City
The tragic fate of the Temple Building
The Temple Building is one of those lost Toronto landmarks that I'm amazed I haven't posted about before. Well, I guess technically I have. It ranked high on Top 10 buildings lost to demolition list that I put together a while ago. Still, considering just what an architectural gem the building was prior to its unceremonious demolition, it's high time to share a few more photos from the archives.
Designed by local architect George W. Gouinlock in a Romanesque Revival that Old City Hall would come to compliment a few years after its construction in 1896, the Temple Building was arguably the first skyscraper built in Toronto, and the tallest building in the city for a brief period. Home to the world headquarters of the Independent Order of Foresters (IOF), a fraternal society and charitable institution lead by Dr. Oronhyatekha, a prominent First Nations entrepreneur, it would stand until 1970.
The reason for its demolition was pretty simple. At the time it was deemed an outdated building in an area where office space was in high demand. Although there was some discontent at the prospect of its loss, I've found no records of organized protests or the like (which did happen when Old City Hall came under threat by an earlier version of the Eaton Centre). In its place sits the Queen-Bay Centre, which though not an awful building, will always pale in comparison to its predecessor.
Sometimes one just wants to ask: why Toronto, why?
Photos
Its replacement...
Photos from the Toronto Archives with the exception of the interior shot and the photo of the Queen-Bay centre, which are from the Wikimedia Commons and royhenry, respectively.
Discussion
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It's such shame considering its replacement. Uggh.
The wrecking ball merely bounced off the wall
and couldn't crack the stonework that had fused
over the decades. A HUGE wrecking ball had to
be brought in on a float for the demolition
to take place.
By the way, wasn't there a bicycle storage area
in the basement of the building? I seem to remember
reading about it. The only other pertinent memory
I have of the building is that it had Chinese elevator
operators.
It was a very attractive building but it stood in
the way of the "everything bright and shiny and new"
thinking of the day. A tragic loss.
waytwogood dot com
Interesting that in all of those pictures, almost all of the buildings have been replaced, except Old City Hall.
I'd be curious to know what the state of the building was prior to the teardown. There are lots of older buildings on Queen and the like that are in very rough looking shape and I doubt most people would even notice if one was torn down.
The fact is, most people seem to LIKE being around lovely old things. Those buildings on Queen Street you mention would certainly be missed. Look at the fire in 2008. It was widely regarded as an architectural tragedy, and I'm sure those buildings were in dumpy shape inside.
Beides, you can't compare the Temple Building to any random old structure. It was one of the most distinguished structures every built in this town.
Another notable survival--and one just up the street to the east--is the Confederation Life building.
Not necessarily--indeed, the tide's been turning for a while on behalf of "gray concrete buildings"
http://www.chbooks.com/catalogue/concrete_toronto
I reckon that if it were proposed to wipe out the Colonnade, people'd be taking to the streets--sure, maybe not *you*, but...
Does the author have anything from bay and wellington before CIBC's commerce court was built?
I heard that the building was deemed structurally unsafe and had to come down. I guess that's why the wrecking ball couldn't damage it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Remains_of_Toronto_Temple_Building.jpg