, and silver shiny balls in an metal inverted cone shaped frame.

tall christmas tree in an office building lobby, made of red, gold and silver shiny balls on an inverted cone metal frame,

people talking on an escalator, a Christmas tree of gold and silver balls is in the background

on a red carpet in a large space, a gold decorated christmas tree surrounded by 2 intersecting circular bands of lights so that tree looks like it is in centre of a sphere

below: Twin highly decorated, very brightly lit, Christmas trees at the St. Regis hotel.

two very decorated, very brightly lit christmas trees in the lobby of the st. regis hotel

below: A trend is starting to emerge… ye olde typical office building lobby tree. Tall, perfectly shaped, and classically dressed.

large plainly decorated christmas tree behind a window, orange and black abstract painting on a wall nearby

below: A new curved glass ceiling structure on Wellington Street beside the old red brick Toronto Club building.

new construction on wellington street, beside an old red brick building, a new curved roof glass atrium, behind black hoardings, and a new entrance

below: On an interior wall there is a plaque describing the history of the Toronto Club building at 107 Wellington West. It was built in 1889 and inside you’ll find “a billiards room, reading rooms, and dining rooms finished with wood paneling and carving, stone and marble fireplaces, and plaster ceilings.”

ontario blue and gold plaque for history of 107 Wellington St west, the Toronto Club building built in 1889

below: Access to the Toronto Club may be difficult but this little area seems like a quiet oasis for anyone that knows of its existence.  I didn’t try sitting down so I am not sure how security would react!  Some buildings are more welcoming than others.

small tables and chairs in a hall space, Christmas tree on one, side, pictures on the wall on the other side,

below: The pictures on the wall feature the rivers of Toronto – Humber, Don, and Rouge as well as the shore of Lake Ontario. They were painted by Canadian artist Linda Martinello (oil and graphite on drafting film).

four water themed paintings by Linda Martinello hang on a white wall, above chairs and desks.

below: The cows are lazing on the grass… perhaps they are waiting for someone to decorate the Christmas trees!

cow statues in a small downtown park, 3 conical christmas trees nearby, undecorated

2 young women taking a selfie at a specially set up space with proper lighting, and background designed with red and a large green heart, words say Celebrating Christmas

below: Gingerbread Lane at the Royal York Hotel

large gingerbread person shape in a christmas display, gingerbread lane, at the Royal york hotel. Large red bow on her head, green glitter on her face, a necklace of candy canes, a green collar on a lighter green top

large nutcracker christmas decoration, red hat with gold filagree, white beard, black mustache, green jacket, holding a present wrapped in red and white striped paper and a big red bow

below: Up on the mezzanine level of the Royal York lobby there is a display of old black and white photos such as this one of the building of the hotel (about 1928). The pictures illustrate the early days of the hotel. There are also photos of famous people who stayed here. The lighting is terrible but the images are interesting.

old black and white photo of building the royal york hotel

looking down into cafe area of royal york hotel, people eating, talking, and reading newspaper

below: The bar at the Royal York.  Not a bad place to end a blog post!