The Old Toronto Star Building was an Art Deco office tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was at 80 King Street West and was the headquarters of the Toronto Star newspaper from 1929 until 1970. The building was demolished in 1972 to make way for the construction of First Canadian Place.
| Toronto Star Building | |
|---|---|
 Toronto Star building in 1961. | |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Office (Newspaper publishing) |
| Location | 80 King West Toronto, Ontario |
| Completed | 1929 |
| Demolished | 1972 |
| Cost | CA$1.5 million[1] |
| Owner | Toronto Star |
| Height | |
| Roof | 88 metres (289 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 22 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Chapman and Oxley |
The skyscraper is the second tallest voluntarily demolished building in Canada behind the 120.1 m (394 ft) tall Empire Landmark Hotel that was demolished in 2019.
Overview
editThe building was designed by the firm of Chapman and Oxley and opened in 1929. It was 22 storeys and 88 metres (289 ft) tall. The front facade around the main entrance was clad in granite, the entrance itself having a bronze screen. The first three floors of the building were clad in granite; the upper floors in limestone. On the third floor, the facade was wrapped in elaborate stonework in geometric and floral motifs, which also adorned the interior and the limestone piers at the crest of the building.[2] The first six floors were built in reinforced concrete, while the tower was built with a structural steel frame.[1]
The first six stories held the offices of the Star, and the rest was rental office space. The 21st floor housed the newspaper's radio studios. The ground floor facing King Street housed a few retail stores and a Stoodleigh's Restaurant at the east end. The basement had a restaurant and barbershop.[2]
Some stonework from the building can be found at Guild Park and Gardens, along with other portions of facades of lost buildings of Toronto.[3]
In popular culture
editSuperman co-creator Joe Shuster, a Toronto native and former Star newsboy, used the building as a model for the Daily Planet Building.[4][5]
See also
edit
Canada portal
Architecture portal- First Canadian Place—previously the site for The Toronto Star building
- One Yonge Street—Current home of The Toronto Star
- Toronto Star
- Toronto Star Press Centre
- William H. Wright Building—former home of The Globe and Mail, located near the Star Building
References
edit- Morawetz, Tim (2009). Art Deco architecture in Toronto. Toronto, ON: Glue Inc. ISBN 9780981241302.
- Notes
- ^ a b Morawetz 2009, p. 25.
- ^ a b Morawetz 2009, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Boyd, Kevin A. (March 18, 2009). "Joe Shuster's final interview with Henry Mietkiewicz". The Joe Shuster Awards. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- ^ Bateman, Chris (November 13, 2012). "That time when the Toronto Star was the Daily Planet". www.blogto.com. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ Stamp, Jimmy (June 12, 2013). "The Architecture of Superman: A Brief History of The Daily Planet". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
External links
edit
Media related to Old Toronto Star building at Wikimedia Commons- "Toronto Daily Star Building". SkyscraperPage.
