Studying in a historic skyscraper: The Trader’s Bank Building
Do you know the history behind our campus? With so many buildings in Toronto’s downtown core, it can be difficult to appreciate the architecture and story behind every location. But, Evergreen College’s Toronto campus is housed within a piece of heritage that’s worth sharing. Here are the details behind our campus location in Toronto’s Trader’s Bank Building.
Located at 67 Yonge St., the building that stands 15 storeys tall was once considered a skyscraper when it was built in 1906. At that time, it was the tallest building in the British Commonwealth until 1911. It was also only the second building in Toronto to be considered an official skyscraper. Today, it remains one of few remaining skyscrapers from the earliest 20th century remaining in Canada.
In those days, 15 storeys was considered excessive. So much so that the building was the source of many complaints. Many critics feared that the building cast too many shadows on the streets, was affecting wind patterns and made our city look too much like New York.
City officials, at the time, promised that buildings in the area would not exceed 200 feet in height. The Traders Bank Building only stood at 181 feet, but still drew skepticism. Eventually, the city waived such limits as taller buildings in the area were quickly built.
To help qualm skeptics, a projecting cornice was constructed atop the exterior of the third floor, which helps to hide the view of top floors from the ground. This technique was used to make the building appear shorter than it actually was, and to make it’s street view appear less dominating for its time.
Today, our campus building had been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. It’s home to several offices, including Evergreen College on the fourth floor.
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