Toronto Live Cam

Toronto features an impressive array of architectural styles, including major works by names like Mies van der Rohe, I. M. Pei, and Canadian’s Arthur Erickson. With some 22 architectural styles documented throughout the city, even a casual observer will discover delightful exterior designs and interior spaces.

The Details: Guidebooks and guided tours to Toronto’s architectural offerings are available to those interested in delving more deeply. Herewith, then, a brief guide to some of Toronto’s most unique buildings:

• Gooderham Building (b. 1981-92 by David Roberts). Also known as the Flat Iron building, this is one of the most photographed structures in the city. The awkward site where Front and Wellington streets intersect dictated its triangular shape. With a richly textured façade and towered roof, the building also sports a colourful trompe l’oeil mural on its west wall. 49 Wellington St.

• Union Station (b. 1915-27 by Ross & Macdonald). Canada’s most impressive railway terminal, built in the Classical Revival Style, reminds us of the days when rail was king. Construction began in 1915 but was interrupted by the First World War. The building’s Great Hall is considered to be one of the finest public interiors in Canada. 60-75 Front St. West.

• The Fairmont Royal York Hotel (b. 1928-29 by Ross & Macdonald). The largest hotel in the British Commonwealth when it opened in 1927, the Royal York was constructed in the grand style of the great Canadian railway hotels, which extended across the country. For years the Royal York’s chateau-style roof dominated Toronto’s skyline. 100 Front St. West.

• “Old” City Hall (b. 1888-89 by E. J. Lennox). A bold Romanesque building which sports a stately 300-ft. clock tower, remarkably still visible from may points in the downtown core. It’s worth a few minutes examination, as the many gargoyles were designed to resemble the politicians of the day. Lennox, of course, couldn’t resist including one of himself. Today the building houses Ontario Provincial Courts.

• “New” City Hall (b. 1965 by Viljo Revell). This signature structure features two curved towers of unequal height hugging the saucer-shaped Council Chamber. It reflects the hallmarks of modernism, light and air. The building embraces the adjacent public space, Nathan Phillips Square, which features a large fountain that is transformed into a skating rink in winter.

• Toronto-Dominion Centre (b. 1964-71, 4th tower added 1986, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe). Created in the international Modern Movement style, these four black monolithic towers (the tallest is 56 storeys high) evoke a dark, austere elegance. 55 King St. West.

• Commerce Court (b. 1968-72 by I. M. Pei). This is a complex of office towers in the International Style, wonderfully incorporating the 1931 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce skyscraper, a 34-storey Romanesque structure. 243 Bay St.

• Royal Bank Plaza (b. 1973-77 by Webb Zerafa Mekes Housden). A late Modern jewel, the twin towers of the Royal Bank Plaza change their appearance as the day progresses, as their gold-enriched mirror-glass façade reflects the changing light conditions. 200 Bay St.

• BCE Place Galleria (b. 1990 by S. Calatrava). The interesting aspect of this office complex is the interior atrium space, running the length of an entire city block. Designed as an “arbour”, steel beams represent tree trucks and branches. The complex incorporates Toronto’s oldest surviving stone building, the former Commercial Bank of Midland (1845), that was moved to its current location inside the galleria. Also incorporated is the former Bank of Montreal building (1885), a rich and lovely rococo gem abounding in architectural details. 181 Bay St.

• Other sites of architectural interest include the castle Casa Loma; the CN Tower; the SkyDome stadium; the Art Deco R. C. Harris Filtration Plant; Roy Thomson Hall; the Sunnyside Pavilion on Lake Shore Blvd.; the Design Exchange in the former Toronto Stock Exchange; and Terminal 3 at Pearson International Airport.